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

by Ben Mezrich

Book Overview

The #1 national bestseller, now a major motion picture, 21--the amazing inside story about a gambling ring of M.I.T. students who beat the system in Vegas--and lived to tell how.

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...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0743249992
• ISBN13: 9780743249997
• Release Date: September 2003
• Publisher: Atria Books
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.59 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.5" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

An incredible story

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. When I should have been sleeping I instead continued reading saying to myself "this is the last chapter then i'm going to bed". 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.

Beating the odds and living a constant adrenaline high!

This is a fast and explosive read. It's a true story that's so high-powered that the tension never ceases and I was thrust into a roller coaster ride that kept my eyes glued to the pages.The story is told through the eyes of the author, who met one of the students at a party and was so intrigued by his outrageous tale that he was compelled to put it into a book. This is a story of a group of math whizzes, most of Asian descent, who used the art of card counting, worked as teams, and legally won as much as 4 million dollars during the few years they spent their weekends in the Vegas casinos, living the high life.They strapped thousands of dollars to their bodies with Velcro to get the cash onto planes, used false names, and were always on the lookout for Las Vegas personnel who would sometimes personally escort them out of the casinos. They also learned about the seediness of the gambling world, greed, the way the Vegas corporations work. Of course they all went through changes. And eventually, it had to come to an end. Some of it is kind of scary too. But mostly, it's about beating the odds and living with a constant adrenaline high.Well, reading this book is an adrenaline high of it's own. It put me right into the action and kept me there for the whole 257 pages. I loved it. And highly recommend it.

David versus Goliath mixed with cards and mathematics

This has got to be one of the most intriguing non-fiction books of all time. It's basically how a group of MIT students combine together and take millions from major Casinos. Using team play, sound probability, expert training, and skill, they do the impossible and create havoc for the Casinos, and later themselves.This book describes it all, and yes, it's better than any made up story a fiction writer could produce. Mezrich describes how Kevin Lewis became involved in what later became a lifestyle of glamor, big money, and even woman. Kevin goes from a geeky swimmer at MIT to a big player winning big money.Mezrich knows how to weave the story. First he discusses the introduction, then the frightening orientation. He delves into the mathematics, the strategy, and how the teammates fit into what character roles. He shows how intricate the team aspect of blackjack works, and how they capitilized on it. Both seedy and genious, it sheds a whole new life on blackjack and casino gambling.After that, he then starts showing how Casinos work, especially how they treat you when you're a big player versus when you're a card counter. Without giving too much away, this story not only deals with the winning, but also with the repercussions. Mezrich brings into the lifestyle, not only with the glamor, but also the suspense and terror that accompanies it.This books is one of those few books that you cannot put down. It's a great story and most importunely, a great eye-opener. To top it off, it's all true.No one who reads this will be able to gamble the same way again. No exaggeration. Just pick up this book. I bet you can't put it down (terrible pun intended).

Cardiac meds needed for Mezrich's thrilling ride

As a physician I have my fill of non-fiction with an abundance of journals so when I read for relaxation I want a story that keeps me excited, interested and sleepless until it is finished. Bringing Down the House is such a book and reads like a Clancy or Pollock with a little lower body count, but with no less excitement. Ben Mezrich is superb writer and story teller with the amazing ability to weave the excitement of a Las Vegas casino, the mathmetics of card counting with enjoyable interpersonal dynamics so that this is a consuming story with people you care about. His description of the high roller lifestyle in Vegas takes you to the tables playing sums you watch others wager with the adrenaline rush like you were part of the team. I bought the book in Boston having just missed him at a book signing and had a hardtime finishing the conference. I found myself in the room reading a book I could not put down instead of going out in one of the towns in which the story was set. It was that engrossing. My Christmas list now contains all of his previous writings as this is an author who knows how to tell a story.