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Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions Paperback – September 15, 2003
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Robin Hood meets the Rat Pack when the best and the brightest of M.I.T.’s math students and engineers take up blackjack under the guidance of an eccentric mastermind. Their small blackjack club develops from an experiment in counting cards on M.I.T.’s campus into a ring of card savants with a system for playing large and winning big. In less than two years they take some of the world’s most sophisticated casinos for more than three million dollars. But their success also brings with it the formidable ire of casino owners and launches them into the seedy underworld of corporate Vegas with its private investigators and other violent heavies.
- Reading age12 years and up
- Print length257 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- Lexile measure1100L
- Dimensions5.5 x 0.7 x 8.44 inches
- Publication dateSeptember 15, 2003
- ISBN-100743249992
- ISBN-13978-0743249997
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Editorial Reviews
Review
Rocky Mountain News (Denver) A lively tale that could pass for thriller fiction....Mezrich's skilled yet easy writing draws sweat to the reader's brow.
About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : Atria Books; Reprint edition (September 15, 2003)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 257 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0743249992
- ISBN-13 : 978-0743249997
- Reading age : 12 years and up
- Lexile measure : 1100L
- Item Weight : 2.31 pounds
- Dimensions : 5.5 x 0.7 x 8.44 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #28,831 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #6 in Blackjack (Books)
- #99 in Crime & Criminal Biographies
- #1,039 in Memoirs (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

With a writing career spanning 19 years, Mezrich has authored twenty books, with a combined printing of over 6 million copies, including the wildly successful Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions, which spent sixty-three weeks on the New York Times Bestseller List, and sold over 2 million copies in fifteen languages and was adapted into the #1 Box Office movie 21. His book, The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook, a Tale of Sex, Money, Genius and Betrayal – debuted on the New York Times Bestseller List and spent 18 weeks there in hardcover and paperback, as well as hit bestseller lists in over a dozen countries. The book was adapted into the movie The Social Network and was #1 at the box office, won Golden Globes for best picture, best director, best adapted screenplay, best score, and was nominated for 8 Oscars, winning 3 including Best Adapted Screenplay. Mezrich and Aaron Sorkin shared a prestigious Scripter Award for Best Adapted Screenplay as well. Mezrich is the only non-fiction author to have two number one box office movie adaptations which has earned him the title of Sexiest Author on People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive List.
Ben Mezrich cracked the Hollywood Reporter’s annual hot list: Hollywood’s 25 Most Powerful Authors. This power list of authors touted to be “the industry’s most sought-after word nerds” is based on stats like Mezrich’s multiple movie deals in production such as Woolly, Seven Wonders, Once Upon a Time in Russia, and The 37th Parallel.
Ben’s newest book Bitcoin Billionaires chronicles the second act of wonder twins Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss as they claw their way through Silicon Valley and come out on top as the first bitcoin billionaires after an unlikely-to-win battle with the omnipotent Empire–Facebook.
Ben co-writes a middle grade fiction series Charlie Numbers with his wife Tonya, their newest book: Charlie Numbers and the Woolly Mammoth will hit shelves November 5th, and is slated to be produced for the big screen by Ellen Pompeo.
Mezrich recently joined the Writers Room for the hit Showtime TV show Billions as Consulting Producer for season 5.
Customer reviews
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Customers find the storyline thrilling and well-written. They also describe the book as fast-paced with incredible insight into the gambling world. Readers also appreciate the clever way of card-counting and unbelievable precision and intelligence. Opinions differ on the narrative style, with some finding it easy to understand and others saying it's choppy and doesn't seem real.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the storyline thrilling, decent, and easy to read. They also mention that the book is presented effectively and the story flows easily.
"...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...." Read more
"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...." Read more
"...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..." Read more
"...Very exciting." Read more
Customers find the writing quality of the book well written, easy to read, and vivid. They also say the author is a great storyteller and the book is incredibly vivid.
"...Therefore, even though It's a real story, It’s written like a realistic fiction novel...." Read more
"...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..." Read more
"...I wish I had seen this. The scene after the Mike Tyson fight was great writing...." Read more
"...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..." Read more
Customers find the pace of the book fast and intriguing. They also say the plot moves along quickly and provides effortless reading.
"...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..." Read more
"...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..." Read more
"...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...." Read more
"This was a fast paced read, with lots of excitement, and it is easy to see why they are making a movie based on this..." Read more
Customers find the book's behind the scenes insight into the gambling world incredible. They also appreciate the clever way of card-counting and the unbelievable precision and intelligence that let these teams professionally win.
"...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,..." Read more
"I was pleasantly surprised by this book. The technical information was interesting and conveyed clearly, which made the book enjoyable, allowing me..." Read more
"...This book makes you want to learn to count cards and do what the protagonist did in the book. He made it seem so easy. Its a must read book." Read more
"...Unbelievable precision and intelligence let these (and other) teams professionally win at the casinos...." Read more
Customers find the techniques used in the book easy to understand and entertaining. They also say the storyline is effortless and hard to put down. However, some readers feel the narrative is choppy at times and doesn't seem real.
"This book is a fairly easy read and interesting. But looking into the book a little more, it appears not to be entirely factual...." Read more
"...Moreover, there are lots of details in the book doesn't seem real. Some of the events doesn't make any sense...." Read more
"...He made it seem so easy. Its a must read book." Read more
"...The warning I would have for a reader is that the narrative is a bit choppy at times...." Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the characters in the book. Some find them well developed and capture the emotions of their adventures, while others say they lack a human element and are egotistical.
"...The characters are likeable until the greed snowballs into a giant can of worms...." Read more
"...The writer goes off on tangents, and, to me it was a bit too self-referential...." Read more
"...This book captures emotions of their adventures and describes in some detail the scheme through which they made millions. What a life they led!" Read more
"...The characters are well developed without spending so much on the backstory as to slow the pace or lose the reader. Very well done." Read more
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Top reviews
Top reviews from the United States
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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'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.
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.
Top reviews from other countries
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。
エンターテイメントとして読むにはなかなかいい本ですよ。



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