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

by Ben Mezrich (Author) "It was ten minutes past three in the morning, and Kevin Lewis looked like he was about to pass out ..." (more)

4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (232 customer reviews)

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Product Details

Paperback: 257 pages
Publisher: Free Press; Reprint edition (Sep 9 2003)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0743249992
ISBN-13: 978-0743249997
Product Dimensions: 21.1 x 14 x 2 cm
Shipping Weight: 250 g

Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (232 customer reviews)

Amazon.ca Sales Rank: #41,417 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)
Popular in these categories:
#42 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Specific Groups > Criminals
#78 in Books > Entertainment > Puzzles & Games > Gambling

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Product Description

From Publishers Weekly

"Shy, geeky, amiable" MIT grad Kevin Lewis, was, Mezrich learns at a party, living a double life winning huge sums of cash in Las Vegas casinos. In 1993 when Lewis was 20 years old and feeling aimless, he was invited to join the MIT Blackjack Team, organized by a former math instructor, who said, "Blackjack is beatable." Expanding on the "hi-lo" card-counting techniques popularized by Edward Thorp in his 1962 book, Beat the Dealer, the MIT group's more advanced team strategies were legal, yet frowned upon by casinos. Backed by anonymous investors, team members checked into Vegas hotels under assumed names and, pretending not to know each other, communicated in the casinos with gestures and card-count code words. Taking advantage of the statistical nature of blackjack, the team raked in millions before casinos caught on and pursued them. In his first nonfiction foray, novelist Mezrich (Reaper, etc.), telling the tale primarily from Kevin's point of view, manages to milk that threat for a degree of suspense. But the tension is undercut by the first-draft feel of his pedestrian prose, alternating between irrelevant details and heightened melodrama. In a closing essay, Lewis details the intricacies of card counting.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

For the first third of his nonfiction debut, novelist Mezrich craps out. Ground lights viewed from an airplane aren't just pinpricks, or even little pinpricks, but "tiny little pinpricks." Las Vegas tourism facts are crammed onto the pages like seven decks in a six-deck shoe. But Mezrich finally hits the jackpot on page 79, when M.I.T. student Kevin Lewis steps onto the floor of the Mirage. The book stays on a roll as it describes how the young gambler and his card-counting cohorts employ simple math and complex disguises to win nearly $4 million at the blackjack tables. Bouncing from huge scores to frightening banishments, the M.I.T. team fights a winning battle against the law of averages--until they're forced to flee south like Butch and Sundance from the gaming industry's Joe LeFors. Although Mezrich's prose never rises above serviceable (and he pointlessly injects himself into the narrative at every turn), the story he tells will grip anyone who has ever hoped to break the bank at Monte Carlo. Frank Sennett
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Inside This Book (Learn More)

First Sentence
It was ten minutes past three in the morning, and Kevin Lewis looked like he was about to pass out. Read the first page

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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover

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Customer Reviews

232 Reviews

5 star:		(123)
4 star:		(54)
3 star:		(30)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(13)

Average Customer Review

4.1 out of 5 stars (232 customer reviews)

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Most helpful customer reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Take a gamble on this book, April 6 2005

By	NorthVan Dave (North Vancouver, British Columbia Canada) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

I'm of two minds about this book. On the one hand, I am duly impressed that these students managed to take the 'big houses' of Vegas for as much money as they did. On the other hand, I found it very hard to get over the author worshipping at the alter of MIT. And by this I mean that the author took every opportunity to let you know that these weren't just any students who took Vegas for millions, they were MIT students.

My beef with the author's love of MIT aside, the premise of this book is fascinating. To learn or hear of people, in this day and age, being able to make bucket loads in the Vegas casinos, is fascinating. What's more, the author presents the story in such a fashion that it is almost part story, part 20/20 documentary. He (the author) does a nice job of explaining to you exactly how the students managed to make all of their money from the casinos, while at the same time sprinkling enough information in each chapter to keep the reader interested to find out if the protagonists will make it rich, or get caught in the process.

Everyone gambles. But it is only a few lucky people who have learned to gamble well and make money. And if you're interested in getting a glimpse into the lives of those who do gamble for the big bucks, then this book is for you.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Easy to Read, Jul 16 2004

By	Omar Veldin (Philadelphia) - See all my reviews

This is a fun and interesting book. Nothing too heavy. Just a light, easy to read book - which is sometimes the very best thing. In the same easy to read level of entertainment as "Moneyball" (Michael Lewis), "Stranger Than Fiction" (Chuck Palahniuk), or "My Fractured Life" (Rikki Lee Travolta).

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5.0 out of 5 stars CAN'T WAIT TO SEE THE MOVIE!, Jul 15 2004

By	Bradford E. Randolph (Sacramento, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Ben Mezrich knows how to tell a story. He takes us along with Massachusetts Institute of Technology's (MIT) Black Jack team on casino assaults from Las Vegas to the Bahamas. We experience the life of high stakes gamblers... the fabulous hotel complementary rooms and the casinos' violent response to big talented winners. He briefly discusses the theory of card counting among team players early on, but saves the details for the last chapter. Ben also admits that the casinos have adapted by implementing continuous card shuffling machines. As a computer programmer with designs on lotteries, I felt a connection to fellow Boston area college students with a plan and the determination to follow through. I hope they make a movie out of this.

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Most recent customer reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars decently fun....
If you like gambling, like myself, I think this book is worthwhile. It's not exactly a dissertation on winning at blackjack by any means, or a how-to book on winning lots of cash... Read more

Published on Jul 14 2004 by L. Ngai

3.0 out of 5 stars The One Book that Vegas DOES Want You to Read
Bringing Down the House, if you don't already know, is a non-fiction (or so they say) card-counting story about some MIT kids who make millions with a team-based blackjack scheme... Read more

Published on Jul 14 2004 by Macro Micro

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely amazing
Bringing Down The House was a very fascinating look at high stakes gambling and mathematics. Leave it to MIT students to figure out a way to win millions from the Vegas casinos... Read more

Published on Jul 8 2004 by Judith E. Pavluvcik

5.0 out of 5 stars Anyone who loves gambling will love this book
It's not wonder this book was a best seller. It is an extremely easy read and a hard book to put down. Its absolutely amazing what these students were able to accomplish. Read more

Published on Jul 7 2004 by Mark A. Haas