| Casinos have been in existence since the 1700's, | | | | That is, until 1962, when a scholar named Edward |
| during the early years of the United States. In | | | | Thorp publihsed a book entitled Beat The Dealer, |
| small, scattered towns, casinos were established | | | | where her outlined specific and verifiable |
| to give those weary travelers and townsfolk a | | | | strategies on how to win, and how to win big, at |
| form of recreation and a way to earn some | | | | the casino tables. |
| money from what they were willing to wager. | | | | The centerpiece of his book was the game of |
| Throughout the eyars since then, casinos became | | | | Blackjack. And all the revelations he mentioned in |
| more organized. They got bigger. They started | | | | its pages compelled people to troop back to the |
| serving better food. They developed a more | | | | casinos. The rest, as they say, is history. |
| efficient dealer system. And the money that was | | | | Take a look at Las Vegas today. |
| laid down on hte table, and consequently, the | | | | Take a look at Nevada. |
| money lost by players, grew into eye-popping | | | | Take a look at all the progressive states in the |
| amounts. | | | | world. |
| Hence, many States banned gambling from their | | | | What's common in all of them? That's right. They |
| territories. Nevada, for instance, received so | | | | all have a burgeoning casino industry. And they |
| many complaints of broken families, ruined | | | | owe a lot of gratitue to Mr. Thorp and his then |
| careers, unpaid loans, and the like as a result of | | | | revolutionary book. The strategies therein, |
| the many gambling establishments in their area, | | | | surprisingly, can still be employed with great |
| that in 1910, they had to put a stoppage to the | | | | efficiency today. Try to get a hold of a copy, if |
| gambling industry that had sustained their desert | | | | you still can. |
| county. | | | | As you can see, however, Blackjack is a very |
| Operations resumed in 1930, but business was | | | | popular game in every casino. It can even be |
| slow then, and casinos were never the same | | | | argued that Blackjack is probably the most |
| flourishing business that they were before their | | | | popular game of chance there is, at least, when |
| initial cessation. Part of this was due to the Great | | | | there is betting involved. |
| Depression that struck the land. Even when the | | | | Blackjack, probabilitywise, is the most winnable |
| economic effects of the period settled down, | | | | game of chance there is, ba none. It is a great |
| Mafia money found its way into the casino circuit, | | | | entry level game for beginners, and it is also a |
| placing in doubt the credibility of the gambling | | | | great pot filling option for veterans whenever the |
| system and effectively keeping people away | | | | Baccarat table or the Roulette wheel ahs depleted |
| from the tables. | | | | most of their resources. |