Gaming the Game

The major theme of the book is a consideration of the processes used by the blackjack teams to beat the odds while gambling at major casinos. Most editions of the book feature an end-matter section entitled How to Count Cards and Beat Vegas, putatively written by Kevin Lewis. The book does offer many technical methods, but the dominant theme of gaming the game is captured not in a specific methodology but rather an attitude: Las Vegas blackjack gambling can be mastered through a combination of skill, acting, attitude, disguise, teamwork, and luck. Card counting itself is not successful enough to be enticing because it is easily detected; Rosa adapts by fielding teams that count cards and signal each other. Once the team members are identified, Fisher and Martinez adapt by wearing disguises and prosthetics. Once these prove ineffectual the team adapts by visiting additional casinos where...