If you were ever interested in card counting this book is for you. Not because it guarantees the edge against the casino with 10 simple rule, because it doesn't, but because it outlines several good strategies to maintain a small edge (or in some cases a smaller disadvantage) over the casino establishment.
I gave this book 5 stars for a couple different reasons. Although requiring a lot of practice, the ten count that thorp teaches should more than pay for the book. The stories, although providing little insight into the world of current gambling, provide comical relief for an otherwize stale and mathmatical book. Although a person can find easier to use systems and basic strategy tables on the internet, Thorp's main assistance to me came in his in depth modification to the tables based on what the count reflects. The short comings of this book are numerous however. For one, thorp dedicates a significant (not to mention hilarious) portion of the book to end play. A system where by busting certain hands and standing on others effects the composition of the deck post shuffle. That is, by busting all hands with aces and tens when the deck appears to be running out, the aces and tens are reshuffled with the remainder of the deck while the low cards are not, giving the player a small advantage. Another dissapointment is that thorp doesn't go into the deep mathmatics of his strategy or the simulations, he simply states nearly undunderstandable percent advantages and assumes the reader will trust him. (for owners, this is reference to the page where he outlines the percent advantages with different numbers of tens in the deck where no pattern is visible)
To splice in some praise, I would recomend this as a first book. A lot of information about advantages and disadvantages with different casino play is not included, but the basic outline presented, the expanitory style in which each of his 4 counts are explained, and the excitement in practicing "beating the dealer" make this a worth while read.

Great book on this classic strategy. Thorp got even richer using a similar system in the stock market. (Although it was during the bull years...)
Not suited for the less then occasional player or in general any player who's familiar with the game's rules in other languages.

One of the best books written on blackjack!
This is the book that started the whole counting craze!
A must read for all serious players.

The fact that this book, which was originally published in the 1960s, is still ranked so high in the bestseller lists says something about its historical value in the gambling world.

If you've ever had any interest in card counting (which accounts for many people since the successful ride of "Bringing Down the House"), this book is definitely worth picking up -- especially at its small price.

Much of the information is outdated, but to actually relive the earliest stages of basic strategy and card counting is pretty freakin' cool. For the blackjack enthusiast, this book won't disappoint.

This book is of historical importance because it is the first book written, as it is the oldest, with a viable counting system. A must have for your blackjack library. I also recommend, for modern games, Gregorian Strategy for multiple deck blackjack.