How much influence does "our old friend" (meaning those of us who were around when Comp City was originally published) have over who does and doesn't get into the Blackjack Hall of Fame?
Contrary to what some people believe, Max doesn't control who gets into the Blackjack Hall of Fame and who doesn't, although he does have a lot of influence. After all, he created it).
Each year, the (living) members of the Hall are asked to submit a list of prospective new inductees. They then have vigorous discussions about the qualifications and merits of the various submissions and try to come up with a consensus on seven qualified contenders. Those seven contenders’ names are put on a ballot.
Then the fun starts. At the Blackjack Ball, the annual secret gala attended by dozens and denizens of the blackjack underground (and a few who are in the limelight) and their guests, the pros with bona fide blackjack chops vote. Those votes, along with a few dozen absentee ballots (from some of the world’s top players who can’t make the party), are are tallied. The one blackjack player with the most votes is added to the Hall.
At the first Blackjack Ball, seven members were voted in; two were added in the subsequent couple of years. In order to keep the Hall exclusive, only one new member is now added each year.
There was a bit of controversy the second year when Max was voted in, along with Keith Taft (the Inventor who produced the first hidden computerized devices to beat the casinos). Max counted the secret ballots and claimed that he won. Did he really? Only Maximillian knows for sure. But as one wag succinctly put it, "Hey, Max invented the Hall of Fame and just for that, he ought to be in it."
