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

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  • Опубликовано: 28 июн 2012
  • 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."

Комментарии • 3,5 тыс.

  • @davidgildegomezperez4364
    @davidgildegomezperez4364 4 года назад +1415

    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...

    • @gbonkers666
      @gbonkers666 4 года назад +42

      We should be rewarded for our intelligence.

    • @kirbylee57
      @kirbylee57 4 года назад +42

      I didnt think they made the investigators look like the heroes. The investigators tried to look like the hero's, but failed. The only ones that did anything wrong were the casinos, by threating to hurt them if they came back. So I agree with you, they were simple bullies.

    • @Veaseify
      @Veaseify 4 года назад +16

      @Sheldon Cooper I don't know why casinos don't just introduce rules that would make card counting useless, or just have CSM's on every table if they are so paranoid about it. I think the dirty secret is there are many wannabe card counters who make the casinos money so they keep the games theoretically beatable but reserve the right to back off anybody who looks like they really know what they are doing.

    • @lilqzscribbleshow1560
      @lilqzscribbleshow1560 4 года назад +5

      David Gil de Gómez Pérez
      i agree...but i think how much
      can you really make or need?
      i mean beating the casino once or twice is awesome but you have to
      be careful....having super math powers can cause math vengeance
      by the casino number henchmen
      too.

    • @blastofo
      @blastofo 4 года назад +9

      They’re not heroes. Professional counters brought the game down for everyone else. No more single deck blackjack.

  • @SmokinBuddha
    @SmokinBuddha 4 года назад +2303

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

    • @xuploads
      @xuploads 4 года назад +152

      i had a small counting team a few years ago. when the casinos found out we were counters, they would just ban us from playing blackjack. no beatings in back rooms, no arrests. after all, counting is NOT cheating

    • @partialbullet2215
      @partialbullet2215 4 года назад +44

      It’s a private business, so they can do that
      Not the beating, the banning

    • @fritzvold9968
      @fritzvold9968 4 года назад +61

      @@xuploads you could make more money if you have black players on the team taking betting instructions by invisible earbuds. then when they throw them out, you got a million dollar discrimination lawsuit against them, like Dennys Restaurants they will settle out of court.

    • @Dooley
      @Dooley 4 года назад +65

      @@fritzvold9968 That would be cheating. Counting is not illegal because it is a skill, something you do in your head. When you introduce external devices, such as a counter/clicker in your shoes, or an "invisible earbud," you are now breaking the law and cheating.

    • @Pheluv
      @Pheluv 4 года назад +47

      Isn’t the whole point of any card game, counting the cards? Poker, BJ, Bridge, Canasta, ect ect ect. Ridiculous to throw people out for playing the game.

  • @atXP.
    @atXP. 2 года назад +96

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

    • @Lespaul5697
      @Lespaul5697 9 месяцев назад +1

      That’s so crazy I’m reading This comment as he said lmao

    • @wt9767
      @wt9767 4 месяца назад +3

      This documentary available for free on youtube is amazing, in stark contrast to the movie 21, based on the same story. That movie was complete and utter fucking dogshit.

  • @pebonifield
    @pebonifield 4 года назад +192

    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.

    • @intuitivediane
      @intuitivediane 3 года назад +4

      Wow 😳

    • @jasonchu4400
      @jasonchu4400 2 года назад +2

      ok we need names....

    • @simpleman283
      @simpleman283 2 года назад +12

      @@jasonchu4400 clinton

    • @ianandersen265
      @ianandersen265 2 года назад

      @@jasonchu4400 The closest we ever came to this being publicized, is the American Coin Enterprises scandal. In this scandal, some video poker games were illegally programmed to block royal flushes at max coin. A man named Larry Volk was ordered by the company to rig those machines. Larry came clean and was going to testify against his bosses, only for his vacation trailer to be bombed, and for himself to be viciously murdered in his own driveway. The owners of American Coin ultimately managed to avoid criminal charges.

    • @iamnormal8648
      @iamnormal8648 2 года назад +17

      If you are a gambler gamble on games that need skill. Slot machines, dice games, tombolas, computer picks and wheels of fortune are stupid games to play. You deserve to be defrauded if you play those games.

  • @YoureASquidYoureAKid
    @YoureASquidYoureAKid 4 года назад +779

    You can lose your life's savings. Casino won't bat an eye
    Start winning and the casino gets upset.

    • @smg4fan643
      @smg4fan643 4 года назад +8

      True

    • @101Supercritic
      @101Supercritic 4 года назад +5

      Your ready for Vegas!

    • @mizan6230
      @mizan6230 4 года назад +8

      Why go there to lose the life savings

    • @enriquebn4853
      @enriquebn4853 4 года назад +11

      @@mizan6230 Some people cannot control their addiction.

    • @davisx2002
      @davisx2002 4 года назад +16

      The Casino exists to fuck you over...if you walk in there you know the risk. dont bitch when they bend you over.

  • @xyzlne
    @xyzlne 4 года назад +781

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

  • @ronyagpd
    @ronyagpd 4 месяца назад +14

    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!

  • @AdvancedUSA
    @AdvancedUSA 3 года назад +109

    “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.

    • @ianandersen265
      @ianandersen265 2 года назад +5

      In this documentary, they used a more loose definition of undesirables to include both cheaters and law abiding advantage players.

    • @JamesGeiger23
      @JamesGeiger23 2 года назад +4

      Exactly. It's a bunch of bullshit.

    • @DiZastur
      @DiZastur Год назад +1

      ask a hotel maid in Las Vegas how many suicides they find. The number is guaranteed to shock you. They don't report most of them. People at the end of their rope go there all or nothing. Most of the time nothing wins.

    • @tracykingston9668
      @tracykingston9668 Год назад

      @@DiZastur They don't report them ? What the H do they do with the body then ? Take it home and a make a " Weekend at Bernies " movie !

    • @UnprofessionalProfessor
      @UnprofessionalProfessor Месяц назад

      ​@@DiZastur"They don't report them" why are you lying?

  • @hieveryone.8508
    @hieveryone.8508 5 лет назад +116

    MIT Blackjack Team, I give you all huge respect.

  • @tnew100
    @tnew100 10 лет назад +209

    "I could teach a piece of firewood to count cards"
    Best part of the documentary lmfao

    • @caelebdodd128
      @caelebdodd128 4 года назад +9

      fuck this made me laugh so hard lol

  • @motnosniv
    @motnosniv Год назад +13

    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."

  • @richsadowsky8580
    @richsadowsky8580 2 года назад +221

    Just another example of the type of exceptional education people get at MIT. I didn't go there but worked at two startups spun out the Media Lab and I have the utmost respect for that institution. These young people are heroes in my eyes. They used math to attempt to game a system that was designed to separate people from their cash. The tactics of the casinos threatening and intimidating people should be the thing that stands out. I get that they are for-profit businesses. They use math to "stack the deck" to their advantage but disallow anyone fighting back with their own math. That's the definition of sore losers.

    • @qwertpoiuy430
      @qwertpoiuy430 Год назад +2

      @@Beyond_Salvation they are not lol these are dramatized

    • @markmurphy3634
      @markmurphy3634 Год назад +3

      If these guys were math geniuses why didn’t they just play poker

    • @lolipedofin
      @lolipedofin 11 месяцев назад

      Casino offers game as facade, but they are not playing it themselves. From their PoV, they are entertainment preying on people's addiction and they should always make some set amount every quarter with some big swing from baccarat table against whales added as footnote in their ledger.

    • @BillGreenAZ
      @BillGreenAZ 11 месяцев назад

      @@Beyond_Salvation, there are several legal cases where people who have not broken any laws have been detained by casinos for longer than is legally allowable.

    • @ShivaOO7
      @ShivaOO7 11 месяцев назад +3

      You don't need a degree from MIT to count cards lol. You barely need your grade 8.
      What's impressive was their charisma and the quality of their cover for its time.

  • @davidhollenbeck9227
    @davidhollenbeck9227 5 лет назад +53

    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.

    • @JOHN-tk6vl
      @JOHN-tk6vl 2 года назад +3

      The casinos hate people winning.

    • @JohnDough-yr2zt
      @JohnDough-yr2zt Год назад +1

      Its all about betting patterns

    • @tracykingston9668
      @tracykingston9668 Год назад +4

      Now that's the way to do it. Flying under the radar.

    • @donald8354
      @donald8354 4 месяца назад

      He must be good.

  • @joshuaoha
    @joshuaoha 11 лет назад +835

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

    • @saraherrera522
      @saraherrera522 5 лет назад +19

      😂😂😂😂

    • @rahla53
      @rahla53 4 года назад +6

      lol

    • @jasonbourne1596
      @jasonbourne1596 4 года назад +13

      You got 🐅 blood.

    • @jamesadams893
      @jamesadams893 4 года назад +29

      In fact that is the only way to guarantee having a winning outing every time

    • @drdrew3
      @drdrew3 3 года назад +8

      Next time hit the seafood buffet with endless champagne. You can definitely get ahead on those deals too

  • @badninja1971
    @badninja1971 3 года назад +74

    Rob a casino, you’re breaking the law.
    Beat a casino, you’re breaking the law. 😂😂😂

  • @balozhende5727
    @balozhende5727 Год назад +12

    The janitor was the most honest, the best person.

    • @user-oz1ve9tw2y
      @user-oz1ve9tw2y 5 месяцев назад +1

      he did not have the evil spirit of greed

  • @ggurks
    @ggurks 4 года назад +752

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

    • @YaNeK92
      @YaNeK92 4 года назад +10

      Well said! 👌🏼

    • @CyberLord5G
      @CyberLord5G 4 года назад +14

      I do Security at a large level 4 casino and most players are brain dead. Just blowing money and getting upset. Be prepared to loose. What do you think your doing in a casino? Giving up your money. Some people forgot how to function or walk.

    • @YaNeK92
      @YaNeK92 4 года назад +15

      @@CyberLord5G I believe you haven't watched the actual documentary to have the context in which the above comment was posted..

    • @darrellmorris9993
      @darrellmorris9993 4 года назад +13

      Agreed. Its amazing how many times they say using your brain is cheating. Sad.

    • @lisaschuster9187
      @lisaschuster9187 4 года назад +12

      They never call it cheating. Not once. It’s undesirable. It’s competition.

  • @ReaverLordTonus
    @ReaverLordTonus 6 лет назад +169

    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.

    • @telesniper2
      @telesniper2 2 года назад +12

      yeah that one silver haired guy that calls himself a "detective" was putting himself in real danger by acting like he was some unaccountable badass. He's damn lucky he never ran across someone that takes their personal security very seriously

    • @jadepaulsen8456
      @jadepaulsen8456 Год назад

      Preach brother preach. Damn straight. Joke em if they can't take a fuck

    • @neonblack211
      @neonblack211 Год назад +6

      card counting isn't illegal, but that doesnt stop casinos from trying to eliminate it

    • @MewtwoStruckBack
      @MewtwoStruckBack Год назад +4

      If a Griffin employee, especially a high level employee, is shot, and you are on the jury - not guilty. No matter what. They could do it in front of you point blank - not guilty.

    • @pro-socialsociopath769
      @pro-socialsociopath769 Год назад

      @@MewtwoStruckBack It's code of law

  • @SKRUBL0RD
    @SKRUBL0RD 3 года назад +15

    Rain Man: No one can count into a 6-deck shoe.
    MIT Blackjack Team: Hold our pocket protectors.

    • @drdrew3
      @drdrew3 3 года назад +7

      That was the dumbest line in the movie. If you can count the size of the shoe is irrelevant. The hard part is managing your bet size, camouflaging your play and accumulating a sufficient bankroll to survive a losing streak - the movie ignored all that too. Otherwise it was a great movie - I watch it wherever it’s on

    • @SKRUBL0RD
      @SKRUBL0RD 3 года назад

      @@drdrew3 I agree it's a typical hollywood dumb quote but it's quite funny knowing all the context of how dumb it is + famous card counters who beat the house.

  • @alcapoontangmooseinthepoos2310
    @alcapoontangmooseinthepoos2310 2 года назад +14

    I love how complex they make card counting seem. All you need is dedication to practice. Takes about 2 weeks to understand.

    • @texasrebel7754
      @texasrebel7754 2 года назад +6

      The hard part isn't learning the system, whichever one you use. The hard part is applying it in the casino. Unless you're Rain Man, you're gonna mess up every shoe at first because of all the distractions. I found it fascinating to experience all the distractions while I was trying to concentrate.

    • @jiogcyihsugyiocjfdoivhphvw6821
      @jiogcyihsugyiocjfdoivhphvw6821 Год назад +1

      takes less than that to understand the counting. memorizing basic strategy takes longer

  • @-JonnyBoy-
    @-JonnyBoy- 4 года назад +166

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

    • @zachmozingo1758
      @zachmozingo1758 4 года назад +11

      have your lawyer join the team

    • @allabored4443
      @allabored4443 3 года назад +1

      Technically he agreed to go

    • @waynewilliams5802
      @waynewilliams5802 3 года назад

      @@allabored4443 GTA

    • @drdrew3
      @drdrew3 3 года назад +1

      They are legally allowed to detain you until the police arrive. They only do that when they have sufficient evidence. If you are asked to leave and refuse you are trespassing - just walk out when you are asked. If you are cheating that’s a federal crime and they can hold you for “a reasonable time while awaiting law enforcement”

    • @msotil
      @msotil 2 года назад +1

      @@drdrew3 They confiscated the money (chips) he had on the table. How legal is that?

  • @smallpotatoe9487
    @smallpotatoe9487 4 года назад +144

    Mr. M is like the Lester from GTA 5 ....the mastermind indeed lol

    • @partialbullet2215
      @partialbullet2215 4 года назад +2

      He even looks like he is a brother

    • @kellyweingart3692
      @kellyweingart3692 4 года назад +5

      GTA V heist in real life

    • @benwing6880
      @benwing6880 3 года назад +3

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

    • @sajeelraza4682
      @sajeelraza4682 3 года назад +1

      Lol the weirdest mouthpiece heard in my life

    • @MmeHyraelle
      @MmeHyraelle 2 года назад +1

      Mister L.

  • @jackbrainard490
    @jackbrainard490 3 года назад +79

    I started working at a casino as a dealer, since this was a fun way to practice counting all night long. The average dealer deals 4-5 decks of cards every minutes. Since most casinos do not allow mid-shoe entry, and with single or dual deck it is hard to stand around for hours to wait until the count is favorable. If you lack the team concept, there are several ways to scrutinize many tables which one you need to sit down and play. The big secret is practice practice and practice. I would stand at a table for 8 hours and the count would hit +10 maybe 2 times. This is why the team concept works the best.

    • @chilipizza
      @chilipizza 2 года назад +1

      Yes but you dealers learn to cheat so you get higher all the time. Whats your secret? :D :D

    • @timkragh1117
      @timkragh1117 2 года назад

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  • @James_Bowie
    @James_Bowie 2 года назад +25

    I'm trying to imagine those large casinos being unduly bothered by losing a few million dollars over a number of years, even in the 1990s.

  • @adrienperie6119
    @adrienperie6119 9 лет назад +69

    Am I the only one who realizes how obvious it is that the casinos got their money back by rigging their games after finding out who they were ?

    • @kirbylee57
      @kirbylee57 4 года назад +6

      You must be the only one. How did they rig the game?

    • @paulpena5040
      @paulpena5040 3 года назад +2

      @@kirbylee57 It wouldn't be hard. Dealing more shallow with less depth penetration into the shoe is one way. The # of high cards remaining radically alters the percentages the deeper you go into the shoe. If they start to reshuffle after 1.5 decks in a 6 deck shoe, that would kill the counters.

    • @drdrew3
      @drdrew3 3 года назад +2

      That’s the job description of the casino’s head of security. They figure out how players are getting an advantage and mitigate the risk. The game has changed radically since the MIT and their imitators brought attention to card counting. It was pretty inevitable that it played out this way

    • @jiogcyihsugyiocjfdoivhphvw6821
      @jiogcyihsugyiocjfdoivhphvw6821 Год назад

      did u figure that all by urself.............................?

  • @danielstellmon5330
    @danielstellmon5330 5 лет назад +21

    "Just knowing you have the edge. That the odds are in your favor." Sounds like owning the casino to me.

  • @IWasGivenRest
    @IWasGivenRest 4 года назад +96

    Can we just take the time to appreciate the janitor. He turned in so much money to his supervisor instead of stealing it. That man deserves a raise!

    • @FFM0594
      @FFM0594 3 года назад +23

      He deserves a kick in the nuts for getting the FBI, DEA and CIA involved in a legitimate operation.

    • @IWasGivenRest
      @IWasGivenRest 3 года назад +4

      @@FFM0594 Someone has an attitude... What's wrong? I've seen some of your comments, why all the toxicity?

    • @MmeHyraelle
      @MmeHyraelle 2 года назад +5

      @@IWasGivenRest your comment is irrelevant.

    • @murdermuseum8280
      @murdermuseum8280 2 года назад +4

      I would of kept it.

    • @MyRegardsToTheDodo
      @MyRegardsToTheDodo 2 года назад +4

      @@murdermuseum8280 Not a good idea with that amount of money. Somebody will come looking for it. And if it's not legitimate (drug money or something like that) you might be in trouble. Plus he was probably on video, so it would have been pretty easy to find him.

  • @randallbowman2930
    @randallbowman2930 4 года назад +285

    "Vegas is too big to be broken."
    COVID-19 says, hold my beer.

    • @user-gh5he6sm5t
      @user-gh5he6sm5t 3 года назад +11

      Original.well done.

    • @jaywalkercrew4446
      @jaywalkercrew4446 3 года назад +4

      Good hope the casino 🎰 bosses are crying 😭

    • @randallbowman2930
      @randallbowman2930 3 года назад

      @@user-gh5he6sm5t What do you mean by original? I don't even know what that means. But you sound nice. Thanks for the thumbs-up.

    • @stevenlmendeziialphaone3975
      @stevenlmendeziialphaone3975 3 года назад +4

      ahahahahahahhahaah the best thing to happen to the greed of the earth and cift them for judgement

    • @drdrew3
      @drdrew3 3 года назад +3

      Casinos reopened at full capacity on June 1. There was so much pent up demand they will recoup all their losses. Most casinos had so much cash in reserve that COVID was just a blip. Any small casino that stays closed will just get bought out or knocked down for a new venue. Raiders stadium opening just off the strip in August - the whole season is already sold out

  • @dylanbosch8322
    @dylanbosch8322 10 лет назад +66

    This Documentary/story is way better then the movie '21' and the book 'Bringing down the house'

    • @mspinkytee
      @mspinkytee 10 лет назад +16

      Nope the movie is way more entertaining, unless you are just interested in Black Jack.

    • @noahsimonsen7830
      @noahsimonsen7830 4 года назад +1

      @Sheldon Cooper I mean, chill...

    • @akllls617
      @akllls617 4 года назад

      Sheldon Cooper can you count cards by yourself ?

    • @vivamexico9603
      @vivamexico9603 4 года назад +1

      @Sheldon Cooper don't be so Anal about it buddy

  • @smith077906
    @smith077906 9 лет назад +452

    Freedom of Play just as long as u lose

    • @vincentcreedon7428
      @vincentcreedon7428 7 лет назад +1

      sockets

    • @marcjacobs6613
      @marcjacobs6613 6 лет назад +6

      i don't get why what they were doing was illegal tho

    • @josh9112
      @josh9112 6 лет назад +11

      Marc Jacobs It’s not illegal

    • @bosteador
      @bosteador 6 лет назад +11

      Marc Jacobs it’s not illegal. It’s frowned upon like masturbating on a plane.

    • @saraherrera522
      @saraherrera522 6 лет назад +1

      Alan Alban lmao!! I love that movie

  • @jcrules2269
    @jcrules2269 2 года назад +20

    Great documentary! These MIT folks are brilliant! I wish I were half as smart as they are. They didn’t do anything wrong but used their brains and mathematical science. These casinos are the crooks here. They should have been sued big time.

    • @NerdZooooone
      @NerdZooooone Год назад +1

      I’m also think so, that those MIT folks are brilliant, they’re not cheating, only used brain and maths

  • @jd-it4on
    @jd-it4on 2 года назад +31

    They r legends in my book. I dont consider beating the rigged casino a bad thing at all because the casino cheats people out of money every single day. Just like i wouldnt be mad if a car thief had his car stolen.

  • @AngelsTravelUnravel
    @AngelsTravelUnravel 5 лет назад +831

    The 500 dislikes are from casino operators 😂

    • @markdent4052
      @markdent4052 4 года назад +7

      😂😂😂😂

    • @101intellectual
      @101intellectual 4 года назад +6

      word up mate, fuckin haters.

    • @rahla53
      @rahla53 4 года назад +2

      lol

    • @jgannone
      @jgannone 4 года назад

      kip I kip ipp ugup y7i guy u y7 hu ogu bgg buy y7 hy hu ho U hu juli hi

    • @mohamedfarah765
      @mohamedfarah765 4 года назад

      😂😂😂😂

  • @texasray5237
    @texasray5237 5 лет назад +49

    Of course those _"on the house"_ casino hotel suites are bugged and watched.
    They want to identify the whole team before they send anyone to the back room.

  • @cepheus7391
    @cepheus7391 2 года назад +28

    Haha I love how the pit bosses and detectives are acting like the hot shit while the card counters are living in luxury with millions. The envy of these people is half the thrill.

  • @urmaker
    @urmaker 2 года назад +27

    I was always curious how accurate the movie "21" is. Pretty close. Seems like this whole story would have worked too without even adding drama.

    • @indamixup2189
      @indamixup2189 2 года назад +2

      read the book way better than the movie. i read it in two nights couldn't put it down.

    • @seexzavierfilms
      @seexzavierfilms 2 года назад

      did Mr. M really take Simians money? is what I want to know.

    • @flokissnp9176
      @flokissnp9176 2 года назад

      @@indamixup2189 name of the book?

    • @jiogcyihsugyiocjfdoivhphvw6821
      @jiogcyihsugyiocjfdoivhphvw6821 Год назад +1

      it worked until...................................................................................................
      it didnt

  • @RicTic66
    @RicTic66 5 лет назад +52

    I love tales like this, thank you so much for posting probably the best 90 minutes I've spent today, even though I'm late for everything now lol. I'm no gambler but BJ is the only casino game I ever won at, £600 on a cross channel ferry Ramsgate to Dunkirk :)

    • @NazriB
      @NazriB 2 года назад

      Lies again? MRT MIT

  • @Alex4nopho
    @Alex4nopho 8 лет назад +768

    Why am I up at 3am watching this?

    • @colinglen4505
      @colinglen4505 6 лет назад +9

      I just looked at the time after reading your post...and it's 3.14 am. ; )

    • @RedDirtTucker
      @RedDirtTucker 6 лет назад +4

      3:18 A.M

    • @phantom5185
      @phantom5185 6 лет назад +4

      Oh, maybe you should go to sleep, so you can get an early start at "WORK" ing for someone else. Your up watching this cause, you'd rather really be doing something else, like not doing for others. I'm going to the casino today all day, with a grand then in the morning I'll be lying back in "Puerto Plata Dominican Republ [I wonder if there is a casino there. LoL I'll kill it, and that country doesn't even know this shit. LoL!!]

    • @JohnDoe-kq8hz
      @JohnDoe-kq8hz 6 лет назад +4

      Top Notch, they might know the specifics of this shit in Dominican Rep, but if they catch you, something tells me you won't be walking away with all your fingers in takt.. or immagine getting caught by casino owned by cartel or mob.. I'm sure they have a hole dug up somewhere in a desert just for you..

    • @JorgeHernandez-ko5tw
      @JorgeHernandez-ko5tw 6 лет назад +1

      Alex Howell 5 am for me

  • @sheldonbass4238
    @sheldonbass4238 Год назад +31

    Definitely some of the most exciting documentary content I've seen. I got so caught up in it, I almost felt like a part of the team myself. The ending was just a bit anticlimactic, except for Simeon's new team doing well with being 4 mil. up. Thank you for the dynamic content. I'll have to check out what else Send A Raven has to offer. 🎯👍

    • @wildestcowboy2668
      @wildestcowboy2668 6 месяцев назад

      Did it make you wet your panties in excitement?

  • @justmyopinion7594
    @justmyopinion7594 2 года назад +8

    Maybe I just didn’t care too much but speaking as a former dealer, I knew I didn’t give a shit if someone was card counting or not. A dealers job consists of 90% of the time people being pissed off about losing their money so they wanna blame you. The dealer is rooting for the player to win just as much as the player in most cases because you will typically only get tipped if they are winning.

  • @staninjapan07
    @staninjapan07 4 года назад +33

    Casinos make money.
    They make money, in almost all cases I imagine, on a mathematical basis.
    Calculated gain and losses based on a model.
    When a player counts cards, he/she is doing nothing more than playing cards and remembering what has been dealt.
    That the casinos not only have the cheek to call this underhanded, but do so in the full knowledge that they do exactly the same thing, is ridiculous.
    Why do people even bother with the casinos, if not to take money out of them?

    • @antonioacevedo5200
      @antonioacevedo5200 3 года назад +1

      Ultimately, anybody that plays those games are suckers because the odds are against you to win. When you do win consistently, the assumption is made by the casinos that you are cheating so they throw you out. Basically, the casinos are happy you are there because, if you do it right, they win.

  • @merilealuoch4874
    @merilealuoch4874 5 лет назад +20

    "I can teach a piece of firewood to play cards, if that piece of firewood can concentrate "

  • @ianandersen265
    @ianandersen265 Год назад +21

    When I was a kid, I quickly discovered since 2nd grade my above average math skills due to my autism, where I was a few grades ahead of the other students. I also enjoyed watching game shows a lot and handling money at an early age. Then we moved to West Virginia and money became tight.
    Yes, my father had more time for family, and we were fortunate despite being lower middle class, but I was always longing for something more in life. I was upset about all the things we couldn't enjoy due to lack of money, and I didn't have enough friends to goof off with, because I was so intellectual and serious all the time.
    As such, I naturally appealed to older people more than kids. It quickly became clear to my father, that I had a gambling addiction (the idea of it), and nothing was stopping me.
    I was playing free online games that were gambling themed, and studying casino games, to where my parents found me a safe website to redirect myself, and a handheld poker game.
    At age 12, a good friend of mine dealt us blackjack just for fun, and I did terrible. However, blackjack lured me back time and time again, because I knew there was an element of skill to it.
    Side note, I also dabbled in poker, only to quit pursuing it a few years, after realizing I was a fish.
    From age 12-14 I learned basic strategy, memorized it perfectly, and played for free online.
    Then at age 14, I found an article about card counting, and was initially skeptical, because I misunderstood what card counting consisted of.
    Watching Breaking Vegas here on RUclips immediately changed my perspective, and I started practicing at home. Upon realizing it was real, I got excited, and my father told me to shut my mouth about it, because he was the minister with a reputation to uphold, and was afraid I'd burn myself out before I was old enough to even enter a casino.
    My parents were already paranoid about my gambling fascination, and it got worse to them when I discovered card counting, although my parents did eventually warm up to the idea after we left that West Virginia church.
    Counting cards was a rough journey for me, but I eventually succeeded, got myself a decent amount of savings thanks to career, and a couple of crazy AP events that took place, and now I have good savings, albeit not good enough to retire.
    In other words, I proved to everyone that they were dead wrong about their concerns about me, and succeeded.

    • @busterbiloxi3833
      @busterbiloxi3833 11 месяцев назад

      Tell us how much you made, or STFU!

    • @marygoff3332
      @marygoff3332 9 месяцев назад +1

      I've done something similar w online slots. There are patterns to good sessions/bad sessions and potential payouts - I've gotten so good at it that I paid my family's bills for over a year ($100K+) when my husband lost his income due to the pandemic. I consistently win $4-5K a month now, from my home.

    • @marklefkowitz4385
      @marklefkowitz4385 7 месяцев назад +1

      Original poster,
      I have a close friend similar to you, though he never felt the need to write a novel about his life story on youtube.

    • @felixchien1664
      @felixchien1664 6 месяцев назад

      @@marygoff3332 Sorry, but I'm extremely skeptical of any advantage play with online slots. Are you coming up with new user names each time you play? because they keep track of exactly how much you win and lose. They'd never allow someone to win "$4-5K a month" consistently....

    • @user-ek3dm8fo6l
      @user-ek3dm8fo6l 6 месяцев назад +1

      I gree. Card counting online can make x5 your money. Is is the biggest I can do it. 20$ to 100$

  • @teejay6063
    @teejay6063 2 года назад +19

    I dealt Blackjack and Paigow Tiles at Foxwoods for 4 years and Mohegan Sun for 4. I've seen hundreds try to count and it is very hard. The act itself is very easy (+1, -1, dead cards), but not missing one single card for most of an 8 deck shoe is very difficult. You don't have to be a genius to notice that barely any tens have hit the table in like 5 hands at a full table. Good time to up the bet. I'd often look after I dealt the hand, but before anyone acted, and just scan the table. Look for face cards. There should be about 4 out of 13 cards showing. If you see none or one or two, and the hole card and draw cards are mostly low, its time to raise the bet.

    • @christophercarlone9945
      @christophercarlone9945 2 года назад

      You still deal at Mohegan? Have any info on their surveillance departments?

    • @teejay6063
      @teejay6063 2 года назад

      @@christophercarlone9945 I do not, not since 2011.

    • @mohammadbazzi3072
      @mohammadbazzi3072 2 года назад +1

      100% Agree with you. it is very hard to Count cards with 8 deck shoe. Here in Canada the casino do 8 deck shoe and also a Machine Shovel. And plus everytime you play specially if you gonna start with big money the Dealer Ask for your reward Card. So they know you name and they know who you are. Every blackjack player have a Casino Reward card. If you don't have one you give them your ID. I honestly When I play blackjack I just follow the Basic Strategy and sometimes I get lucky and sometime I dont. I swear I just don't believe people Are actually count cards. Dealer Always Cut the shoe and also there is 8 Deck shoe it is impossible to Count.

    • @jiogcyihsugyiocjfdoivhphvw6821
      @jiogcyihsugyiocjfdoivhphvw6821 Год назад

      it isnt hard to count at all, drunkard

    • @singha85
      @singha85 Год назад

      Do casinos cheat

  • @bigtimetimmyjim6486
    @bigtimetimmyjim6486 5 лет назад +29

    Here is something you can all feel good about: Griffin Investigations is now out of business. While cheering for any business to go belly up is something that should be discouraged, they took too much pride in libeling skillful players as cheaters for me to feel sorry for them.

    • @ianandersen265
      @ianandersen265 2 года назад +5

      They went into Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Their company is still in operation, but they are not nearly as big as they used to be. Other companies have taken over.

    • @mohammadbazzi3072
      @mohammadbazzi3072 2 года назад

      @@ianandersen265 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Griffin_Investigations

    • @mohammadbazzi3072
      @mohammadbazzi3072 2 года назад

      en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Griffin_Investigations

    • @mohammadbazzi3072
      @mohammadbazzi3072 2 года назад +2

      They Screwed up. They have to pay 2 people for Defamation.

    • @jiogcyihsugyiocjfdoivhphvw6821
      @jiogcyihsugyiocjfdoivhphvw6821 Год назад

      @@mohammadbazzi3072 2 ppl? whatever will they do.............................

  • @37rainman
    @37rainman 11 лет назад +37

    You hit it right on the head. These popular books/movies have made the worldwide gambling establishment billions. With all due respect to the incredibly juvenile author, Ben Mesrich, no team has ever "Brought Down The House" (lol), or "Busted Vegas". They were no more than a gnat on the neck of the giant. Casinos have to be thrilled when another book comes out, sending millions of ignorant bright eyed/bushy tailed wannabees their way to deposit their few thousand dollar bankrolls.

    • @jaxsenthomas859
      @jaxsenthomas859 Год назад +2

      Exactly, hell now days in hoise traffic doesnt even bring in the bulk of the proffits. Online sports betting is getting out of control.

    • @igorschmidlapp6987
      @igorschmidlapp6987 11 месяцев назад +3

      Everybody knows that casinos (particularly the Native American tribes) make their money on old people and slots... ;-P

    • @wildestcowboy2668
      @wildestcowboy2668 6 месяцев назад

      ​@@jaxsenthomas859🎉can u give us an example of sports bets.

  • @nicklopez3461
    @nicklopez3461 2 года назад +114

    I love how they make the Casino Security seem like they're detectives trying to catch murderers or something. hahaha
    Not their fault that they did their homework.

    • @ianandersen265
      @ianandersen265 2 года назад +6

      Well, they did use creepy music during the Andy Anderson scene, to make it look like Andy was out to sniper them.

  • @alZiiHardstylez
    @alZiiHardstylez 4 года назад +47

    One guy: Harder than my PHD
    Second guy: Kinda like that time when you go for your driving license.

  • @jallen6897
    @jallen6897 5 лет назад +25

    Griffin is the guy who raises his hand when the teacher asks if anyone has anymore questions two minutes after you were supposed to go to recess.

    • @jiogcyihsugyiocjfdoivhphvw6821
      @jiogcyihsugyiocjfdoivhphvw6821 Год назад

      u forgot 1 detail......................................................................................................
      griffin is a woman. and in this vid a number of times.........................
      drunkard

  • @thequietknitter9107
    @thequietknitter9107 4 года назад +223

    I watched this whole documentary because I've heard about these guys. But I still don't understand. What did they do wrong? Basically, they used an understanding of probability to win. So. . . why is that wrong?

    • @briannguyen2293
      @briannguyen2293 4 года назад +56

      Casinos are a business and they have a right to refuse service to anyone. They didn't do anything wrong.

    • @KNByam
      @KNByam 4 года назад +51

      Card counting is not wrong but the casinos don't like it so they have a right to refuse your business.

    • @KNByam
      @KNByam 4 года назад +4

      @@briannguyen2293 I swear I wrote my comment before I read yours. lmao

    • @thequietknitter9107
      @thequietknitter9107 4 года назад +35

      @@KNByam Thanks for your answer. But that raises another question for me. Isn't that a kind of discrimination? Casinos aren't allowed to say "No Blacks Allowed", but they're allowed to say "No Card Counters Allowed"? It's a skill. lt's not illegal. That would be like if JC Penny barred me because I'm really good at figuring out their sales and coupons. I guess if you're rich enough, you make your own laws, right?

    • @Lawielet
      @Lawielet 4 года назад +15

      @@thequietknitter9107 casinos are private entities and they can create their own rule of not letting card counters play. It's not a matter of legal or illegal talks. Just like some malls are saying that no pets are allowed in their premises.

  • @alfredotto7525
    @alfredotto7525 2 года назад +2

    Mr. M should be awarded a noble prize for this.

  • @steez5769
    @steez5769 3 года назад +14

    1:03:15 "When the casino is losing money they start looking why and where." Even if this team was managing to score tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars and accepting a bunch of comps from the casinos, that's still a drop in the pool compared to how much the casinos are scoring off the gamblers. Wouldn't really consider that "losing money."

    • @steez5769
      @steez5769 3 года назад +1

      @Hgyvtfygyhuh Ygihvutctvnininnin haha those Vegas casinos probably make an average of $1million + PER DAY. That blackjack team wasn't even siphoning a fraction of a % of those casinos yearly revenue. I'm speaking in terms of relativity. If you make $200 daily and I take $1 out every day, are you losing $1 or making $199? Not that difficult of a concept. Use your brain.

  • @thesloth5662
    @thesloth5662 4 года назад +9

    This entire video could be a case study in organizational psychology. You have a group of mathematical geniuses that have meticulously prepared down to every last detail in terms of numbers, but the idea of the psychic costs of their structure completely escapes them.

  • @WonderingAboutThat
    @WonderingAboutThat 6 лет назад +19

    inspired to watch this after watching 21. really enjoyable doc!

  • @todeotodeo140
    @todeotodeo140 3 года назад +13

    Ed thorp was the guy that figured this out on his own. He was a childhood friend of my pop until he passed on. Ed Thorp went on to stock market investments and became a multi billionaire.

  • @terryhayward7905
    @terryhayward7905 Год назад +8

    This story just goes to show who the real cheats are, the casinos. All gambling is fixed with odds in favour of the casino, but they hate it when someone finds a way to overcome the fix.

  • @ricover6392
    @ricover6392 6 лет назад +10

    MIT blackjack team, you guys are awesome!

  • @TheArdencroft
    @TheArdencroft 6 лет назад +68

    Can we just talk about how a JANITOR found 125k in a bag, and turned it in to his supervisor?

    • @lazar93fu
      @lazar93fu 3 года назад +1

      Fucking idiot. How much does the Janitor on MIT makes a year 600 000$? Fucking impossible...

    • @thehanchoshow
      @thehanchoshow 3 года назад +11

      Yeah I would of took that shit and got another job lol

    • @jasonprice5307
      @jasonprice5307 3 года назад

      Lol @@thehanchoshow

    • @jiogcyihsugyiocjfdoivhphvw6821
      @jiogcyihsugyiocjfdoivhphvw6821 Год назад +1

      everyone talks about it....................................................

    • @C.Church
      @C.Church Год назад +1

      @@thehanchoshow Set a little aside for grammar lessons. ;)

  • @YeshuaWater-es8in
    @YeshuaWater-es8in 6 месяцев назад +3

    That female casino employee walking in on the strip search was hilarious 😂

  • @laspegasusproduction
    @laspegasusproduction 3 года назад +39

    I was taught by one of the card counters in high school. He mentioned they reunited for a similar run in Atlantic City. One of them legally changed his name to Don Johnson and then proceeded to bankrupt said casino

    • @joshcantrell8397
      @joshcantrell8397 2 года назад

      Wow, they actually bankrupted an entire casino!!!???

    • @JohnDough-yr2zt
      @JohnDough-yr2zt Год назад +3

      Yeah right

    • @laspegasusproduction
      @laspegasusproduction Год назад

      @@JohnDough-yr2zt Actually they moreso mentored the new group. But surprisingly, Don Johnson is real.
      www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/04/the-man-who-broke-atlantic-city/308900/

    • @jiogcyihsugyiocjfdoivhphvw6821
      @jiogcyihsugyiocjfdoivhphvw6821 Год назад +5

      and im the king of pluto

    • @young7931
      @young7931 Год назад +5

      That was me. I bankrupt said casino.

  • @clutchcargo2419
    @clutchcargo2419 5 лет назад +24

    These students were / are awsome - how cool it would be to be this intelligent.

    • @NerdZooooone
      @NerdZooooone 2 года назад +1

      This feeling when you beat all of them out of the box…awesome

    • @sedftnio
      @sedftnio 2 года назад +2

      You can do it too. Lots of practice and concentration

  • @Swerve2224
    @Swerve2224 8 лет назад +625

    so who's down to start a team?

  • @stevemcvay2220
    @stevemcvay2220 2 года назад +5

    They made a movie about this… it’s called 21. I’m sure a lot of people have seen it and just didn’t put two and two together. Really good movie too!

    • @rogerar90
      @rogerar90 Год назад +1

      Good soundtrack too . Cool to know that great film was a true story

    • @tomasgomez9925
      @tomasgomez9925 4 месяца назад

      I loved that movie!

  • @intuitivediane
    @intuitivediane 3 года назад +3

    When he said ‘casinos started to attract SMART guys instead of WISE gguys’. 😂😂

  • @chemical32
    @chemical32 10 лет назад +34

    Wait, Wait, Wait, Wait… HOLD THE F -UP!.... So you’re telling me a casino can threaten your life and inflict physical harm onto you for merely SUSPECTING that you MIGHT BE counting in your own head, and this is somehow legal??????.. And if it’s not legal who’s dropping the ball on this one?..

    • @gameplayers195
      @gameplayers195 10 лет назад +3

      the threats are not legal, counting cards is legal. but casino owners have the right to kick you out , in the end they own the damn thing. and threats are more to scare you not to actualy arm you.

    • @NaihanchinKempo
      @NaihanchinKempo 9 лет назад +3

      in the old days they would backroom you..Now its about the Database ..they're more polite now

    • @theSpicyHam
      @theSpicyHam 9 лет назад

      They won't do that though they could get away with it sometimes.

    • @yulio3000
      @yulio3000 9 лет назад +1

      Not anymore. They left it ambiguous to make it seem interesting and deter people thinking about it. If they do that now, you can call 911 and they will get arrested for assault. However, back in the 60's and earlier when the mob ran the police, they might, MIGHT, be able to backroom you.

    • @marysmith8823
      @marysmith8823 9 лет назад

      They can. The Natives do what they want.

  • @ElJefeGrande123
    @ElJefeGrande123 8 лет назад +139

    "These guys are smart and make us look dumb. We must stop them."

    • @gbonkers666
      @gbonkers666 4 года назад +1

      Yep

    • @davidallen346
      @davidallen346 4 года назад +1

      Mr M left a bag of money worth 125 grands in the classroom for the janitor to find it that was not very clever

    • @partialbullet2215
      @partialbullet2215 4 года назад

      Mr. M was smart
      But was never showed to to be that kind of smart

    • @UnprofessionalProfessor
      @UnprofessionalProfessor 3 года назад

      Tumblr and Twitter, in a nutshell.

    • @NerdZooooone
      @NerdZooooone 3 месяца назад

      🤷‍♂️🤭😅🤣

  • @jamesbarrick3403
    @jamesbarrick3403 3 года назад +10

    I heard about this crew years ago... after watching all of the details and time and energy and LACK of profits I would call this whole thing a failure.

    • @arribaficationwineho32
      @arribaficationwineho32 2 года назад +1

      Casinos say the same

    • @JamesGeiger23
      @JamesGeiger23 2 года назад +2

      There were profits. However, they went too long and then they lost those profits.

  • @kennethcarpenterii7636
    @kennethcarpenterii7636 3 года назад +65

    The best way to beat the Casino is by never going in the first place. -me

    • @milesgeorge644
      @milesgeorge644 3 года назад +6

      I’m in total agreement

    • @karlabc9251
      @karlabc9251 3 года назад +3

      100% I played $20 in my lifetime

    • @jasonprice5307
      @jasonprice5307 3 года назад

      ☑️

    • @keeley-jasminemaxinecavend9780
      @keeley-jasminemaxinecavend9780 3 года назад +2

      Exactly. Why do betting shops have three paying-in windows but only one for paying-out?

    • @drdrew3
      @drdrew3 3 года назад

      You can’t beat them by not going - that’s a push.

  • @jburch5752
    @jburch5752 6 лет назад +28

    As a side note: one of the results of these teams was that the casino's revamped most of their blackjack games. Many use double cut cards, a combination of shuffling machines and hand shuffling, six decks per shoe, don't cut as deep into the deck, don't expose the bottom card, alternate decks, and change out the shoe far earlier. They probably have done a couple of other things I don't know about since I don't play blackjack. Read the two books. There are more stories included than shown in this video.

    • @euminkong
      @euminkong 2 года назад +6

      So the Casino fixed the game.

    • @jaylev85
      @jaylev85 2 года назад

      Exactly. I've never been to vegas but i've played at most casinos on east coast and it all depends from place to place. I've experienced dealers rotate in/out as frequently as every 6 hands which is bizarre. I'd normally expect it used to be 20 hand intervals back in the day (i.e. about 5 decks ==> average of 3 players + dealer; typical turns where each player hits once on average, dealer hits twice on average; so average of 13 cards per hand x 20 hands = 260 cards /52 cards = 5 decks). They usually reshuffle or bring in a whole new dealer every 6-10 hands now. Im sure the back is on the cameras and as soon as someone is on a hot streak they reset the table.

    • @antoniotoves5135
      @antoniotoves5135 Год назад +1

      There’s methods to counter all of this. True count ace tracking green red zone method. Card counting is baby math.

    • @alecman95
      @alecman95 Год назад +2

      Also 6 to 5 tables. Biggest scam even for non cars counters

    • @igorschmidlapp6987
      @igorschmidlapp6987 11 месяцев назад +1

      Don't bother reading the books. The author has a reputation as an exaggerator and fabricator among his fellow teammates...

  • @robrobert9541
    @robrobert9541 10 лет назад +228

    Considering the amount of planning and consideration that went into this whole thing I think they should have been a lot smarter about how they operated. There should have been a cap on the amount of money each player could be allowed to win in a given period of time, as well as on the number of visits per casino for each player within a given period of time. Once they started to be noticed they were doomed to exposure. If they had rotated the players regularly they could have kept it going for a lot longer. Still, it is pretty cool how they did this.

    • @takumi2023
      @takumi2023 10 лет назад +22

      good i wasn't the only one thinking that lol if they had 2 dozen why not send 4-6 people per week to play and have them rotate while lettig them train other new players. i also agree that management should not get 45% they should get 20% but that is after everything is set up. in the first year or two they should get 30-45% at least while the investors get 20% tops and the player get the rest split between all the players. that way once 1 person gets caught they simply get kicked from the group or have them train other players.

    • @assimonem1189
      @assimonem1189 10 лет назад +6

      mr 'm' mickey was using lots of teams,it got to the point teams were bumping into each other at casinos,like wtf? mickey was greedy.

    • @maxdecphoenix
      @maxdecphoenix 9 лет назад +4

      because then there's no money going to the players. If it takes 6 months of daily practice to turn a gifted student into a human odds-computer, and then you only use that person 2 weekends a month, with the way they had their salary structured, recruits would have essentially passed it over. Train daily for 6 months before i can even start making money, then continually train, while giving up one or 2 weekends a month, to make 10% of an amount that isn't even guaranteed.
      Team Play has two major problems, too few members means the team is made too fast, too many members, means there's not enough money to make it worth people's while.
      You can't just have the made people 'train' recruits, because this can easily be done by the memebers who aren't. There's no reason to make them 'managers' because you'd eventually end up with 1000 of them. especially these days with facial recognition.

    • @jimmyhaley727
      @jimmyhaley727 6 лет назад +15

      they left tooooo many trails,,, home address all to close to MIT,,, giving out tooooo much info to the casinos,, win and leave / go to another casino,, keep moving,, no phone calls,,, wow! and they are from MIT ???,, not too smart,, ole USN vet

    • @texasray5237
      @texasray5237 5 лет назад +9

      Trying to run it as a corporation is always going to generate problems.
      The player are going to resent getting such a small cut when they are the ones doing all the work and taking the risks. It's inevitable that after a year or so they'd want to play for their own advantage, but by that time they would already be known to the casinos. The players are actually disposable patsies, used to make money for the investors and then discarded.

  • @christinetomelden4337
    @christinetomelden4337 3 года назад +25

    This young adults are smart! Nothing wrong with that!

  • @clarkgriswold2159
    @clarkgriswold2159 3 года назад +11

    you don't need to be an MIT student to master counting cards folks.

    • @drdrew3
      @drdrew3 3 года назад

      They aren’t the first to count cards. But they treated it like a business, applied mathematics effectively, played as a team and had a huge bankroll. At the time that was completely unique. Since then it’s been successfully duplicated. However a single player cannot replicate what they did in the relatively short time they were active

    • @EfficientRVer
      @EfficientRVer 4 месяца назад +1

      While that is true, it never hurts to employ people who are brainy, very hard-working, and on average have great character and motivation to take on a challenge. It takes a lot more than high SAT Math scores to get into MIT. You have to rank very high in your high school, as far as grades, recommendations, and often also activities. You have to be extremely good at test taking also, of course, and winning at blackjack is like a continual test.
      To get into MIT, you have to show good character and likability when personally interviewed by someone associated with the school, typically an alum, unless you live somewhere really remote from the school's network of people. In that sense, it's not too different from getting nominated to one of the military academies, which require civil service tests plus generally an interview with a committee of people chosen by your sponsor (generally Senator or Representative). There are so many more qualified applicants than spaces available, that those who choose who to admit, often decide based upon character and ability to get along cordially with the existing community.
      I was nominated to Annapolis, and went to MIT, as did my (now ex) wife. For a while after graduating, she was one of the handful of admissions officers, so I got to read hundreds of student applications. High test scores were a dime a dozen. Kids with over-achieving parents pushing them to get an education leading to a high-paying, over-achieving job were a dime a dozen.
      Kids who wrote well and seemed to be self-motivated, worthy people with a passion for learning, engaged team players rather than egomaniacs, and also interesting to be around, had a huge advantage. Nobody ever went to bat advocating for someone just because a test score was 800 versus 780, or because their parents were doctors who accompanied them to the alum interview to lobby for them. The alum who interviewed me was pleasantly surprised to see me show up alone.

  • @eventdomain1
    @eventdomain1 4 года назад +14

    Went into a 'Fun Casino' and won thousands. It was £5.00 for 2500 in chips and they had real licensed dealers. One dealer asked if I was a card counter, so I said 'No' - but found myself automatically keeping track of the high cards as if I was protecting myself. So seems card counting is instinctive and not really part of something wrongful, its the Casinos at fault for projecting an environment of easy pickings when fortune favours the brave, yet can't take it when they lose.
    Its simply sour grapes....

    • @jiogcyihsugyiocjfdoivhphvw6821
      @jiogcyihsugyiocjfdoivhphvw6821 Год назад +2

      lmao would anyone ever say "yes" if asked if they were counting?

    • @alecman95
      @alecman95 Год назад +2

      Honestly bro I think you were having 95% luck to maybe 5% accidentally keeping count. Keeping the count is fairly hard irl. Not saying you didn’t subconsciously count but you also likely could’ve had the opposite count of what it actually was

  • @rickjames8367
    @rickjames8367 4 года назад +14

    I mean the amount of money they won from the casino, is literally "chump change".

  • @logamuffin3876
    @logamuffin3876 2 года назад +6

    The point of a casino is to separate a fool from his or her money. The thing is that not all people are fools.

  • @rohitburra3337
    @rohitburra3337 3 года назад +6

    Counting cards is a mathematical skill, not at all cheating or even bending the rules.

  • @JonasPowell
    @JonasPowell 11 лет назад +9

    The whole premise behind counting is that when there are more high cards in the deck, the player stands a better chance of winning. However, the player's advantage is tiny - I think it runs around 51/49 depending on how many high cards are left. That's why they need to play as many hands as possible, so they can enlarge that small margin. Therefore, even if one counts perfectly, the chances of winning significantly are still tiny, and completely non-existant for those who don't count.

  • @danf4616
    @danf4616 4 года назад +26

    Why do casinos insist on calling counting "cheating?" Counting is just legally beating them at their own game - putting the odds on your side. But somehow they are allowed to ban good players, i.e, counters. So it's "either the casino wins, or the player loses." There are no other choices except for very short term...

    • @misterysmithers8566
      @misterysmithers8566 4 года назад +2

      They do call it organized crime for a reason.
      Laws are bought and sold everyday.
      How do you think OJ Simpson avoid a murder charge? MONEY
      How do you think Clinton avoided rape charges? MONEY
      How do you think Justin Trudeau avoided criminal conspiracy/obstruction of justice/statutory rape charges/treason charges? MONEY

    • @antoniohoward981
      @antoniohoward981 2 года назад

      @@misterysmithers8566 how do u think Maddison Cawthorn And Matt Gaetz and the republican congress can have orgies and cocaine parties

  • @frank-bmtz
    @frank-bmtz 3 года назад +9

    It's funny that the casinos call you a thief and want to "catch" you when you outsmart them.

  • @MaheshPatil-lr7wv
    @MaheshPatil-lr7wv 5 месяцев назад +1

    Once my mathematics professor tried using mathematics. he lost all his money 😂.

  • @666Kingboo
    @666Kingboo 10 лет назад +48

    Hate how the griffin investigators call counters cheaters, it's not cheating nor illegal

    • @MONOPOLY35
      @MONOPOLY35 9 лет назад +3

      Anyone who publicly says on television card counters are cheaters should be charged with slander and/or libel. Card counting's legality is not a matter of opinion. The courts have ruled it is not illegal and therefore not cheating, so there!

    • @theSpicyHam
      @theSpicyHam 9 лет назад

      MONOPOLY35 Wrong! It's cheating if they are winning! I should be able to rob under the guise of gambling. Come on, I am the lord of underworld here.
      Muah hahaha, muahahaha, not.
      And I also paid for this documentary, thanks bye.

    • @christophergargaro959
      @christophergargaro959 5 лет назад

      They don't specifically call them "cheaters" but the strongly allude to it. When the Griffin people are talking about their jobs, they always start by saying casinos hire them to catch and bar cheaters then casually add card counting on the end. They can't come out and specifically say card counters are cheaters because that's not correct but by saying "we catch cheaters for casinos...oh and watch card counters too" it gives the impression the two are lumped in together.

  • @jasonkobain2476
    @jasonkobain2476 4 года назад +14

    As soon as I hear that dramatic Kitchen Nightmares music in the beginning that just screams American television, its an automatic reflex for me to switch to something else.

    • @StefanReich
      @StefanReich 2 года назад

      Ahaha. Television is always depressing no matter what you watch

  • @corneliawissing7950
    @corneliawissing7950 4 года назад +19

    We once lived near a casino. My father and stepmother came to visit and wanted to go to the casino. I don't quite know what the two older members of our trip did, but I stopped at a blackjack table (not knowing what it was, but fascinated by the movement of the cards from the shoe). I stood with my hand over my mouth and suddenly realised that a man of my own age, in a dark suit, was watching me intently. My husband turned up, we found the two elderlies and went home. Now I know why, all those many years ago, I was being so carefully watched!!!!! Somebody thought I was sending 'signals'???????

    • @corneliawissing7950
      @corneliawissing7950 3 года назад +2

      @Blue 30's ,Did not feel like 'cool' then ... I was just grateful to get out of the staring man's presence!

  • @zachdelong1039
    @zachdelong1039 3 года назад +3

    Mr M is JP Masser he is featured in the 2003 World Series Of Poker on day one as the poker coach of the 2002 World Series Of Poker champion

  • @andywatson3
    @andywatson3 4 года назад +15

    So they make a million at the high point. The players are on a shared 10%- $100k. 6 players (and I think it said there were more), means less than $20k each. Hardly life changing sums. In fact they would probably be better off just getting a job.

    • @pauljamessquibbs.3945
      @pauljamessquibbs.3945 4 года назад

      I think it was the challenge, to see if they could do it - but also transferable skills for the future - You know that there are casinos in Cambodia now - you could move around the world using this system, betting the lowest possible amount when the cards are low, but then betting a reasonable amount when the cards are high and make a healthy living without ever going to a big casino... It's possible, if you like to travel a lot.

  • @beakt
    @beakt 4 года назад +10

    1:05:11 This happened to me at Treasure Island in 1994, when I was counting cards at Blackjack (not part of a team). "Sir, I'm here to inform you that you are no longer welcome to play any table games at this casino, or any Circus Circus owned casinos. Please pick up your chips, and we will walk you to the cashier." I tried protesting just like this guy did, but it didn't work. I didn't go into any back office, though!

    • @intuitivediane
      @intuitivediane 3 года назад

      Sometimes very rare I hear numbers in my head, call it intuitive. Only happened about three
      Times. Once I got five numbers in a row (never happened again) playing roulette. I only gamble small so I’m not threat. Anyway this guy came up to me out of no where and asked if I was psychic ... he was making all of these questions and I was thinking this guy is part of the security team. This week there was a video uploaded with a guy playing poker and he is on tv actually tell everyone what card is going to come out and it does Try and look for it
      And it is interesting ...

    • @intuitivediane
      @intuitivediane 3 года назад

      Here is the video ruclips.net/video/aH1fq5Eb834/видео.html

    • @Styles_Breez
      @Styles_Breez 2 года назад

      @@intuitivediane sdfu nutjob

    • @speakinfaxonly21
      @speakinfaxonly21 Год назад

      Cool story😭

  • @charisselinnellmorton851
    @charisselinnellmorton851 3 года назад

    This is awesome 👏🏼

  • @classicmantv7286
    @classicmantv7286 2 года назад +2

    I remember this movie. I think it's called 21. It was good as hell.

  • @myotiswii
    @myotiswii 5 лет назад +9

    They even got in the Griffin book... Wow... I love the mit

  • @PredatoriaMoon
    @PredatoriaMoon 4 года назад +15

    Andy Anderson is the type of man that would send his own son to prison for smoking a joint

  • @randyrobertson4686
    @randyrobertson4686 Год назад +6

    Geez…I should start watching the entire show before I start commenting but I’m sure I am not the only person guilty of this. I was just thinking, when they are in Vegas finally and got compensated a room and dinner it made me think about the days when money wasn’t what every single person needed, for the most part, to be enriched in glory and happiness and the ability to survive without the stress of purchasing food and paying rent and bills. I was thinking about before a monetary system and if anything could make a person feel such joy and relief from the stressors that come with all I previously mentioned. I can think maybe accidentally running across a freshly killed deer or moose. Or an enormous field of blueberries that you didn’t know existed before. Money is weird, but I don’t think anyone ever thinks of it anymore. I can tell you one thing, the laws of the strongest survive much like the animal kingdom would probably slash the Earth’s population close to half of its current size. Most people would look around and say…. Well I am not sure if there is a deli or supermarket near by but if not…..kids….we’re all going to perish. I’m no master of the art of living off the land but I am sure as hell positive I could at least catch fish and farm and build a shelter. But…lol, it wouldn’t be the most luxurious place.

  • @marinarudolph1865
    @marinarudolph1865 3 года назад

    Danke für das Hochladen : -)
    Riesig würde ich mich über weiter Folgen Horror Trips wenn reisen zum Albtraum werden freuen, weil sie so schwer zu finden sind, vor allem würde ich mich über folgende Folgen freuen: Bad Bromance; Double Crossed In The Desert; Bad Business. Gerne auch die deutsche Version.
    Vielen herzlichen Dank für alles.

  • @bobnub8194
    @bobnub8194 8 лет назад +15

    "We need you to play somewhere else...come in my office...steal his chips."
    Translation: Play in my office where there's no board, and also without chips.

  • @scottyfox6376
    @scottyfox6376 4 года назад +107

    Card counting isn't cheating, the casinos just don't like it so it's called "cheating".

    • @xuploads
      @xuploads 4 года назад +4

      it isn't cheating, so you can't be arrested for it. what they usually do is just ban you from playing blackjack

    • @baileyhughes1047
      @baileyhughes1047 4 года назад +2

      YEAH! Cheating a casino out of its money, playing the odds of the decks used.

    • @xuploads
      @xuploads 3 года назад +2

      @Terry Melvin yeah, and many of them have switched over to automated sorting machines which makes counting impossible.

  • @pecopete3
    @pecopete3 Год назад

    great upload, thanks.

  • @karlabc9251
    @karlabc9251 3 года назад +4

    I don’t understand why a bunch of people not doing something illegal but they just know how to play the game right is wrong? Watching this makes it more eye opening that casinos are there to make money and if you start winning they will do anything to get you out no matter what.

  • @AbdiPianoChannel
    @AbdiPianoChannel 4 года назад +14

    This is crazy. If casinos can't handle people who can use their brains, they may as well commit robbery.

    • @drdrew3
      @drdrew3 3 года назад

      Most people in casinos know there will likely lose some money. They are there for the entertainment, free drinks and free hotel rooms. Catch a show and have a nice dinner. Sight see and gamble a bit. I rather enjoy it. I’be never felt robbed - in fact they treat me nicely and I always get my money’s worth - especially at the seafood buffet

    • @colemoniz
      @colemoniz 2 года назад

      @@drdrew3 yeah I view it the same way. The problem is when you play/operate like the team did, it’s no longer entertainment, it’s a job. And most cheaters would be way better off if they spent that time at work instead of in jail, especially these MIT kids who would likely be making 100k plus a year starting out.

    • @jiogcyihsugyiocjfdoivhphvw6821
      @jiogcyihsugyiocjfdoivhphvw6821 Год назад

      they do

    • @spooderman9122
      @spooderman9122 Год назад

      Robbery is their business model

  • @Infinity2GlobalVIP
    @Infinity2GlobalVIP 10 лет назад +5

    Awesome ;-) I like the story!

  • @mikefabbi5127
    @mikefabbi5127 2 года назад +2

    This is inspirational.

  • @kurtjohnson4816
    @kurtjohnson4816 3 года назад +2

    So over a period of several years; you organize and train several teams of brilliant MIT students, focus them on a specific task, and the profit is a few million bucks. Imagine what might have been accomplished (and earned) if you had brought them a truly useful objective.

    • @JudeScott007
      @JudeScott007 2 года назад +1

      It goes on all the time with the students there! Duh! Read about the stories...its an inevitability at a place like MIT

    • @jiogcyihsugyiocjfdoivhphvw6821
      @jiogcyihsugyiocjfdoivhphvw6821 Год назад

      but it was useful......................................................................
      drunkard