The way of gambling

There are a lot of myths about gamblers who as if were playing professionally before publication of the basic strategy for one-pack game by Americans Cantey, McDermott, Maisel and Baldwin in 1958. But all that was before them still remains a legend. The four statisticians performed their calculations just with the help of hand calculator. However it was their publication in the American Journal of the American Statistical Association causing much excitement among both gamblers and statisticians, and blackjack was considered a game a common player might probably win. Encouraged by popularity of the article in the magazine, copied and learnt by heart by many players, the originators published a book “Winning Blackjack”. Nowadays this book is a scarce edition and it enriches the home library of many professional gamblers.

In 1962 Edward Thorp this time using computer technologies calculate and published in his book Beat The Dealer not only the basic strategy of playing but also card counting. Thorp states that blackjack differs from roulette, craps and other games of luck, the result of every hand in blackjack depends on the previous dealing - it really matters which cards drew back form the game and which remained in the pack. Most of the stuff calculated by Thorp is still precise, but all the serious modern gamblers should read this book only for historical interest.

Thorp’s system called “10 count system” was meant for one pack game which enjoyed great success in all casinos of Nevada. It was extremely difficult for learning, so most of the gamblers gave it up. However, Nevada’s casinos restricted some rules, for example, doubling down only on 11 points. The media told the whole world about it, and Thorp with his book became known all over the world and the casinos that showed themselves to disadvantage had to return former rules. Realizing that under such circumstances crowds card counters would be trying to beat the house, operators of gambling houses introduced two procedures - shuffling after withdrawal of the trim card and multi-packed games.

Thorp’s systems was very difficult to use in practice. But for the computer conference in Las Vegas in 1963, the game would remain on the same level. On a whim, the conference organizers decided to include a Panel Session on "Using Computers in Games of Chance and Skill." It was just a whim of the organizers to include a section “Using computers in games of chance and skill”. Thorp was designated as Chairman of the Panel and experts on the various casino games, including blackjack, roulette and baccarat. The room filled up and overflowed with computer gamblers. Hundreds of conference attendees were pushing and shoving to get into the room.

The crowd, of course, had been drawn by Thorp. They were expecting revelations on the game and anticipated using his imparted wisdom immediately following the session to make a killing at the blackjack tables.

After one or two more presentations that mainly corrected and modified Thorp’s system, Harvey Dubner was introduced. He described the approach. Dubner kept a count of remaining high cards (10,J,Q,K,A) and low cards (2,3,4,5,6) as the cards were played and divided its difference by total cards left to play. He called the result the High-Low Ratio. His presentation was enthusiastically received by the standing room only crowd and he was given a round of applause at its conclusion. Here at last, many were saying, is a system that is practical, that can actually be used in the real world of casino play. Thorp incorporated “high-low” system into the second edition of Beat the Dealer published in 1966 and since then over 100 professional books on blackjack, team games, hidden computers, shuffle tracking and sleepless nights for casino securities all over the world.

The image of a casino normally stirs up an image of a very few specific casino card games, 21 blackjack being one such example.

Blackjack can also be known as the game pontoon, or vingt et un, which in French, is the number twenty-one. The French term, in fact, comes from the origins of where the game was developed. As far back as the 1700's, players could see this game being played in French casinos.

However, the term blackjack has other origins outside France. When casinos attempted to introduce 21 in the United States, initially, it was not a well-liked game. Consequently, these casinos required a way to attract players to the game. In an attempt to offer bonus payouts, some casinos offered a 10-to-1 payout if the player was holding an Ace of spades and a Jack of clubs or spades; or more commonly known today as a black jack. Although this bonus did not last long, as we can see today, the name "blackjack" remained.

In fact today, the term blackjack might seem somewhat bizarre, as a Jack of clubs or spades has very little to do with the game 21 at all. In the game of blackjack, players are each dealt one face up card and another face down. Although the dealer can see the one face up card, he is unaware of what the other card is. Thus, he must attempt to make a hand that is closer to 21 than his opponent. Although this may seem straightforward, it can one of the most difficult parts of blackjack strategy. The choice between "hitting" (taking another card) or "staying" (turning down more cards) is the key to the game.

When playing internet blackjack - or even casino blackjack - players are always hoping to be dealt two high cards by the dealer; either a Queen and 10 card, or a Jack and a 9 card. Consequently, one of the most difficult hands in online blackjack to be dealt is a stiff hand. A stiff hand is a scenario where an blackjack player is dealt cards with a value of 12 up to 16. Winning this sort of hand in basic blackjack can prove to be a very difficult obstacle for a player. Players do have a higher risk of busting, according to blackjack odds, therefore, some will opt not to take a card even at the risk of losing. On the other hand, this card value is normally too low to beat the dealer in online casino blackjack.

One way of withdrawing from this sticky situation is if a player has matching cards. If they do, a player is normally able to split their pair and thus double down on their bet. Aptly named, this move is called a split in blackjack rules. It can only be done with matching cards, and when split, the player is able to play on two separate games. Although one needs to double their bet with this play, they are also able to double their winnings.

21 is a film adaptation of the book Bringing Down the House, by Ben Mezrich – which itself is a true story of a group of a group of MIT Card Counters and the blackjack team. The film stars many big name actors, including Kevin Spacey, Jim sturgess, Kate Bosworth and Laurence Fishburne

The main character in the book is Kevin Lewis, who graduated from MIT with a degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1994. Lewis was recruited into the MIT Blackjack Team in 1993 by Steve Fisher and Andre Martinez, two of the top players in the team. The film version is not totally faithful to the book, but tells a similar story of the students who trained to become expert card counters, and went on to win millions in Vegas casinos.

21 was filmed in Las Vegas, with many scenes filmed in actual casinos such as the Red Rock Casino Restort. Filming took a long time, as many scenes, such as blackjack hands, needed to be captured from several angles and repeated several times.

The film differs from the book in several ways – including the choice to set the film in a slightly different era, and use an all white cast – many of the team members involved in the actual MIT blackjack team were American-Asian. This casting choice has caused some controversy, however the on-screen chemistry of the cast that was chosen for the film means that it is still interesting viewing.

The story has a 'Hollywood touch' to it, with a little more glamour and some different cultural references and innuendos. The makers wanted to keep the same feel as the book, but having set the film in a different era, certain things needed to be changed to keep them relevant to that era.

There is a lot of similarity between 21 and an older Canadian film called 'Last Casino' – the Canadian film is not as well known, but many people feel that the films are very similar, as Last Casino was inspired by Bringing Down The House.

The main cast of the film is:
Kevin Spacey (as Mickey Rosa)
Jim Sturgess (as Ben Campbell)
Kate Bosworth (as Jill Taylor)
Laurence Fishburne (as Cole Williams)
Liza Lapira (as Kianna)
Aaron Yoo (as Choi)
Jacob Pitts (as Jason Fisher)

Ben Campbell, the character played by Jim Sturgess is based on a real person – Jeffrey Ma – a water-polo playing MIT fraternity member who went on to co-found a stock-trading like sports site called Protrade. During his active blackjack playing days he was banned from most casinos, and even now runs in to problems attempting to play at newly opened casinos. Ben Mezrich, in a recent interview, said that when he and Ma went to play at 'The Playboy Club' in Vegas he only got to play three hands before security guards told him he was not welcome. Apparently when he went in to the casino, and gave his real name 'bells and whistlers practically started flashing in the security room'. Jeff Ma makes a small appearance in the film.

Another character in the film, Jason Fisher, is based on Michael Aponte, who a card counting school – the Blackjack Institute, along with David Irvine – another MIT card counting team member. The Blackjack institute offers blackjack training seminars and home training sessions, along with books and other merchandise, including training software.

Mickey Rosa is a character that is based on an amalgamation of two real people – the original managers of the MIT team during the early 90s. One of them, Johnny Chang, is a recent Blackjack Hall of Fame inductee. The other is 'Mr M.', also known as J.P. Massar.

Semyon Dukach, a Computer Science student and member of the MIT blackjack team told The Tech – the MIT news journal, about his experiences “At one point I had a casino convinced that I was an arms dealer”, he said relating stories of his high rolling games. The team set up corporations and paid taxes to avoid problems with the IRS. They racked up winnings of around 5 million dollars over a period of two years.

Dukach still plays casually from time to time – he is recognized on sight at most casinos in the country, but can often find a table at hotel casinos – just before the interview with The Tech he had been staying at a South American hotel and won a few thousand dollars playing some casual blackjack. When asked about his techniques, and his time with the team, he said “It definitely wasn't wrong. We were taking money away from casinos.”

Dukach is quite open in his dislike of casinos – pointing out that they spread an illusion that a casual player has a good chance of walking away a winner, when in reality even a good blackjack player in mathematically more likely to be a loser. He dislikes the techniques that casinos employ to keep people gambling – techniques that include keeping gamblers drunk, and even using aromatherapy to make them more relaxed and inclined to gamble. Dukach likened the actions of casinos to date rape, saying 'They get you in there, and you don't remember what happened'.

The MIT Blackjack Team included Andy Block, who was a poker pro in the early 90's, and joined the team at around the same time as Jeff Ma. The team split into two groups – the 'Amphibian' team and the 'Reptile' team. Jeff joined the Reptiles, which was the team that was most focussed on in the book 'Bringing Down the House'. Andy joined the Amphibian team, so does not get mentioned in this particular telling of the MIT Blackjack Team story.

The MIT team were eventually closed down after Griffin Investigations tailed them around the country to try to prove that they were involved in team play. It took years for the company to get enough evidence, but once they did they informed all the major casino companies, making it impossible for the team to continue to operate.

One of their most interesting ventures was a trip to the Mohegan Sun casino just after it opened. The story goes that the first weekend, the 'Amphibians' went to the casino, taking home $250,000. The next weekend, the Reptiles, lead by Kevin Lewis, went to the casino and won $330,000. After that weekend the casino changed how Blackjack hands were dealt. When asked in an interview about the MIT team's winnings, the Vice President of the Mohegan Sun casino was unwilling to comment, except to say that the weekend they visited the casino was the least profitable weekend for Blackjack in the history of the Mohegan Sun casino.

The techniques used by the team were more than just normal card counting – they tracked cards in the discount rack, with different players at the table watching the cards and the shuffle, to direct known cards to create a winning hand, or to bust the dealer. While Mezrich makes the technique seem easy, it actually requires months or years of practice. It is easy to believe that if they can do it, anyone can, especially as Hollywood is glamorising casinos and gambling in so many films these days. The reality, however, is that the team members possessed mathematical skill, keen eyes, and strong nerves. They trained together for a long time, and while their feat could be duplicated, it would take similar practice and patience.

21 is the third film in which Kevin Spacey and Kate Bosworth have stared together. They have previously worked with each other in Beyond the Sea, and Superman Returns. They will also be working together for the sequel to Superman Returns, which is titled Superman: The Man of Steel.

MIT would not allow filming on the campus, so the scenes in the MIT bar were instead filmed in the Boston University pub across the Charles River. Some other scenes were filmed in the Christian Science Center in Boston, Massachusetts.

As well as the book which this film is based on, Ben Mezrich has written another book on MIT card counting teams – titled 'Busting Vegas: The MIT Whiz Kid Who Brought The Casinos To Their Knees'. This book has been optioned for a movie, but it is unknown when, or if, this will be made. The Busting Vegas book focuses on the Amphibian team, so pro poker player Andy Bloch will be featured quite heavily should the film conversion be made.

The budget for the production of 21 was $75 million. The film was originally scheduled for a summer 2007 release, but the purchase of MGM by Sony meant that a lot of projects were put on hold, including this film. It is now due to be released at the end of March 2008. The soundtrack includes sons such as 'My Mathematical Mind' by Spoon, 'Break on Through (To The Other Side)' by The Doors, and 'Jukebox' by Bent Fabric.

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