Don Schlesinger
Encyclopedia
Donald "Don" Schlesinger is a gaming mathematician
, author, lecturer, and player who specializes in the casino
game of blackjack
. His work in the field has spanned almost three decades. He is the author of the book Blackjack Attack - Playing the Pros' Way, currently in its third edition, which is considered one of the most sophisticated theoretical and practical studies of the game to date.
Schlesinger was born in New York City
and graduated from the City College of New York
(CCNY) with a B.S. degree in mathematics
. In addition, he holds M.A. and M.Phil. degrees in French
from the City University of New York
. Don began his professional life teaching mathematics and French in the New York City school system. In 1984, he changed professions and, until 1998, was a principal (executive director) at a Wall Street investment bank. Since his retirement from the finance industry, he has devoted even more time to blackjack, in a researching, writing, teaching, and playing capacity.
His contributions to the game include research into optimal betting, risk analysis, optimal back counting, Floating Advantage, camouflage and team play, and card counting
systems comparison.
He is most well known for:
Schlesinger has edited, consulted and/or collaborated with many of the leading Blackjack analysts, programmers, and authors, including Stanford Wong
, Edward O. Thorp
, Peter Griffin
, Arnold Snyder
, Karel Janecek, John Auston, Katarina Walker, and Norm Wattenberger. In addition, he has contributed to many different issues of the aficionado magazine Blackjack Forum
. .
Books that mention Schlesinger include:
Books that briefly acknowledge Schlesinger:
Gaming mathematics
Gaming mathematics, also referred to as the mathematics of gambling, is a collection of probability applications encountered in games of chance and can be included in applied mathematics...
, author, lecturer, and player who specializes in the casino
Casino
In modern English, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions...
game of blackjack
Blackjack
Blackjack, also known as Twenty-one or Vingt-et-un , is the most widely played casino banking game in the world...
. His work in the field has spanned almost three decades. He is the author of the book Blackjack Attack - Playing the Pros' Way, currently in its third edition, which is considered one of the most sophisticated theoretical and practical studies of the game to date.
Schlesinger was born in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and graduated from the City College of New York
City College of New York
The City College of the City University of New York is a senior college of the City University of New York , in New York City. It is also the oldest of the City University's twenty-three institutions of higher learning...
(CCNY) with a B.S. degree in mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
. In addition, he holds M.A. and M.Phil. degrees in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
from the City University of New York
City University of New York
The City University of New York is the public university system of New York City, with its administrative offices in Yorkville in Manhattan. It is the largest urban university in the United States, consisting of 23 institutions: 11 senior colleges, six community colleges, the William E...
. Don began his professional life teaching mathematics and French in the New York City school system. In 1984, he changed professions and, until 1998, was a principal (executive director) at a Wall Street investment bank. Since his retirement from the finance industry, he has devoted even more time to blackjack, in a researching, writing, teaching, and playing capacity.
His contributions to the game include research into optimal betting, risk analysis, optimal back counting, Floating Advantage, camouflage and team play, and card counting
Card counting
Card counting is a casino card game strategy used primarily in the blackjack family of casino games to determine whether the next hand is likely to give a probable advantage to the player or to the dealer. Card counters, also known as advantage players, attempt to decrease the inherent casino house...
systems comparison.
He is most well known for:
- Creating the Illustrious 18, an abridged set of the most efficient card countingCard countingCard counting is a casino card game strategy used primarily in the blackjack family of casino games to determine whether the next hand is likely to give a probable advantage to the player or to the dealer. Card counters, also known as advantage players, attempt to decrease the inherent casino house...
indices mentioned in most card counting books published in the last 30 years. - Creating DI (Desirability Index) and SCORE (Standard Comparison of Risk and Expectation), to optimally compare games under various scenarios.
- Publication of the optimal Blackjack composition-dependent basic strategy.
Schlesinger has edited, consulted and/or collaborated with many of the leading Blackjack analysts, programmers, and authors, including Stanford Wong
Stanford Wong
Stanford Wong is the pen name of John Ferguson, a gambling author who is best known for his book Professional Blackjack, which was first published in 1975 and is still in print. Wong's computer program "Blackjack Analyzer", initially created for personal use, was one of the first pieces of...
, Edward O. Thorp
Edward O. Thorp
Edward Oakley Thorp is an American mathematics professor, author, hedge fund manager, and blackjack player. He was a pioneer in modern applications of probability theory, including the harnessing of very small correlations for reliable financial gain.He was the author of Beat the Dealer, the first...
, Peter Griffin
Peter A. Griffin
Peter A. Griffin was a mathematician, author and blackjack expert and is one of the original seven members of the Blackjack Hall of Fame...
, Arnold Snyder
Arnold Snyder
Arnold Snyder is a professional gambler and gambling author. He was elected by professional blackjack players as one of the seven original inductees into the Blackjack Hall of Fame for his record as a blackjack player and his innovations in professional gambling techniques...
, Karel Janecek, John Auston, Katarina Walker, and Norm Wattenberger. In addition, he has contributed to many different issues of the aficionado magazine Blackjack Forum
Blackjack Forum
Blackjack Forum was a trade journal for professional blackjack players, founded in 1981 and published by noted blackjack author Arnold Snyder. Originally a 100-page quarterly journal, it expanded into an online forum which is frequented by professional gamblers, attorneys, industry people,...
. .
Books that mention Schlesinger include:
- Repeat Until Rich by Josh Axelrad
- Blackjack: A Professional Reference, the Encyclopedia of Casino Twenty-One by Michael Dalton
- The Theory of Gambling and Statistical Logic by Dr. Richard Arnold Epstein
- The Doctrine of Chances: Probabilistic Aspects of Gambling By Dr. Stewart N. Ethier
- Finding the edge: mathematical analysis of casino games By Dr. Olaf Vancura, Dr. Judy A. Cornelius, Dr. William R. Eadington
- Burning the Tables in Las Vegas by Ian Andersen
- Professional Blackjack by Dr. Stanford Wong
- Risk and Reward: The Science of Casino Blackjack by Dr. N. Richard Werthamer
- Knock-Out Blackjack by Dr. Olaf Vancura, Ken Fuchs
- Basic Blackjack by Dr. Stanford Wong
- The Blackjack Zone by Dr. Eliot Jacobsen
- Legends of Blackjack by Kevin Blackwood and Larry Barker
- Play Blackjack Like the Pros by Kevin Blackwood
- Blackjack autumn: a true tale of life, death, and splitting tens by Barry Meadow
- Blackjack: Play Like the Pros by John Bukofsky
- Frugal Video Poker by Jean Scott
- Dynamic Blackjack by Dr. Richard Reid
- Blackjack Blueprint by Rick Blaine
- Blackbelt in Blackjack by Arnold Snyder
- Blackjack Diary by Stuart Perry
- Beyond Counting by Dr. James Grosjean
- Hollywood Blackjack by Dave Stann
- The Pro's Guide to Spanish 21 and Australian Pontoon by Katarina Walker
- Modern Blackjack by Norm Wattenberger
- Bootlegger's 200 proof blackjack by Mike Turner
- You've Got Heat by Barfarkel
- Mensa Guide to Casino Gambling: Winning Ways by Andrew Brisman
- Silver Fox Blackjack System by Ralph Stricker
- Get the Edge at Blackjack by John May
Books that briefly acknowledge Schlesinger:
- Gambling 102: The Best Stratgies for All Casino Games by Michael Shackleford
- Gambling Theory and Other Topics by Mason Malmuth
- Blackjack for Blood by Bryce Carlson
- Extra Stuff by Dr. Peter Griffin
- Blackjack Essays by Mason Malmuth
- Gambling for Winners: Your Hard-Headed, No B.S. Guide to Gaming by Richard Stooker
- Fundamentals of "21" by Mason Malmuth, Lynne Loomis