After writing 6 thrillers with such titles as "Reaper" and "Fertile Ground," author Ben Mezrich began writing about the strange-but-true gambling adventures of some students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). These nonfiction works have thrust Mezrich himself into the spotlight.
Mezrich Wrote the Best Seller "Bringing Down the House" Elaborate practical jokes, also known as "hacks", are quite common on the MIT campus, but some members of the student body used their mathematical expertise to play blackjack for a large profit. According to Mezrich's best-seller "Bringing Down the House," a former instructor recruited a team of students and trained them to count cards while playing blackjack. These students then traveled to Las Vegas on a regular basis, earning more money than they could ever make at a work-study job on campus. Card Counting Began with "Beat the Dealer" In Las Vegas' early days, blackjack was played with a single deck of cards, but that all changed in 1962 when Dr. Edward O. Thorp wrote "Beat the Dealer," a book which showed how a player could win at blackjack. Using a computer, Thorp devised a card counting system in which a player could actually have a mathematical advantage over the house. Casino managers scoffed at Thorp, thinking he was just another "system player", but panic set in when Thorp proved that his system worked. Casino owners responded to "Beat the Dealer" by increasing the number of decks in the plastic "shoe" that holds the cards. With so many cards to track, they hoped to keep the card counters at bay, but the battle between counters and casinos has been waged for 45 years. The MIT Students Took Card Counting to a Whole New Level In his book, Mezrich wrote mostly about Kevin Lewis, a MIT student who eventually joined the blackjack team. His mentors taught him to count cards even when 6 decks were in use and how to track one certain card, such as an Ace, through multiple hands of blackjack. Instead of working individually, the players operated as a unit, each with a different role to play. The "spotters", for instance, would play at a table until the deck turned favorable, signaling a "gorilla" or "big player" to move in for the kill. Card Counting is Not Illegal Casinos dislike card counters, who tend to make a serious dent in their bankroll. Though counting cards is not illegal, Mezrich documented some violent confrontations between the MIT team and casino personnel who want to permanently bar the players from their establishment. According to "Bringing Down the House," some angry casino owners even sent hired muscle to Massachusetts to track down the team members. Mezrich Learns About Card Counting First Hand Instead of merely interviewing the MIT students, Mezrich actually tried card counting for himself while researching his book. In the first chapter of "Bringing Down the House," Mezrich wrote about going through airport security with bricks of one-hundred dollar bills taped to his legs and a duffel bag filled with casino chips, which was exactly how the MIT students took their bankroll to Las Vegas every week. Mezrich Returns to College for Two More Books In "Busting Vegas," his follow-up to "Bringing Down the House," Mezrich wrote about Semyon Dukach, a MIT student who devised another profitable gambling system. In a departure from casino gambling, "Ugly Americans," another Mezrich book, talked about a young student at Princeton who made a fortune in the Asian securities markets by using questionable means. Mezrich Takes a Gamble on Hollywood Based on the success of his nonfiction books, Mezrich landed a series on Court TV called "High Stakes." Doing what he does best in that series, Mezrich looked at the somewhat questionable activities of wealthy twenty-somethings. Kevin Spacey also is producing and starring in "Bringing Down the House," the book that put Mezrich on the map. Source: Club Poker Online
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If you smoke cigarettes, whether it is two a day or two packs, you know just how difficult it seems to quit. And when I say "seems" I really mean it. The nicotine and other chemicals that the cigarette companies pump into your fix are designed to enslave you, yes, and they do work; however, you have an even more powerful "agent" inside of you that is just aching to come out and do battle! This is what I want to share with you so that you can be smoke free too, just like me!
I have been off cigarettes for almost a year now and I didn't need to resort to pharmaceuticals to do the work for me. I didn't slowly wean off of them either, as some doctors would have you believe is the key. Yes, many people have successfully quit using patches, smoke-ender type devices, pills, hypnosis and even acupuncture! I'm not saying that those methods don't work - just simply that they are not the most effective nor the least expensive. In fact, they are designed to get you to spend more money that you don't need to in order to end your deadly habit once and for all. And trust me, when you do, you will truly feel free and wonderful and it will only take a couple of days. Now, first of all, I am not selling this information. I believe those tactics to be totally unjust. People need to quit smoking for their health and well-being and so should not be capitalized upon. Like I said, you already have the necessary agent inside of you in order to quit for good and it will cost you nothing, except maybe a day or two of rest. Our bodies are designed to take very good care of us and to help us in our efforts to be well; it is just a matter of training your mind and will to do the difficult work. Now, I know what you are thinking, "I have tried to quit on my own before and I just can't do it!" I used to think that way too. But before you dismiss my contention and stop reading, please give me a chance to explain. You have nothing to loose by trying these few simple steps and a whole new life of freedom to gain! Many of you have made this one of your New Year's Resolutions, maybe perhaps your only one. So I'm going to assume that you do desire to quit. Everyone has a different reason - most of the time it is for your health. To my shame, I will admit that mine was all about vanity. I didn't want my skin to wrinkle and I hated how people looked and smelled when they smoked. I could see it in others, but not in me - how true that is of most things. But whatever your reason or reasons for quitting, you must keep them at the forefront of your assault on smoking. I am now going to list for you the essential components to winning this war and if you follow these closely and precisely, then I can assure victory for you. I am usually weak in the will-power department and I had tried many other times unsuccessfully but after my victory, I can say with absolute confidence that anyone can do it too! STEP 1: DEFINE YOUR MAIN REASON FOR QUITTING Now, like I already stated, my motivations were mostly aesthetic in nature. The desire for me to keep my skin youthful and my smile and eyes bright and clear was the most important motivator for me. For you it may be the health of your loved ones, or you may have already started to see signs of ill health in yourself that worry you. But whatever your main motivation is, you need to define it and visualize it. For some of you it may be very easy for you to visualize in your own imagination, but for some, you may need to cut out pictures or print out articles to look at and read over constantly - depending on your level of creative thinking. The main thing is that you keep your motivation always in front of you at all times during your process, so gather up as much ammo as possible and get it ready. STEP 2: GO COLD TURKEY! This is the only way to go! It is the most difficult, but you will see, that once you resist some of the hardest cravings, you will gain great strength and confidence and resolve to continue on. Each time you combat an urge to smoke you are winning a battle in the war. So reward yourself for the victory with something you enjoy that is healthy - not fatty foods! That will begin a whole new bad habit and you don't want to go down that path. And, I'd like to remind you, that this is a WAR! A war for your freedom! If you have ever tried to quit and failed you know exactly what I mean. This drug has got its claws in you and doesn't want to let go - but you are stronger than its influences - you just don't know it yet. But each time you resist one of those yearnings, you will grow stronger and stronger. Now it is important to note that most doctors and pharmacists will tell you that if you want success the best route is to use some crutch like a patch or some other drug over a long period of time and to cut back gradually. Let me explain why I think this is not the best way. First of all, it costs money, and a lot of it! Second, it tells your brain that you are weak and need something else to help you lick this - and that is just not true. And thirdly, it keeps you smoking even longer! Now, you must convince yourself that you are absolutely capable of beating this thing once and for all - so, go to a mirror...yes, right now...and now repeat after me, "I am going to quit smoking. It is not going to enslave me anymore. I will take back control of my life. I am going to reap all the rewards of a person who no longer smokes. I AM FREE!" Now, say that as many times as you need until you truly believe it. You may have to continue to do that as you experience some of the tougher urges, but you can and will get through this! In fact next, I'm going to explain how to get through those really difficult cravings successfully, but it won't be without pain. STEP 3: REPLACE YOUR BAD HABIT WITH SOMETHING GOOD Now, since we are human, we are creatures of habit...one of the reasons it is so difficult for us to quit. So, it will help a great deal to throw away your bad habit by replacing it with a good one. If you have the oral fixation problem (as I did) and have the urge to have something in your mouth to pacify you, try something wonderful like a strawberry or cherry. Gum is not the best idea since you usually end up chewing it too long and too hard and can even bite your mouth. Use drinking straws and drink a lot of water daily with a wedge of lemon in it. I'm not quite sure why this works but it does. Now, when one of those deep hunger pangs hits you muster up all your will power, resist, put some fruit in your mouth and drink your water. (Herbal teas are also very good). Now, if it gets very intense, and it will, I recommend laying down, closing your eyes and resting. Let yourself sleep it off. This is why I suggested earlier that you may need a couple of days of rest in order to do this effectively. You are going to have to fight this habit on all fronts and one of them is the powerful hold that it has taken up in your mind. That is why sleeping will help you get through the very severe longings - you are giving you brain a chance to rest and not think about wanting that fix. STEP 4: DON'T GIVE UP! Easier said than done, no doubt is what you are thinking. And you are right. There is no way around this. If you want to quit it is going to be tough and you will be tempted all throughout to give up - RESIST! It only took about three days to end the most serious cravings, then about another week to end most of the thoughts to smoke at certain times and then after a few weeks I could honestly say that all desire to ever pick up a cigarette again had left me! I was finally free and it felt so good! Now, let me just conclude by warning you of a few things. Into my second and third days of not smoking at all, I had this bizarre feeling of wanting to cut myself. It was so strange. I never felt that way before, but it was as if my body wanted to release poisons out of my system and the thought hit me that if I cut myself I would experience that release. Of course I didn't cut myself, but I finally felt how people that do cut themselves feel. Please, if you get this urge, it will pass quickly. Just do some exercise. Go outside and get some air and run or take a nice long walk, concentrating on your breathing. Floor stretches are good too. And keep remembering to reward yourself through each victory; even a small piece of chocolate now and then won't hurt, it will actually help. Another problem you may encounter is if something stressful occurs in your life at the same time you are battling to quit this awful habit. This happened to me. I felt as if my will power was being tested to its limits. But you must persevere through it. There are many other things that you can take for stress that are good for you and I recommend them highly. Here are a few: St. Johns Wart (in the vitamin section of your local grocery or pharmacy), herbal teas, aroma therapy (flowers or scented candles are wonderful), deep breathing (in through the nose and out through your mouth), massage therapy (if you are married or partnered - ask them first - it costs a lot less), yoga or stretches and finally rest. If you have trouble relaxing to fall asleep try some chamomile tea first, light a scented candle and close your eyes. Now let your mind think about all the positive things that quitting will bring to your life. Finally, I would like to share a few things that you should avoid while you are battling for your freedom from smoking. Avoid others who smoke entirely until you have lost the desire - this is absolutely essential. Now if you live with someone else who smokes and they are not joining you in your efforts than ask them to please not smoke anywhere around you and also to wash up well after they smoke so that you won't smell it on them. It will be more difficult for those of you who live around other smokers but not impossible - hopefully once you are free, it will be their motivation to do the same. Also, stay away from your favorite smoking places and or activities. For example, if you always smoke in a particular place outside then don't go there anymore. Or, if you usually smoke while doing a certain activity such as watching TV, talking on the phone, etc...then stop those activities until those deep craving pass. This would be an excellent time to take up a new hobby that you have always wanted to try or learn a new exercise or take up something that you enjoyed in the past but haven't done in a while, like painting or pottery. Another excellent help during this time is reading. Go to the library or bookstore and get yourself a couple of really good books. This will take your mind to a different place and you will not be consumed with thoughts of smoking. And go someplace to read that you never would go to before to smoke. Now, if you follow my advice closely and really push through this you will be victorious and you will feel fantastic! I can't tell you how great things smell now and how wonderful it is to breathe in fresh air so deeply and not have any wheezing! My skin and eyes and teeth are whiter and brighter. I look and feel ten years younger but most of all - I am free! Those horrible little death sticks are no longer my master and I feel great! And you can too! I'd say good luck but it isn't by luck that you will succeed - you have the will power inside of you and you can do it! So, now, get up, throw away that last pack of smokes and take back control of your life! YOU CAN DO IT! |
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