Blackjack Bootcamp, Vol. 1

"You will become a blackjack machine; a predator; a terminator. You'll show no remorse or pity," barks host Alan Pell while walking down Las Vegas's mean streets without--and here's the sticking point--one smidgen of humor or irony. "Losing will only make you stronger," Pell adds, which, in my case, is patently untrue: losing makes me cry. Once the "bootcamp" (sic) metaphor is played well beyond its welcome, Pell takes viewers through the basic strategy for single deck strip rules blackjack play (with percentages for variations, such as subtract .61 percent if you're foolish enough to play a 4-deck game in the Luxor because you think the décor is cool--like me). Viewers will learn every response to every situation possible (when to stand, hit, double down, or split pairs) and then discover that they have to memorize the whole shebang. A second and third volume in the series is also available. For my money, The Winning Strategies Series: Blackjack (VL-1/97) achieves the same results as this first volume, without the strained military analogy, for $19.95. Optional. Aud: P. (R. Pitman)