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Some
writers love the game of blackjack, craps or some other casino game
so much, they get so darned serious about it, you wonder if they
underwent some sort of personality change with all the intensity
they put into a book. Simply, it's win or die-no messing around.
Now comes Arnold Levy-not exactly a household name in the gaming
industry, but one whose philosophy about playing should be admired-perhaps
copied by players who are a bit too much "into themselves" as human
beings.
 Levy's
book is titled Hit and Run (How to Beat Blackjack as a Way
of Life) (166 pages, paperbound, $14.95), and it's a welcome
new arrival at Gambler's Book Shop.
Levy's been
gambling for 40 years. He's made mistakes at the tables and he tells
you how to avoid them. His advice is down to earth and logical.
"Arrogance and smug self-assurance are the quicksand that'll gobble
up a gambler's bankroll," he warns. He approaches gambling tables
as one would a bear trap.
This book is
more than just about playing blackjack. It's a clear journey around
all the existing bear traps waiting for players, who either can't
manage their money or who go off on a "tilt" anytime something goes
wrong, or allow a casino to distract them from their goal-to win.
Levy explains
why he refuses credit and how this move became his salvation-as
it should be to others. Many have wondered what the impact of no
clocks and no windows in the casino add up to. Plus-why payout booths
are so far from logical access. (It's to tempt you to play more.)
"Wear blinkers if you have to (but once you cash out a winner)�haul
your ass out the door�" Levy advises.
The book is
packed with short stories, incidents, and examples of people getting
lucky, coincidences, oddball happenings and never ceases to be interesting.
Levy talks about bosomy women, cheating, illegal casinos, phony
casino promotions, the false promises pitched to lotto players,
premonitions, video poker, keno and roulette. It's his skill at
capturing the true color and language of the gambler, in all his
glory and often in the disaster mode, which makes
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