In Re:"Specks Revere"
...Zg's best buddy.
First let me preface this treatise by saying that I learned card counting using the Revere System, one step at a time.
Fundamentally Revere presents a sound background for the theory of blackjack. The problem arises in the fact that his book was written in the 70's for the game and conditions of the 70's, which were, at the time, SD,S17,LS,DOA and great pen. Today's conditions unhappily have changed. That having been said,I believe that his system can be adapted to today's game with some caveats.
The first thing which must be addressed in his simple Plus-Minus system in PBJaaB is that there is no index provided for insurance. He tells you when to increase your bets and when to deviate from BS, with the glaring ommision of the most crucial departure. To his credit, however, he does address this in his "advanced" books.
Secondly, the treatment of S17 vs. H17 causes confusion. It did for me, but I eventually worked that out.
The third, and perhaps biggest flaw in his book is his treatment of bankroll requirements. It's just simply way too low. 120 Units just don't cut it. Zg had mentioned in a previous thread a while back that he would rework it, so here's your chance Zgman! Go for it we're all eyes and brains!
Finally, the Point Count Strategy in the book overall gets very good feedback, even better than his Advanced Point Count which goes for $200 and is overcomplicated with little extra EV. I believe the Monk even uses the PC System from the book. On a more perspective note, most of his "Golden Rules" still apply today...keep your sessions to an hour, beware of pit scutiny, do not play while tired or drunk, don't play SD with too many players and don't play with money you can't afford to lose. How could anyone argue these?
