Bringing Down the House, The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions
by Ben Mezrich (Simon & Shuster, 2002); 257 pages; hdbd; Price: $24.00.
by Arnold Snyder
Bringing Down The House is subtitled: “The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions.” And that is exactly what the book is.
I liked the book. Knowledgeable players, including many readers of Blackjack Forum, will be somewhat put off by the sparse credit given to the forerunners of card counting and the team-play concept. Many who read the book will probably think these MIT guys invented the Hi-Lo count and the concept of BP play with spotters. However, the book was not written by a blackjack expert, but a professional writer, who wasn’t trying to document the history of team play so much as the incredible adventures of this small group of college nerds who had the guts and ambition to go for the big bucks in Vegas. Much of the story rings true to life.
I especially liked the descriptions of the barrings and the other hassles with the casinos. Also amusing are the descriptions of what it’s like to travel with large amounts of cash, and even to keep track of it. These are the same stories I’ve heard a hundred times from pros who must sometimes go through airports with hundreds of thousands of dollars strapped to their bodies.
By the end of the book, the lead characters have all become “dinosaurs,” players so well-known they can no longer play without instant recognition and harassment. It is also amusing that they lament the golden days of card counting when this team play concept still worked, like there aren’t teams out there who are still doing all this stuff today!
In any case, Bringing Down the House has its flaws, but I think any counter will get a kick out of it. The author did obviously get his story from real players, and that makes it a fun read. No real secrets are revealed. ♠
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