Breaking Vegas Documentary: The True Story of The MIT Blackjack Team

Based on the books by Ben Mezrich that cover the legendary MIT Blackjack Teams.
- Bringing Down the House
"Describes a collection of math whizzes from M.I.T. and their unique rise and fall of their blackjack team. For two years in the early '90s, the team reaped millions from casinos around the world by using their mathematics and card counting skills to change the odds of blackjack in their favor."
- Busting Vegas
"For nearly five years, he was known as the 'Darling Of Las Vegas'; the biggest high roller to hit Sin City in decades, a hotshot, twenty one year-old kid with a seemingly unlimited bankroll and an even more unlimited lust for big money action. His name was Semyon Dukatch, and stories swirled in his wake. Some said he was a Russian arms dealer, others a pop star from Eastern Europe. But the truth was even more unlikely: he was a twenty-one year old graduate student who had a plan that would one day make him richer than anyone could possibly imagine. The Darling of Las Vegas quickly became a legend in the casino world. He is the only person banned from the island of Aruba. He was held, at gunpoint, in a cave in Monte Carlo and told that if he ever returned, he'd be murdered. And he made millions of dollars playing blackjack."

[@joshuaoha]

The one time I went to a casino I spent $5 on slots and drank $30 worth of free booze. I totally took them.

[@SmokinBuddha]

Counting cards is not cheating at all. The casino just doesn't like losing money, so they call it cheating.

[@davidgildegomezperez4364]

I hate how do they present the "investigators" as the heroes of the story, when they are just bullies. The real heroes are those who managed to understand the game to gain advantage...

[@xyzlne]

I went to MIT graduated in 1 year. Well It was Mississipe institute of trucking and it was a 6 month course.

[@ReaverLordTonus]

I'm not even a card counter and honestly I don't approve of Griffin investigations. Searching for cheaters is of course necessary, but the moment Anderson said "they're not cheating, we've proven it" then that should have meant you did your job and you leave them the hell alone. Private business or not, if no crime is being committed, you have no right to stalk them, harass them, and certainly not detain them without due process when you are not even a recognized branch of law enforcement. Tens of Millions of people come to Vegas every year and drop billions of dollars in losses, you really expect me to believe that someone winning a few hundred thousand dollars by being lucky enough for the cards to land in a certain order is such a threat to that perpetual cash flow. And the documentary even spelled it out that this is not a guaranteed win when they suffered a major losing streak, so really it still comes down to luck and being lucky is not a crime.

[@pebonifield]

Years ago a TV show interviewed a man who exposed that casinos were setting some slots for 0% payouts and that the odds were in fact programable(Early days of electronic slots). Two months later he was murdered with no suspects. If you can beat the casinos, more power to you.

[@ggurks]

It's quite telling that using your brain inside a casino is considered cheating.

[@AngelsTravelUnravel]

The 500 dislikes are from casino operators 😂

[@davidhollenbeck9227]

I have a friend who counts cards in Vegas. he does low amounts and walks away with an average of 800 a day. with so many casinos in Vegas he only hits up the same one once a month.

[@AdvancedUSA]

“Undesirables” to a casino is someone who legitimately beats them at THEIR GAME, IN THEIR CASINO, PLAYING BY THEIR RULES and WINNING. LOSING is fine - winning is not.

[@atXP.]

"I could teach a piece of firewood to count cards if the piece of firewood can focus."

[@YoureASquidYoureAKid]

You can lose your life's savings. Casino won't bat an eye

[@ronyagpd]

Using your brain and making rapid mathematical calculations in what is a mathematical game of chance is triumph of brain over brawn. Nothing criminal about that whatsoever. They are simply brilliant!

[@hieveryone.8508]

MIT Blackjack Team, I give you all huge respect.

[@tnew100]

"I could teach a piece of firewood to count cards"

[@motnosniv]

A story that goes like this - Some youngster losses all his money one weekend. The next weekend he comes back and says "I'm going to win this time. I have a system." Casino worker says "Look around son, we have the system."

[@balozhende5727]

The janitor was the most honest, the best person.

[@badninja1971]

Rob a casino, you’re breaking the law.

[@SKRUBL0RD]

Rain Man: No one can count into a 6-deck shoe.

[@-JonnyBoy-]

Make more money suing them for illegally detaining you in a back room. That would be called kidnapping.