Ben Mezrich, Bringing Down The House

I picked up this book after watching the film "21" which was based on this book. I had the notion, like you do, if the film was good then the book would be better. This is normally the case. However, given the artistic license of Hollywood the story was changed ever so slightly.

This is a story about some very clever students from MIT who get involved in counting cards when playing Blackjack. In this way they are able to stack the odds in their favour and win more at the tables.

The book is written by Ben Mezrick,as he researches the story from the perspective of one of the players. He does however go on to describe interview with other players and people who used to work for the casinoes.

In some places it becomes entertaining and informative. Especially when you learn about some of the methods they use to count cards. In others it even starts to border on the repetitive. In the end the predictable happens and the casinoes get to target the card counters and become more agressive in their methods. Eventually it seems the main character gives up playing. Mezrick states this is a true story, and it may well be, but it's not as exciting as I hoped it would turn out. The language is clear and easy to read, except you might like to brush up on what Blackjack is about before getting into it, so as to appreciate it a little more.

I would recomend this book to read, especially if you were on a bus ride it would help the time go quickly, but don't expect much out of it.