New Blackjack Memoir Goes Beyond the Game

Apparently, author Josh Axelrad’s success publishing a memoir is as surprising to him as his knack for numbers. “I didn’t know how to write a book,” says the former professional card counter, who also claims that math was never a skill he could boast about. In “Repeat Until Rich: A Professional Card Counter’s Chronicle of the Blackjack Wars,” Axelrad reflects upon his emergence into the craft of blackjack card counting during his twenties and the crushing pressures and fears that come with winning big.

After studying Edward O. Thorp’s classic card counting guide “Beat The Dealer,” Axelrad joins a blackjack team in 2000. The rookie’s winnings amount to a hefty $700,000 in just five years and, by 2001, Axelrad’s income spikes $120,000.

Naturally, the most intriguing stories interlace both triumphs and failures. Axelrad quits blackjack when his annual income trickles down and soon after, he dabbles with an online poker addiction. Axelrad’s memoir is not focused so much on the strategy of blackjack; instead, the author shares an insightful coming of age tale in the world of quick wins, high stakes and entertaining personalities. The author recalls his past experiences from the perspective of one who no longer partakes in the gamble, perhaps allowing him to emit more humor, more sincerity and more substantial conclusions.

Source: Review by Jeffrey Burke, March 31, 2010, Bloomberg.com

This blog entry was posted on Saturday, April 3rd, 2010 at 4:37 pm and is filed under Blackjack News.