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Author • Game selection
Professional Blackjack made choosing when to play part of the conversation.
Biography
Stanford Wong is the pen name of blackjack author John Ferguson. His interviews discuss the writing and practical thinking behind Professional Blackjack, first published in 1975. His name became closely associated with evaluating a game before committing money to it.
The term “Wonging” is commonly used for observing a shoe and entering selectively rather than playing every round. It turns the focus from “what move should I make?” to “should I be in this game now?” The opportunity still depends on information, entry permissions and the cost of waiting.
Wong’s work also includes tournament play, where relative chip position and a finite number of hands can change the objective. That is another reason to identify the format first: a tournament decision and a cash-game decision need not optimize the same result.
| Career milestone | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| 1975 | Professional Blackjack first published. |
| Game selection | Associated with selective entry into favorable situations. |
| 2002 | Founding Blackjack Hall of Fame inductee. |
The game behind the story
Use the blackjack guide to compare payout rules, decisions and dealing conditions. Then read 3:2 versus 6:5 for a concrete rule comparison.
Related biographies
Sources
Source pages checked 5 October 2026. Historical results refer to the dates stated; examples marked hypothetical are Casino101 calculations.
