More than the cover
"I am happy to hear that the cover of BJA3 is considered so attractive. Forgive me, but I have not purchased it yet."
You're excused! :-) But, it's MUCH more than the cover, which is, indeed, striking. No expense was spared to make this book gorgeous, in every respect. It's much bigger, physically, than the others, it's hardcover, the paper is spectacular, and the lay-flat binding allows you to open to any chart and lay the book flat while you're reading. The content isn't bad, either. :-)
"As you know, I think the content of BJA (1 and 2) is excellent. I did not feel the same way about the cover art."
You're not alone. I'm trying to remember who published the first two editions and was responsible for the cover art. Can't remember his name! :-) But, BJA2 was a huge improvement over BJA1, which was, in every respect, a physical disaster.
"When she saw the first two issues of BJA she said the same thing, 'Somebody needs an art director.'" :-)
I got a great one for BJA3 -- someone extremely skilled in design and layout. He did an unbelievable job. His name is Viktor Nacht.
"So, if BJA3's content can replace that of BJA 1 and 2, I will order a copy, and relieve my crowded bookcases of 1 and 2, save only the copy which you were kind enough to sign for me."
I will be delighted to sign BJA3 for you. By the way, in assessing whether you think there is enough additonal content to merit your purchase, here are my Prefaces to both the hardcover and the upcoming softcover.
Best regards,
Don
Third Edition � Hardcover
There is much to be excited about in this third, �Ultimate Weapon,� edition of
Blackjack Attack. As the subtitle suggests, I have tried to cram in the pages of this one
volume an incredible amount of highly sophisticated blackjack information. To that
end, I have eagerly sought the advice and collaboration of some of the keenest minds
in the area of blackjack research, and together, we have broken new ground in several
ways.
Here, then, are the major additions and improvements to be found in this third
edition: First and foremost is the complete revision of the Chapter 10 charts, by Norm
Wattenberger, to include optimal betting ramps, unit sizes, SCOREs, and much, much
more; a light piece, �More on SCORE,� appended to the SCORE chapter, as we seek
ways to distinguish between the �original� concept of SCORE and the �generic�
meaning the term has taken on; the complete version of the Optimal Departure study,
which began in the second edition of BJA, but was completed in a subsequent issue of
Blackjack Forum; four brand-new risk of ruin equations, encompassing goal-reaching
and time-constraint concepts, and an enlightening testing of the formulas� accuracy,
through the computer simulations of Norm Wattenberger; an entirely new Chapter 12,
as a mythical blackjack team takes a �Random Walk Down the Strip,� utilizing John
Auston�s genial software application, BJRM 2002; a three-part Appendix, courtesy
of the amazing Cacarulo, with more than 100 pages (!) of precise expectation tables,
basic strategy charts (the most accurate in print), and effects of rules variations on
basic strategy expectations; finally, a new cover design, an enlargement of the book�s
format, and, for collectors, an elegant hardcover edition, which will be followed by a
softcover version.
We learn to �never say never,� but, with this �Ultimate Weapon,� I believe I have
furnished virtually all of the tools that the traditional card counter must have at his
disposal to levy a full-blown attack on the casinos. I�m sure you�ll let me know if I�ve
left anything out, but, for now, this third edition of Blackjack Attack contains just about
everything I know about the game of blackjack. I suggest, as one reviewer observed
(speaking of the second edition), that you �don�t leave home without it.� Enjoy!
Don Schlesinger
New York, February 2004
Third Edition � Softcover
It�s been eight months since the publication of the hardcover edition of BJA3, and,
frankly, I couldn�t be more pleased with the excitement that the book has generated in
the blackjack community. I wrote, in my Preface to that third edition, that it �contains
just about everything I know about the game of blackjack,� and intimated that there
might not be any further revisions of the book. But, there was a softcover version
of BJA3 in the offing, and I am pleased to announce that it contains a major addition
of historic proportions: a brand-new Appendix D, featuring completely revised and
expanded tables of effects of removal, for playing and betting, which improve on
the work of the legendary Peter Griffin. We have Zenfighter (more about him in the
appendix) and Cacarulo to thank for this monumental study, which I trust will be of
immense value to blackjack players and researchers everywhere.
The book you now hold in your hands is the most voluminous reference work on
casino 21 in existence, comprising 576 total pages and over 400 tables and charts.
Needless to say, its creation involved a prodigious amount of work, not only for the
author and his collaborators, but also for the publishers and proofreaders, who, once
again, have made a Herculean effort to get everything �just right.� It would be hard
to describe the level of detail into which we all entered as we fine-tuned the text of the
hardcover BJA3, searching for the inevitable gremlins that are typos, omissions, and
stylistic inconsistencies. Doubtless, we haven�t found them all, but it is unquestionably
true that the present incarnation of BJA3 is the most accurate and most painstakingly
proofread version of them all, and I am extremely proud to sign my name to what is
perhaps the final edition of Blackjack Attack: Playing the Pros� Way. I hope that you
will enjoy it.
Don Schlesinger
New York, January 2005