Blackjack Card Counting King – Dr. Edward Thorp
Blackjack King
As all the worlds best card counters gathered at blackjack ball, one article has chosen to single out the history of the card counting genius, Dr. Edward Thorp.
A new article has been published in casino gambling news this week, praising the history of card counting legend Dr. Edward Thorp. Dr. Throp became known throughout the early sixties, as one of the pioneers of card counting, a tactic used often by the kings of blackjack to wrangle money out of casinos.
The blackjack card counting system is based on the theory that the lower cards a player sees across the table, the smaller the bet should be. Once the lower cards have been dispatched and only higher cards remain, the larger the players bets become. Although not technically illegal in the United States, if one is caught card counting, they will be asked to leave the casino (except in Atlantic City, where they will be asked to leave for any reason except card counting).
The article, published for The Daily Beast by R. M. Schneiderman, goes into detail about Edward Thorp’s history as a mathematician, how he came to realise that blackjack could be beaten, and how he proved his theory, to the nervous casino bosses across the United States.
His theory allegedly began in 1958, when he came across a theory proposed by four military men, who had figured out the odds of every combination using, the standard, adding machines that were available. Dr. Edward Thorp then asked to see one of the soldiers calculations, and from this devised the original card counting strategy to beat the blackjack rules.
By 1961, with his work disbelieved by many casinos, Dr. Thorp was offered the chance to prove his theory. Bookie Emmanuel Kimmel offered him $10,000 to try it out, with a 90% cut of the winnings going to Kimmel himself. Suffice to say, Dr. Thorp was on to something, and the test was a success.
Following the release of his book on the subject in 1962, card counting has since flourished among the top blackjack players, and every year, they get together at The Blackjack Ball, an event that has occurred for the last sixteen years, and this year was held at the Barona Resort and Casino. None of the members on the guest list, were allowed to play in the casino however!
Dr. Thorp was one of those in attendance at the recent event, in which guests discussed new strategies and talked of theories with other card counting masters about blackjack.
Dr. Thorp has always maintained that he never counted cards solely for the money, once saying that “for me, it was never about the money, but rather about the science and the ideas. Though the money…was a welcome supplement to a professor’s salary.”
The annual meeting of the seventy best card counters in the world, saw them step toe to toe with a man named as the “Godfather” of card counting. It is safe to say, with plenty of casinos in nearby Las Vegas at hand, that is wasn’t only the card counters who were nervous.
