Biography

This book focuses on Kevin Lewis, one of six students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who form a team to count cards in casinos, playing the mathematical odds to win at blackjack. Though it is not illegal, the casinos are not keen on any activity that gives an advantage to the player, and they can ban them from their establishments.

I live in Nevada and have been to Las Vegas many times, so I was easily able to picture the scenes. As with many people who live here, I am not a gambler. But this book is more about calculating occasions when the odds will favor the player, so it is not exactly the same as true gambling, which always favors the house. The events of this book took place in the 1990s and many casinos have since taken measures to prevent card counting.

The story is filled with the ostentation and spectacle of the Las Vegas strip. It occasionally ventures into sexist territory, especially in descriptions of women. The writing is passable, but one does not read this type of book for its literary merit. It is marketed as non-fiction, but the copyright page states that “the names of many of the characters and locations in this book have been changed, as have certain physical characteristics and other descriptive details. Some of the events and characters are also composites of several individual events or persons.” Overall, I found it a fast-paced entertaining read.
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I am always a little suspicious of books that disguise fiction as fact or, worse still, blur the line between the two. Bringing down the house definitely falls into that category. Nevertheless, the story is compelling and the book a real 'page-turner'. Don't expect high literature, but great if you are looking for a light read on the train at the end of a tough day in the office. ( )

My thirteen year old daughter took an interest to blackjack. Figured she would be entertained by the movie .... which reminded me that I meant to read the book. The movie took a number of liberties from the book. The book took a number of liberties from real life. I get that and won't dock points anywhere for these liberties.

This was quite an enjoyable book. Easy to read and hard to down (at times). The book follows an investigation/interview of Keven who was one of the six MIT students who had since retired from playing blackjack. He lived a high life ... but I can't say I connected with him a lot. Maybe if I knew more about him pre-MIT.

Since the book took so many liberties, I would have liked a more conclusive ending.

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A very entertaining read about the escapades of a group of MIT students using their God-given gifts to take down the casino's in Vegas, and eventually elsewhere.

[a:Ben Mezrich|2850|Ben Mezrich|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1405445508p2/2850.jpg]'s writing is fast paced and puts you in the moment of the excitement of Vegas. Some GR's reviewers have indicated that pieces of the story are fabricated. I have no idea if that is fact, or just someone who has a grudge against the author, or key players in the book. It is apparent there are people out there who would have liked to seen these kids prosecuted. Too bad, for the casino's, card counting is not illegal. The only option open to casino's is to ban the player.

Fast paced, quick read-I liked it ( )