The 21st-Century Card Counter: The Pros' Approach to Beating Today's Blackjack

My buddy Larry and I, both locals near the Hard Rock Casino, decided to dive into the world of blackjack with no prior training. After a bit of trial and error, we picked up The 21st Century Card Counter, hoping to get a more structured understanding of card counting. The book is definitely a worthwhile read, offering a solid overview and personal anecdotes that make it engaging. It covers the basics of card counting, true counts, basic strategy, and deviations. However, it doesn’t delve deeply into any one topic, which might leave you wanting more if you're looking for in-depth strategies. One feature that didn’t sit well with me was the reliance on QR codes for additional content. I’d much prefer if all the material were included directly in the book. It felt like a bit of a gimmick, as if the book was just a teaser for the author’s more expensive course. Overall, The 21st Century Card Counter is great for beginners—it’ll spark your interest and give you a foundational understanding. Just be prepared for some upselling, and don’t expect it to be a comprehensive guide. It’s a stepping stone to more detailed learning, but with some frustration over the format.

This book is an excellent intro to card counting written by a knowledgeable trainer of people who want to beat blackjack. The sad part is that it is a lot of work. It takes a couple months to train to become a fully capable counter and this book points you in the direction. However...it also points you to other books that you should consider before starting your work.... And...Colin Jones' website costs to join and is well worth the price if you want to start this career....(for practice with drills saving cost of software and especially for casino updates, saving expenses in knowing which places to go) And....Colin Jones will test you to see if you are ready for the casinos at his bootcamp, which costs a couple thousand bucks. So....it costs to become a counter. I have read all the books suggested at this point, and am considering joining the website and doing a bootcamp. I figure it will be worth it to be tested out before I start investing my money. I look forward to the first time I am earning in a casino, getting my work and purchases paid off. As for the kindle version- some charts do not look good on the kindle. Nothing new there. However, also there are hyperlinks which work better than in a paper book. So, either would be good.

This is a phenomenal book that accurately depicts how players today are beating the game vs 20 years ago, and an absolute MUST read if you plan on counting cards in casinos nowadays. Colin very accurately describes how the game has changed and what professional players are doing in recent years to take thousands of dollars from casinos and it is all well written and thought out, and the interviews with pro level players offer excellent insight into the world of card counting. Colin outlines what other books of the past said and how he agrees or disagrees with certain aspects of those books, and to me this is the only book a player will need. Take the time to practice the skills outlined and you can even get your skills tested by Colin himself. Take the dive, you won’t regret it!

As expected this book was very well written in the field of beating the game of Blackjack. What was unexpected, was how much actual life knowledge was shared. Just as Anthony Curtis said, this book is phenomenal. If you are even a little interested in beating the game of Blackjack and entering into the whole field of Advantage Play, this book should be required reading from this point on. If you are already an player of some kind, then all the better. This is not a book filled with pages and pages of charts, numbers, and various other points. That information has been exhaustively written about elsewhere. What is contained in the pages of this book is near indescribable. You won't learn everything there is to know (and Colin Jones never claims as such). What you will learn is the mindset, tactics, and approaches that many professional Advantage Players use on sometimes a near daily basis, that allow those players to do what they do. To Colin, congrats on your book!!

Which is not why I bought this book anyway. Seems more written for high rollers rather then the weekend warrior counter, and the many if the bankrolls mentioned are higher then I would likely ever play. HAs a lot of good info not mentioned anywhere else . I enjoyed it and given Colin Jones is an industry leader in educating today's card counter, I would consider it essential reading.

I consider myself a beginner to the blackjack community and wanted to gain a wealth of knowledge in order to gain an edge against the casino, and this book has definitely laid the foundation for me by providing links, content, stories, and the good and bad that comes with the blackjack lifestyle. If you want to know if blackjack is for you, then buy the book, read it and check out all the online links he provides throughout the chapters of the book for more detailed information and learning material from those who've done it themselves. In the end of the book, if you're not satisfied, then you can at least tell yourself that blackjack isn't for you. However, if you do end up loving it like I did, then this book is definitely a necessity to the blackjack way of life. Will there be an audible version of this book?

I really enjoyed reading this book and look forward to learning more about being a card counter. Very informative. Colin does a great job explaining what it takes and what to expect if you want to be a successful advantage player.

3/4ths through the book & I have to admit, the book is very well written. Colin is very straightforward when it comes to his advice, tips, & lessons from his experiences in blackjack which are great because I don’t feel like I’m wasting my time reading the book. However, I have to admit that the book feels a little like a marketing scheme for his website blackjack apprenticeship. He doesn’t *exactly* teach you how to bet and how to make different moves at the blackjack table, but instead recommends you check out his website for more details/info on specific topics like card counting software, bet spreads, deviation charts, etc. This is a problem because the links he puts in the book eventually lead to sites with dead ends that require you to become a member of his site to in fact learn more, which makes it feel circular & pointless to even have the book in the first place. That’s my main problem with the book, but I will say that it’s still a good book. I especially love the interviews at the end of every chapter, they give the reader an idea as to what kinds of people become card counters and how they make mistakes or make huge winnings.