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
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |