Legendary Blackjack players

Blackjack is a famous card game that is very popular in the casino world. It has featured in popular culture, including books, TV programmes and most of all, films. There have been many films, such as Robert Luketic’s 21, that have sparked further interest in Blackjack. There are many variants of Blackjack, perhaps you have played one of them – does Pontoon or 21 sounds familiar? Blackjack is a quick game that relies on luck, more than anything else. If you’re unsure on how to play blackjack online, why not check out some online casinos?

Of course, for every great game, there are legendary people associated with it. Let’s take a look at some of the people who helped shape the game of Blackjack, into what we know it as today.

Edward O. Thorp

How could we not mention this incredible man? Edward O. Thorp is one of the many mathematicians who spent their years attempting to devise a way to win Blackjack every time. His love for the game naturally created his desire to win. As a mathematician, he decided it could be done and he would prove it. Thorp was one of many players who devised a theory to help players win at Blackjack – unlike most who had tried before, his theory worked.

Thorp went on to write a book called Beat the Dealer, which is still used by many card counting novices today. Card counting methods have been developed since Thorp’s initial theories but are still frowned upon by casinos. The man is a legend of the casino world, either way. He was recognised for his efforts in 2002, as he was one of the inaugural members in the Blackjack Hall of Fame.

Don Johnson

Don Johnson may not have contributed to the game of Blackjack as we know it today, but he certainly inspired people to head to their local casino and play it. From late 2011 to early 2012, Johnson managed to win a staggering $15 million from three casinos in Atlantic City. After reading about Thorp, you might be thinking that Johnson used a card counting method to secure his millions – although footage from the casinos proved that he didn’t.

Although, there wasn’t as much luck involved as you may think. Johnson was a mathematician, and after factoring in the house edge, rebate percentage, minimum play requirement and maximum bet, he was able to devise a strategy that would allow him to win millions. Unfortunately, this strategy cannot be applied to all casinos for it to be successful, it would need adjusting. Johnson goes down as a legend of Blackjack for his incredible financial success.

Lawrence Revere 

Lawrence Revere was a legend who began his casino days on the other side of the table, as an employee. After gaining a degree in Mathematics from the University of Nebraska, he put his knowledge to use and started to observe players in casinos. After developing strategies for card counting, Revere became an author selling books to other Blackjack players.

Revere is on our list for inventing the Blackjack Strategy Chart. The Blackjack Strategy Chart is still in use today. You can use it to count cards in an undetectable way – although it isn’t 100% effective, it’s more like a guide than a ‘cheat sheet’.