Jeff Haney on how author Dave Stann turns another (expletive) book on blackjack strategy into a wild ride

Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2007 | 7:22 a.m.

You can tell by the dedication page "Hollywood Blackjack" isn't your typical blackjack book.

Author "Hollywood" Dave Stann, who has carved out a persona in the niche market of televised blackjack tournaments as the obnoxious jerk everyone loves to hate, dedicates the newly released book to Ken Uston and Hunter S. Thompson.

Although they're disparate figures at first glance, Stann ties together Uston, the legendary card counter, and Thompson, the erstwhile desperate Southern gentleman, by calling them "two strange and beautiful (expletives)." It's the first of a string of expletives that peppers the book.

"Thank you for ruining my life - and for setting me free," Stann addresses the odd couple.

Wisely deciding the world doesn't need another boring blackjack book, Stann, an accomplished tournament and cash-game player, blends strategy advice with wild and irreverent tales from the blackjack trenches, where casino paranoia strikes deep and permanent exile from the tables is always but a shoulder tap away.

Witty and profane, "Hollywood Blackjack" (RGE Publishing, Las Vegas, $19.99) sets itself apart from the stodgy stalwarts of the blackjack oeuvre. Let's compare and contrast:

"Knockout Blackjack" (1998) was dedicated "To all who have been knocked out by the casino." More creative.

But Stann, after giving Uston and Thompson their due, writes: "Oh yeah, and also, for all my (expletives)."

Chapter 1 of "Playing Blackjack as a Business" (1969): "The Game of Blackjack." Even worse.

Chapter 1 of Stann's book: "(Expletive) the Stardust." Now that's more like it.

In "Burning the Tables," Ian Andersen writes: "I must admit, I was duly impressed."

Uston in "Million Dollar Blackjack" (1981): "In retrospect it was obvious to us that we had played the same club for far too long."

Stann: "Man, I acted like a scared little (expletive)."

Stanford Wong is more to the point in "Professional Blackjack" (1994): "Counting cards in the high-low system is relatively simple."

Stann is more succinct yet: "Hi-lo, (expletive)!"

Stann takes the opposite tack about two-thirds of the way through his book: "Seriously, dude, the rest of this book is pretty lame anyway."

Uston is coy: "I'd met a cute gal who worked at the MGM cashier's cage. We dated a few times; to say we enjoyed each other's company was to put it mildly."

Stann: "Before disappearing upstairs, he pulled me aside and whispered, 'Hey Dave, is this girl a prostitute?' I could only smile and reply, 'Well, she didn't charge me.' "

Stann: "Plenty of sweet, sweet bourbon. Make mine a Manhattan, please, barkeep - and put it on the casino's tab."

Stann: "There's nothing worse than waiting out a few cold decks, finally seeing the count skyrocket, and then watching helplessly as your max bet is met with a 16 while the other three idiots at the table all end up with 20s and 21s. (Expletive) that, dude."

The last line of "Beat the Dealer" is less excruciating: "Most of the possibilities are beyond the reach of our present imagination and dreams. It will be exciting to see them unfold."

Stann: "Cheers, (expletives). I'm out."

Stann hints at a follow-up book on blackjack tournament secrets. Can't wait to buy the ticket, take the ride.