“For more than half a century, I have been asked most often whether it is still possible to beat the casino using the strategies described in the book “Beat the Dealer.” And despite the fact that time passes, the answer to this question remains in the affirmative. Using this book, you can quickly learn, without even counting cards, to play on favorable occasions with close to even odds. By mastering basic card counting skills, you can gain a modest advantage. Those gifted readers who are not intimidated by the challenges of training and applying what they have learned will be able to reach the professional level. Beat the Dealer has sold more than a million copies, and thousands of readers have told me how it affected them. Some used it as an enrichment guide. Others were more interested in the stories it told and the opportunity to peer into the mysteries of the world of gambling. Readers from a background in mathematics, science, and engineering were interested in learning about innovative uses of computer programming and probability theory. My favorite stories are from readers who have applied what they learned in this book to the world beyond the casino. Blackjack bankrolls spawned horse racing syndicates, stock trading firms and investment fund managers. The method I used and popularized in blackjack for determining the size of bets in each situation is now used by investors, brokers and asset managers in the equity and debt markets.” (E. Thorpe)