23. Breaking Vegas
Author…………………..Ben Mezrich
Published……………..2006
Publishing Com……Arrow Books
I like the way how Ben Mezrich writes although his books are a little too fast paced for my taste but then again that’s just me. There is no way that I am going to let my own personal taste and bias from stopping me giving a proper opinion.
This is at least a very good book although I didn’t like it as much as “Bringing Down the House“. Breaking Vegas is the story of Semyon Dukatch who at 21yrs of age was one of the biggest hitters in Vegas.
According to the book, Dukatch won millions of dollars playing blackjack all over the world. This is possibly achievable if you have the bankroll, the knowledge and are able to play in casinos without heat.
The problem though is that to win money that totals these amounts is very, very difficult. Any casino in the world would take counter-measures against you and you would never be allowed to continue playing.
The techniques that Mezrich discusses in that book are known to serious blackjack players the world over and serious blackjack players the world over will doubt the data in this book. This is not to say that this is not a great book because it is.
I like books like these because I find them personally inspirational. It almost makes you want to go out and do something different that betters your own life. I remember years ago when I first read Million Dollar Blackjack, it was this book that led to me forming my own blackjack team.
We were nowhere near as successful as Ken Uston and his gang but we were still one of the most successful outfits in the country but to be fair, that was mainly because there were so few around.
RATING……….9/10
See you soon
Carl
