Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions

Bringing Down the House is probably the most entertaining book I have read in a long time. I actually found it difficult to put down. When I should have been sleeping I instead continued reading saying to myself "this is the last chapter then i'm going to bed". I've always had a great interest in gambling and have read many books on card counting as well as heard a little about what this team did in Vegas. When I saw the title I knew I had to give this one a read. I have fairly decent understanding of the many mainstream concepts of blackjack strategy and what this team did was purely brilliant and outside of the common beliefs that Vegas and many pro gamblers (the ones who write books about it) want you to believe. An example, casinos would love to make you think that its impossible to count or beat a 6 deck shoe. In reality this is completely untrue. 1 deck might be easy to count, but you generally only get 1 or 2 rounds of play out of it so when the numbers run to your favor you only have one hand to take advantage of it. When the shoe runs positive, the cards can go several rounds before they flatten out. There are of course many other factors involved such as how deep into the stack the dealer puts the shuffle card, etc. To any gambling enthusiast this is a must read. To anyone who is neutral on gambling, it is a story that is easy to follow and very intriguing. If you hate gambling and everything it stands for, you might not like it.

After reading Bringing Down the House, I was excited and fascinated by the luxury life in Las Vegas and the world of card counting. This is a story that's told through the eyes of the author about a group of math geniuses, who used the techniques of card counting. They worked as teams and legally won millions of dollars over just a few years by spending their weekends down in Vegas. The author, Ben Mezrich, wrote the book based a real life story that is almost too incredible to believe. Therefore, even though It's a real story, It’s written like a realistic fiction novel. All the events that happened in the whole story were so intense that I felt like I was thrust into a roller coaster ride. Moreover, Mezrich visualized most of his sentences and sometimes made it melodramatic. He used lots of visual metaphors and descriptions of characters’ inside thoughts. Overall, this is a thrilling book that can be finished in a short amount of time but the scenes in the book might last forever in your head. From the book, I've learnt a lot about the world of casinos and card counting, the job of the spotters, who cover as many tables as possible and keep running card-counts at their location and help the big player to count cards and the usage of hand signals. For example, a spotter would signal the count of +11 by saying “I wonder if there is a football game today.” (in reference of there are eleven players on a football team). Or he might say “I really suck at bowling” to indicate the count of +10 because in bowling, strike is ten pins. There are also lot’s of other techniques that the team invented. They had their own system. They also learned about the dark side of the casino world, how greedy people are and how the Vegas corporations works. Furthermore, Mezrich always leaves suspense to the readers and stimulate readers’ desire to read more about the story. At the end of all the chapters, you won’t know what’s coming up next. Mezrich is capable of keeping the readers’ eyes glues to the pages. In the book, the MIT team strapped thousands of dollars to their bodies to get the cash onto planes. They used false names, always have limos waiting for them at the airports, always having personal host to escort them everywhere. Reading about their incredibly rich life and their dangerous situation of being caught by the casinos, you will never know what they are going to do next. Even though the book is a quick read, it interests a wide variety of people, from who wants to feel the thrills and adventure the gambling world to the ones that never gambled before but curious about it. However, the book doesn't related to any big history themes. From the book, it seems like over the course of a few years, gambling is all they do. I couldn't tell how was it like in the 1990s except for the casinos. The author also has too much detail about the card counting techniques and it got repetitive to create the tension between characters and a card counter’s life. It seems like readers can just skim through some parts that is obviously meant to stretch out the book. Moreover, there are lots of details in the book doesn't seem real. Some of the events doesn't make any sense. For example, why would they hide their cash in all kinds of ways and trying to get through the airport security when they can just use a bank box or a debit card. Moreover, the team always stays at fancy hotels with suites, champagne, limos waiting on arrival, 24-hour open swimming pool just for them. Doesn't it seems too conspicuous to the casinos? Since they wants to keep it low, they shouldn't take risks like that. Also, according to Wikipedia, some of the exciting events didn't not occur. All these over dramatic scenes seems too unrealistic. However, they can really interest the readers. After all, this is one of the cheapest Vegas fantasy people can buy. Overall, this book contains interesting and exciting stories that keep the readers eyes on the pages. The plot goes quick enough that you won’t find it long or boring. Yet, it’s not the best book to read if you are looking for a historically informative book.

I'm not much of a book reader, even though I enjoy buying books I hardly ever read one completely and almost never a non economics book. But this particular book has given me the opportunity to feel everything the author wrote as if I was there, I don't know if I'm growing into a book reader but this book has an excellent writing very friendly and easy to read, it keeps your attention, long waiting hours on the doctor, bank or anywhere become short while you read it. Also it's a great introduction for the movie 21: Blackjack. If you're interested in card counting this isn't a "how to" book, although there is a essay in the last chapter on card counting that makes a more in depth description on the subject, it's more of a novel based on real facts. As one of the praises for the book says: "Perfect for a read on the plane down to Vegas".

One can hardly deny that making money runs the world today. There are the specialists in making easy money. These are broadly characterized as speculators and gamblers. Speculation and gambling have several differences. Speculation involves increasing one’s chances to profit by various means such as news study, pondering, technical analysis, margin trading, hedging, options, and some have used psychics all with the aim of gaming profit from short or medium term market value fluctuations. Gambling is wagering by means of an uncertain event with the aim of gaining additional assets. It requires consideration, chance, and a prize. The striking feature is that a small fee or amount is required with a chancy large return within a short time. Bringing Down the House is the true story of how six MIT students turned gambling into speculation to fleece Las Vegas for millions. The best and brightest students are recruited by an eccentric former teacher with teeth like a picket fence of spades, diamonds, clubs and hearts to practice in a college backroom as the MIT Blackjack Team before invading the strip. The nice thing about the book is that the secrets of card counting, shuffle study, ace cutting, hi-low counting, group spotters, third base coaches, card count code words, statistic indexes, and other tips the students used and the casinos don’t want you to know are revealed. Of course, one wonders the secret they did not reveal to win. MIT proved blackjack is beatable and Ben Mezrich tells it with a suitable degree of suspense. Speculation and gambling are similar in the manner in which they can acquire profit in a short time. Both methods involve risk but a speculator may learn more skills than a gambler’s plain luck to lower his risk. One may invest his hard earned money in intelligence such as Bringing Down the House.

I read the entire book in 3 days while doing my other normal activities. Very exciting writing. I've been to most of the casinos in the book In the time frame when these MIT students were winning huge amounts with their plan. I was not in the casinos when they were winning their millions as I don't visit the casinos after about 10pm. I wish I had seen this. The scene after the Mike Tyson fight was great writing. I could not put the book down...all the way to the final scene when the team hired exotic dancer/hookers to exchange their chips. Very exciting.

There is a lot of discussion regarding the veracity of this book which if important to you should be a consideration. I cannot comment on how accurate any of the writing is as my only knowledge of this subject comes from this book. What this book does offer is a short and easy to read storyline regarding the lives of MIT students who took many casinos, most prominently in Las Vegas, for considerable money with a team effort card counting system for Blackjack. This book does not go into significant depth on card counting and jumps around slightly regarding the narration from the protagonist's point of view to chapters on the author's actual research. The book as a whole is interesting and will be an enjoyable read for anyone looking for an interesting storyline without any of the expectations of noteworthy insider secrets of gambling and card counting. The writing style, while not the most articulate, provides effortless reading as I expect the author's intent was to provide a book for the masses. If you are looking to get a little insight into how the big money card counters make their money and the lifestyle and potential dangers they encounter, you will find this book is both worthwhile and enjoyable.

A book needs a great story or a great storyteller. This is a GREAT story by a good storyteller. The book is about a group of MIT students who card count their way to a fortune. The author does a great job framing what is involved in the game of blackjack taking the reader through higher levels of complexity so the reader will understand the math even if you do not gamble. Without telling the story, a team of MIT geeks descends on Vegas using a unique code of signals to hide who is the big gambler of the group. Quickly these MIT geeks are corrupted by the life of sin in Vegas although they do keep their eye on the ball and rake in the money. But nothing lasts forever and the team faces internal issues as well as the casinos increased efforts to stop card counters. This book is a fast read loaded with action. I highly recommend this book particularly if you have any interest in gambling or Vegas.

Mezrich's chronicle of the exploits of a gifted team of mathematicians is as compelling a morality tale as anything I have encountered recently. It is a quick read--very interesting. However, the book leads you to ponder the changes in the lives of the characters wrought by the easy money. The supposedly "easy" money comes at a terrible cost. Forget the fact that the casinos do not hesitate to use any necessary means in order preserve their advantage; forget that casinos give an unlimited budget to the detectives and surveillance necessary to snare the player who beats the house--regardless of the legality of the player's methods; forget the wildly successful forays of the MIT teams; as the reader gets behind the excitement of the story and the pleasure of seeing a few students exact huge gains from the casinos any conclusion must bear in mind that the portrayed lifestyle does not enrich the lives of the characters--even as it enriches their bank accounts. Though it was perhaps not the intent of Mr. Mezrich, a close reading of this book shows that the house still exacts its advantage. The moral lessons are universally applicable. In order to pursue their scheme, the prodigiously gifted mathematicians are required to adopt a facade of utter hedonism. However, it soon becomes clear that the lifestyle cannot be easily disengaged. We perceive that there is no free lunch--a significant price is being paid. I'm sure many will disagree with me, but I think that honesty is the best policy no matter whether the house deserves to be taken or not. It seems apparent that the no-holds-barred pursuit of money is ultimately worthless if not dangerous.

I Ve read this book in english (i am italian) After i have Seven the movie and i couldn't Imagine they were so different. But what can i Say, i really liked and i Ve learnt so much about black jack world and casinos. Very well written and i ll think about it anytime i ll gamble

Very good read about blackjack and the MIT Students! Kept me engaged through the entire book! Highly recommended!

Love books on gambling - this book is very easy to read and in excellent condition and once you start reading you will not want to put is down -quick delivery and good value for money - would recommend and use again -

ラスベガスに行ったことがある人なら分ると思いますが、人は皆ギャンブル好きですが、アメリカ人のそれは群を抜いています。 そのベガスに乗り込んで金儲けを企む、名門MIT(マサチューセッツ工科大学)の学生達の実話です。彼らは博打ではなく確率論に裏打ちされた「カードカウンティング」の技術を駆使し、ギャンブルの世界でただ一つ胴元をまかすことが理論的に可能なブラックジャックにチームを組んで臨みます。 正に追いつ追われつ、カジノを取り巻く様々な人々も登場し、その裏側の世界を一部垣間見ることも出来ます。ベガスに行きたくなること請け合い！全米でもベストセラーを記録中。

Almost fiction, but still entertaining and interesting.