It might seem spurious to mention a 6th Century Chinese treatise when discussing 21st Century Blackjack, but I believe that what is contained within it, has much to say about creating a successful strategy.  It has been used as the basis of tactics from war room to the board room, from the battle field to the sports field.  So why not Blackjack?

Sun Tzu, the author of ‘The Art of War’, was one of the first to recognize the importance of positioning in strategy and that this can be affected by the opinions of competitive players in that atmosphere.  In addition, the art of planning was not simply a run-down of things on a list to tick off, but a necessity to be able to keep a clear head and react quickly and appropriately with ever-evolving circumstances.  Just these two aspects alone, are embedded deeply into the psyche of the best Blackjack players.  They know that in order to be successful at Blackjack, they have to be aware of what their competitors are doing and further than that, if the unexpected does happen, they must be prepared at a stroke to alter course, figuring out another way to succeed if an avenue has been closed off.

If we all agree that Blackjack is the game of high skill and exacting tactics and strategies that we know it to be, perhaps The Art of War should be on your reading list, as well as any other books about the game itself.