Interview with Stanford Wong

Stanford Wong was born in Georgia in the United States in 1943. He created a method to play the best mathematical blackjack card by the dealer. He holds a Bachelor of Science, an MBA and a doctorate in philosophy, and was professor of mathematics.

GB : When were you introduced to the blackjack?
Stanford Wong : I was introduced when I was ten, I started to analyze this game when I bought the book by Edward Thorp, Beat the Dealer , in the 60s, with whom I started count cards, and the age of 21 I was able to go to the casino, knowing counting cards.

GB : Why did you decide to write your first book?
Stanford Wong : I have not really decided to write this first book, I had two different manuscripts which, taken together, were sufficient for a book. I had the tables calculated for different scenarios, the book by Edward Thorp did not. Beat the Dealer was giving information to a dealer standing on a soft 17 (Ace Six), so I needed information to a dealer who was pulling on a soft 17 in northern Nevada. Thorp did not cover either of abandonment, while I was playing in casinos that allow. Thorp’s book offered the tables on the separation of pairs where you could double after a split, and I needed a table where doubling after splitting pairs of pairs was not allowed. I had many pages of tables on different strategies to be applied under the rules of blackjack casino. There were also many people who wanted me to teach them to play, and I do not want to waste time repeating each person the same thing, so I also wrote a method of blackjack. Each person who came back to me and ask questions, I answered them by writing the answer. It had become so large that one day I realized that I had a book done everything in my tables adding to my method of blackjack.

GB : How many copies of Professional Blackjack did you sell?
Stanford Wong : I’m not really sure how many copies of Professional Blackjack that were sold. What is interesting about this book is that unlike many books, sales are increasing every year. Right now, 5000 copies are sold each year, I imagine that in 30 years there will probably be 50 000 copies.

GB : What is the origin of your pen name, Stanford Wong ?
Stanford Wong : I was 32 ​​years old when the book was published. I always gave my real name in the casinos when I was playing blackjack, and I do not want everyone to know that I was the one who wrote this book, so I needed a pen name. I always liked the names complicated and simple names. A friend with whom I was doing my Ph.D. at Stanford University, Denny Draper, suggested to me that name and I thought it was perfect. He has an academic sounding at the same time Eastern.

GB : What other books have you published?
Stanford Wong : Some books are edited versions of others, while some are no longer published: Winning Without Counting was released in 78, Blackjack in Asia in 1979, Blackjack Tournament in 1987 craps tournament in 1987, Professional Video Poker by 1988, Optimal Strategy for Pai Gow Poker in 1990, Basic Blackjack in 1992, Casino Tournament Strategy in 1992, Betting Cheap Claimers in 1992, Blackjack Secrets in 1993, Sharp Sports Betting in 2001, and we Dice Wong in 2005. Blackjack Secrets was the initially part of Professional Blackjack , but when I reviewed the book, I realized that the book could be cut in half. Basic Blackjack is a revised version of Winning Without Counting .

GB : When did you start playing blackjack tournaments?
Stanford Wong : I started playing tournaments when Hilton started the formula in 1985, two before publishing Tournament Blackjack . When I heard of this format of blackjack, I thought there was possibility of creating new strategies specific to this type of game

GB : You’ve decided to play as a team?
Stanford Wong : The main advantage of playing as a team, at least for me was to learn as much experience to write this book, analyzing the way I play eu ainsiq the other team members. Other mmbres team were Ernie Amore, Anne Amster, Anthony Curtis, Dave Douglas, and later Blair Rodman. We played together two years, until I felt that we had seen every possible situation and that I had enough material for my book. We gained are 6 zeros …

GB : Do you always play in casinos without management scrutinizes you?
Stanford Wong : I can still play in almost all the casinos now, because I already look pretty ordinary, and most people who know me are managers, not the dealers. The secret to not being noticed is not to bet big, stay reasonable, $ 100 per hand seems to be reasonable limits.

GB : What is your latest project?
Stanford Wong : My latest project is to research on craps and write a read on the subject.

GB : What advice, which is not in your books, could you give us on a strategy for tournament blackjack?
Stanford Wong : I did not really advice that is not already in the book. The General Council is to be aggressive and play your money: you do not return home when the tournament is over, all donations to try everything.