Busting Vegas audiobook

Busting Vegas is one of the best true story's I have ever read it almost doesn't seem real. The best part is how they found an actual system to beat blackjack, and the amount of money they took from the casinos almost seemed like theft. After I read the book I wanted to go to Vegas, but... I'm way too young to gamble so that was a bit of a downside. This book taught me about the casinos run and the consequences if you get caught trying to take the casinos money.READ IT!!!!!!!!!!!

It was a good book. I just wished it went into a little more depth of the players and what happened later. Like Jack galen what's his story what happened at the end?

Many of Ben Mezrich's books have been made into movies. After reading Busting Vegas, it's easy to see why. Mezrich writes non-fiction in a fictional, personal style that puts you inside the minds of the characters. Busting Vegas tells the story of Seymion Dukach and a band of MIT number crunchers who form a winning team at doing more than just card counting, but create a revolutionary formula for beating the blackjack tables and at times, avoiding unwanted and hostile attention from Vegas security and mobsters. At times, one forgets that the book is a non-fiction, rather than a gripping novel, based on the characters and the wild adventures that seem more fiction than fact. Gone are the dry facts, figures and quotes that slow up most non-fictions. Whether you read Busting Vegas or watch the film 21 based on Mezrich's book, this book is a fun read for casino fans and gambling abstainers alike.

I've always enjoyed my trips to Vegas, but have never won big or lost big. I play just enough to have fun, but I always wondered what it would be like to win big, but I'm not sure I'd have it takes to do what this team did.One thing I never understood about blackjack is why its illegal for people to count cards, which is not the method used by this team. To me, if someone can count cards then more power to them. They still can't predict how other players are going to play, unless they're in on it to.In "Busting Vegas" , a group of MIT students come up with three different techniques that give them advantage, an advantage that is not appreciated by the casinos. I enjoyed the the storytelling of how the team was put together, how the techniques were were created, and how they were used to help them win. Although the team does well in some cases, they definitely run into dangerous and problematic situations. How are they able to get out of them? Well, you will just have to give this one a whirl.

Very entertaining book. Not at all your typical "card counting"tale. An interesting exposé on the casino industry and what some MIT whiz kids were able to do to beat the "house advantage". Likable characters and a well paced story.

Fast-paced casino action through the eyes of MIT students with an edge.

Thoroughly enjoyed this tale. Pretty well written and entertaining.

Lots of gambling action. Fun read and book moves quickly.

This is a great follow up for fans who enjoyed Bringing down the house. Again, being a Ben Mezrich book, expect the incredible true story with bits of amplified half-truths to make a good read.

Amazing black jack book. Definitely a must read.

I found this extremely readable. A mixture of maths, thrill and excitement with some interesting characters and relationships. I'm off to Vegas in a few weeks and this has really got me in the mood!

This book was very interesting

Fascinating. It's fun to learn about lives you'll never personally live. Well written.

Fantastic book , I was glued to it and it was so hard to put it down every night.

Busting Vegas is the interesting true life story of a group of MIT students who developed a Black Jack system that allowed them to 'Bust Vegas'. Not only is it an interesting tale, but it is told in such a way that it actually reads like fiction, which has both pros and cons. One of the main problems with non-fiction book is that it can at times get a little tedious and hard to read. A fiction narrative is usually much more engaging and easier to follow. Writing a non-fiction book to read like fiction helps with this. When you read this novel it is hard not to get invested in the characters, their relationships and the issues that they face. This helps to keep the pages turning, holds my interest, and makes the whole experience more pleasurable. However, the problem with reading a book that reads like fiction is that it's hard not to think that it might actually be fiction. A lot of this book uses famous tropes found in fiction novels that depict this subject matter. It also comes complete with a will they won't they romance that has its ups and downs, characters whose relationships follow familiar patterns, and a general story-beat that is fairly easy to predict if you've watched or read anything regarding this subject matter before. There are a few areas in this book, especially with the relationships on the team and some personal interactions, that I can't imagine being true in the way that they were told. I suspect that the author took some creative license with this which is all well and good, but makes you wonder where the author drew the line between fact and fiction. However, that being said, this is just a suspicion I have and not an accusation. For now, I am content to just call it a mostly true story and leave it at that. Speaking a bit to one of my issues with the story itself, it would be in the way the author glamourized the accomplishments of this group. The group are portrayed often as being one of the most successful groups to get one over on the casinos. However, the story is told over a very short time period in which they run into a great number of fairly serious road bumps, to put it mildly. This leads me to believe that this group can't be amongst the most successful groups doing what they do. I am sure that there must be people out there who are a bit more clever about how they go about it, people who have managed to win just enough without getting greedy and drawing the attention of the casinos; people who have been at this for years rather than just a matter of weeks or months. However, this minor niggle isn't much of a downside. Overall, this is a fascinating story as well as a cautionary tale. It has been well written, it was engaging, and most of all, it was enjoyable. It's an easy 4-stars for this book and I can happily recommend it.

Busting Vegas is the most recent authentic Vegas suspense story that reads like fiction but is actually the true story of a card dynamo: Semyon Dukach and a small team of brilliant math geniuses. Dukach is an MIT student that stumbles upon a random posting on his school bulletin board. Dukach is sparked with an interest seeing as he is a math major and also had interest as far back as his preteen days reading a book about card counting ( written by a veteran of the business that was mentioned at the meeting). He almost leaves until a hot blonde known as Allie catches his eye. The team quickly builds as Victor, the mastermind of the team, sees greater promise in Dukach than any other player and tells him as much. The motley crew builds complete with a Harvard math guy, and a sprinkle of hot smart girls to throw the pit bosses off their path to world blackjack domination. The story builds traction as the team gets more and more successful. Soon, Victor is finding creative ways to store the all cash business including a safe in one of the MIT buildings. The craziness ensues and the envelope is pushed as the team that began their quest for success in Vegas 'ups the ante' and takes more embolden journeys to UK and finally into Monte Carlo. The places may be worlds away but the watchful eye of private security is not and the team starts to experience the heat of those watchful eyes. The problem is the amount of wins is so significant and yet, the way the team members win is not following the formulaic card counting techniques. This angers the international security and myths the Vegas guys.Greed takes over (as predicted) and makes the 'gets' increasingly risky. The team is separated and put into challenging positions which continually exacerbate the chance for safety. Victor keeps turning a blind eye and pushing his team to keep defying the odds of walking away with their wins unscathed. He eventually convinces the key players to take their skill to the ultimate showdown in Monte Carlo. The problem is, the fake images are no longer able to cover their huge wins and reputations. I have spent many a weekend swinging into Vegas with friends to get swindled by the system and I am a pretty good player. I felt the excitement of the team plays and felt Mezrich brought me right into the mix with all the excitement of a suspenseful gambling trip. I admire his style of writing which sings around the premise of Vegas, greed, suspense, and larger than life characters that make up Busting Vegas. He was made to write this and similar themed books. I strongly recommend! (4.5 stars)

** spoiler alert ** This is another story of MIT whiz kids with a prefect formula for beating the house at blackjack. Unlike the kids in the story made into the movie "21" who counted cards and bet heavy when the deck was hot, these kids had a scheme to spot the card on the bottom when asked to cut the deck and then cut the deck to place that card to an exact spot. For instance, if the dealer picked up the shoe and you could see an ace, with practice you could cut the deck and place that ace exactly 60 cards into the deck and, if you're playing the whole table, could count how many cards are dealt and make sure you get that ace by way of hitting and standing appropriately. Aces give the player a 51% advantage over the house, so the players would simply place minimum bets during normal hands when they are at a 2% disadvantage to the house and then ramp up the bets when they were trying to catch the ace that they placed in the deck for maximum profitability. They had other techniques, too. If they spotted a ten, they would try to get the ten to the dealer and bet heavily since tens are likely to bust the dealer and make him/her "pay the table" which, if you're playing with partners at the same table, can be quite lucrative. Mezrich's books have become a bit formulaic. Find some whiz kid who isn't entirely sure about himself but bored with where his life is heading, have him discover some crazy get rich quick scheme with extreme consequences, over time have him grow in confidence and hook up with some hot girl he'd never have a chance with before the scheme, have him make boat loads of money but then push it too far, then have him cooperate for a tell-all best seller. Nonetheless, it was still a riviting story.

As with most non-fiction books I read, I listened to this one on audio. I use this book in my English class, as a Lit Circle novel, and I was very pleased to have the opportunity to finally listen to it. I can genuinely recommend this book to young adult readers, as it is gritty, easy to follow, and fast-paced.Busting Vegas is a great read that follows the experiences of a team of black jack players that develop a system to win big at the casinos around the world. Though I don't believe they actually bust Vegas, their story is as compelling as it is cautionary. An excellent example of misusing one's education, the Team doesn't actually cheat, but there is a certain element of moral culpability that is inherent in what they do. They use a system that, coupled with the traditions that Vegas upholds to keep the game of black jack uniform and precise, gives the team an unfair advantage, even for Vegas standards.A traditional story about moral decisions, life threatening situations, and love affairs, the story of the MIT team that brings Vegas to its knees is a great read, and is a modern tale for the 21st Century.On a technical note, I traditionally enjoy it when author's read their own works. In this case, I think Ben Mezrich does an adequate job, though I think this book would lend itself to a more traditional dramatic audio format. The author interview portion at the end of the disc collection was also a nice addition.