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

Rating:
Summary: pure fiction
Review: What would the reviews of this book be if it were found out to be pure fiction, i.e. an MIT urban legend? True, there are some exciting scenes which compel one to turn pages, but I suspect the interest in, and praise of, this book is due primarly to the fact that people believe, or want to believe, the story.

I have played black jack many many times and have never seen any decent player split tens under any circumstances. Have you ever been to a casino on a typical Saturday night? Could a seat be available for a "team player" to jump right in when the deck gets "ten rich"? Have you ever seen anybody in the VIP section bouncing around from table to table like these players apparently did all the time?

The fact is that anyone can claim that he won big in a casino, and unless that player is directly observed, or the contents of his wallet monitored, one simply cannot tell if he is telling the truth. In other words, the claims made in this book are totally unverifiable, and most likely false. (Isn't interesting, for instance, how the main character makes tons of money at the tables, but seems to have difficulty making rent).

Alot of the reviewers say that they planned on using the card-counting techniques espoused in this book to clean up at the casinos. Did anybody actually make money doing this (besides, of course, the casino owners, who probably enjoyed this book very much)? I didn't think so.

Rating:
Summary: Awesome Book
Review: This was a great book to read. I am not big on reading books but this one I could not put down.

Rating:
Summary: Good read, but when are we?
Review: Good thriller with plenty of action to keep the story moving. One minor issue I have is that the author time shifts a lot, jumping ahead of the story for one chapter, then jumping back to it. I really find this annoying, but others may not mind it.

Rating:
Summary: A great Look into a World Seldom Seen
Review: This book is a fascinating story that offers a look into the unusal world of card counting teams. And this card counting team is run out of MIT like an intramural activity.

Well paced, well told story that makes for a hard to put down book.

Rating:
Summary: Super good book and author
Review: Amazing story. The story is really cool; you may find yourself with a deck of cards counting Highs and Lows. Its been a while since I've picked up a book and had difficulties putting it down. The documentary on the Discovery Channel doesn't do the story any justice (an obviously a copy of the sucess of this book). If you know anything about Black Jack, you should really read this.

Mezrich is really an amazing writer. Also read Merzrich's "Ugly Americans" (released after this book), especially if your interested in finance.

Rating:
Summary: couldn't put it down!
Review: From the moment I picked up this book, I honestly could not put it down. I read it at dinner, while sitting on the toilet, when I was supposed to be doing my calculus homework, and on the way to class--which meant constantly bumping into people, but I didn't care; I just HAD to find out what happened next. Now that I'm done, I recommend it to anyone who mentions the word "book" in front of me.

It's basically the story of six M.I.T. students and former students who have one thing in common--they are extremely good with numbers. They form a group and figure out a way to win at blackjack. Once they start making money, however, they learn the hard way that the people "behind the scenes" in the casinos of Las Vegas are not the kind of people you want to mess with.

The books is not perfect, which is understandable, considering that Mezrich is by no means a literary genius. However, if you are looking for a well-written, intriguing book that will keep you on the edge of your seat from the very beginning, then I highly suggest this one. What makes it all the more gripping is the fact that it is a true story.

Rating:
Summary: Deal 'em
Review: Excellent book. Very exciting, entertaining, and easy to read. I tend to read 1 book every 2-3years... this one I blew through in 4 days.

Wow! It's an amazing read.

Rating:
Summary: Heavily fictionalized account of card-counting
Review: The story of Kevin Lewis and some other MIT kids of Asian descent, who were hand-picked by a former MIT prof to count cards in Vegas. Backed by "shady investors" that they supposedly never met, the team used a decades-old method of card counting (a modified version of "hi-lo," based on the number of high cards left in the deck) and some interesting hand signals to collectively rake in the millions. This is Mezrich's first non-fiction book, and it shows; oh does it ever show. There is a small "details have been changed" notice under the copywright info, but this does not justify Mezrich's copious use of detail and conversation that could not possibly be known to him, let alone accurately reported. It's no great sin to use created conversation to capture the feel of a true event, but it's disingenuous of the author not to at least acknowledge what he's done. And while I don't want to call him or Lewis a liar, the tacked-on drama (beatings in the bathroom of an off-shore casino; a break-in; a solitary poker chip left ominously on Lewis' table) seem a bit too much ripped from just the style of thriller that Mezrich is apparently accustomed to writing. In sum, there might be an interesting story here, but this book (while admittedly fun to read) with its flat drama and unsymapthetic characters (aw, poor Kevin, making a great living at a trading firm, trying to "get out" of the humdrum existence of the MIT grad with the house and two cars... boo hoo, guy) isn't great.

Rating:
Summary: Rich Kids Getting Richer - YAWN!!!
Review: The indignation that the people in this book express at being caught is portrayed as tantamount to freedom fighters fighting against communist oppression or union workers seeing their plant shut down in a small town. Unfortunately, having actually counted cards a long time ago, this story doesn't really seem very true to the realities of a casino with its haggard denizens looking for a way to quick riches repeatedly losing their meager pay checks to smiling dealers. Then there is the fact you can't really feel too sorry for a kid who went to Exeter with MIT and an investment banking job basically guaranteed for him since he was 14 who feels card counting is his way out, it's just too bad the writer really never identifies what "out" means to the group he documents. This book comes off as nothing more than a bunch of kids looking for a quick buck, not as something earth shatteringly new in the writings of privileged children seeking out their identities in the back drop of a screwed up society. Go read Catcher in The Rye or Less Than Zero for something more entertaining and well written.

Rating:
Summary: Fast Paced, Easy Read - an Intelligent Thrill Ride
Review: Ben Mezrich kept me at the edge of my seat throughout the entire book. He gives his players enough positive and negative characteristics to keep them real without loading down the story with extras. The math and logic within the story is not too complex for even a novice poker player (which I am.) The Robin Hood undertones offset the bad-boy antics of the main character. Book-speak aside, this book makes me want to take a trip to America's playland and get a glimpse of the life that these folks had the fortune and misfortune of living.