When the deck is filled with big cards, the player has the edge and bets accordingly. Thorp’s best seller mathematically proved that the house advantage in blackjack could be overcome by card counting, which, simply put, is keeping a running tally of the number of high cards and low cards that have been played. Benter left college and his physics studies behind in 1979 and boarded a bus for Las Vegas, where he played low stakes at the El Cortez and other downtown casinos before eventually joining a card counting team and turning pro.īenter and countless others were inspired to pursue careers as pro gamblers by Thorp, a former Massachusetts Institute of Technology math professor who wrote the book on card counting in 1962’s “Beat The Dealer.” The philanthropist is one of the wealthiest gamblers ever, along with fellow guest Zeljko Ranogajec from Australia.īenter, 62, won almost $1 billion betting on horse racing in Hong Kong, where he developed a wildly successful algorithm that essentially cracked the code of the sport of kings.īut, like most of the guests, the Pittsburgh native got his start as a card counter and professional blackjack player. Here’s a look at some of the prominent players who attended the event.

The after-party took place at Rubin’s home, where some of the most successful gamblers of all time swapped stories until the wee hours and planned their next blackjack attack on a casino. They estimated the exact number of cards in a discard tray, cut a certain number of cards in a deck and calculated the value of three cards removed from two decks. The five finalists then headed to a blackjack table for a test of their card-counting skills. The competition, preceded by a charitable Calcutta auction of contestants, commenced with a complex quiz of 21 gambling-related questions. (Anthony Curtis)Īt a secure location in the shadow of the Strip that’s a closely guarded secret, more than 100 of the world’s greatest gamblers gathered recently for Max Rubin’s 24th annual Blackjack Ball.Ī handful of billionaires were among the invited guests at the exclusive event who socialized, voted for the Blackjack Hall of Fame and competed for the title of “World’s Greatest Blackjack Player.” From left to right, Ed Thorp, Anthony Curtis and Don Johnson are shown recently at the 24th annual Blackjack Ball on the Strip.

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