1. JOHN FERGUSON
Not many people within the casino world will have heard of the name John Ferguson but yet if you are a keen student of blackjack and have read some blackjack books or been on this or other gambling related websites then you will be all too aware of the alias that is connected with this man…….STANFORD WONG!
Ferguson was born in 1943 and he came to fame by penning what are now regarded as some or the most important theoretical books in the history of blackjack. Basically John “Stanford Wong” Ferguson was the David Sklansky of blackjack when it came to his standing within the game on a theoretical level.
Ferguson was schooled at Stanford University so hence the title. Ferguson began his blackjack career in 1976 and in 1979, he went into writing about the game. Ferguson also produced one of the very first computer simulation software programs for blackjack when he produced his blackjack count analyser. This later went on sale commercially but Ferguson’s original purpose was for his own personal use.
Ferguson’s landmark book Professional Blackjack was and still is one of the most important books ever written on the subject and an analogy could be made with David Sklansky’s Theory of Poker in terms of its effect on its own individual field.
So whether you know him (Like most do) by the name of Stanford Wong or by the name of John Ferguson or both, there is no doubt that John Ferguson deserves a place in my Hall of Fame simply because of the sheer impact that he has had on the blackjack world.
