Rating: 
Summary: Judge this Book by It's Cover!
Review: Cocktails, gambling, late-night phone calls and the hair-raising experiences of getting bumped from a casino for life. Though I'm of the belief there is no "five-star-book" (there's always something about the style or the content or the validity of the story that I can challenge) I DID, however, enjoy this book. Four stars? Perhaps it was because the book was told 3rd person by someone who had heard the stories first person. Yeah, I typed that correctly. It was almost frustrating how the story was told from a single point of view but always third person. You could chalk-it up to a unique perspective -- I guess. The story crossed several years (and several tales) of winning big -- or losing big (financially or physically) at casinos across the U.S. In closing, a quick read that any black-jack wacko would enjoy. BK
Rating: 
Summary: waste of time and money
Review: this is supposed to be the author's first time at writing non-fiction. however, it reads exactly like a piece of fiction. the dialogue is terrible. just really awful. painful at times. and his habit of using italics for emphasis is irritating. the whole thing is unbelievable. i read another review where the guy says that just because the kids went to MIT, we're supposed to believe they made that much money in Vegas by using a simplistic system of counting cards and i completely agree. waste neither time nor money on this stinker. BUT if you're looking for light summer reading, this will take up 2-3 lazy afternoons.
Rating: 
Summary: Loved this book
Review: I could not put it down. A very quick read. It is very well written and even up to the last chapters you did not how it was going to turn out. I liked the level of detail given about the gaming (not boring me with too many statistics), but also the personal touch from the author actually experiencing the gaming himself as he learned the story he is telling. It reads like fiction but it is not, that made it all that much better. I just went to Las Vegas and I like to hear about people taking winnings home with them.
Rating: 
Summary: Making of a Hollywood hit
Review: This was a very interesting and fast-paced reading. However, it was short on substance at times. I wished the author would have painted a better picture of Kevin Lewis' interactions outside of Vegas' glitz and glamour; at the same time, I understand that this would have decelerated the momentum of the story. I can definitely see this turned into a screen play, with Hollywood sprinkling in more drama and action (just in case the average viewer does not find the concept of card-counting and fast-times with A-list celebrities interesting enough).
Rating:
Summary: Waiting for the Sequel
Review: What is Kevin Lewis doing now? How do the current teams feel about KL making the story public? Will the other team members share what they are doing now? Will they share their viewpoints? This book is a page turner!
Rating:
Summary: overblown version of the truth
Review: As a member of an MIT blackjack syndicate in the early 80s, I can say this book gets a lot of the details right but massively overstates the success rate both in percentage terms and in absolute dollars. The previous poster touches on one significant point - if this crew had the edge claimed by the author their chance of going home down for the weekend was remote. Still, it has elements of truth and the fundamental principles of counting and variable betting strategy are well laid out. Check it out but don't use as your blueprint for instant success.
Rating:
Summary: Black Jack
Review: This was a bout some MIT students that could count card and they ended up winning millions of dollars. I really like the book it is one of my favorites, I would read it again and that is saying a lot because I hate to read jest for fun. The thing I really liked about this book is it was an interesting subject matter. The other thing I really liked about it was the author Ben Mezaich really knew what he was talking about because he learned ho to count cards from the people in the book. The thing he did the best is he told a story, he did not jest write down all the facts. That was the thing I like best about the book because if the book was about how they where playing Black Jack then that would of gotten boring really quick, but he made it a story. The other thing that made this book a really easy read is his writing style, it was jest really straight foreword. He would not spend too much time describing the way the cards float across the felt like some authors would of dune. The only problem I had with this book is it was too short, I would of liked it if it was longer jest because I did not wont to stop reading the book. I always wonted to know what was going to happen next, that is why I would give this book 10 out of 10 and I would recommend that everybody should read it.
Rating:
Summary: Never a dull moment
Review: Bringing Down the House by Ben Mezrich is one of my favorite books that I have ever read and is easily one of the best nonfiction books ever written. The book seemed as though it was fiction, but it was, in fact, a real life story. The story begins and ends without any boring moments. The story is already interesting, but Ben Mezrich managed to bring it to life. The author managed to keep you on your toes and wanting to read more. With this book you will not become a master at card counting but you will begin to get a better understanding of the art and you can get a grasp on the concept. The author's style of writing is different than many others. He does not take the extra time to explain every single detail, but instead has just enough to let you make a picture and not enough to make you fall asleep. This was his first nonfiction book that he has written and I am sure that his next will be just as successful.
Rating:
Summary: Dont start this book if you have to get up early the next da
Review: I read an excerpt of this book in Wired Magazine and could not wait for it to come out in paperback. I was not disappointed. By now all readers know its about 6 brilliant MIT students coached by a former mathematics professor (Mickey Rosa) into a cool, cunning, and colorful cabal of casino raiders. For anyone who has been to Vegas it will conjur up memories of the flight to the desert, the gaming, the girls, the "high-rollers" and the over the top events that are all part of the magic of Sin City. But the twist here is that the player actually beats the house. Be prepared to be entertained. Though other reviewers were disappointed at the authors style or technical errors, the author develops his story through the narrative voice of one main MIT student(Kevin Lewis). Mezrich's pace, character development, transitions and story-telling ability are evident in just about every page and truly qualify this book as a page turner. Readers who like the "can't put it down suspense" of a Ludlum, will love this book. In an almost surreal aside, as I was 200+ pages into this enthralling book, I looked up to my TV to see none other than the "real" Mickey Rosa winning a Blackjack tournament at none other than the Mohegan Sun Casino. Is truth stranger than Fiction? Read the book and decide for yourself!! Enjoy!
Rating: 
Summary: Circus Peanuts
Review: This book grabs one's attention. At least it grabbed mine -- it was difficult to put down. I also enjoy eating Circus Peanuts, not because of their nutritional value but because they are soft and chewey.
This book will not rot one's tooth, but it will irritate the sensibilities of most folks. There are two main irritants embedded in the book. One is the writing itself. While the characters in this little tale were counting cards, I was counting grammatical gaffes. Unlike them, I lost count. I can't believe the author was a Harvard grad. The only explanation is that he was using bad grammar for effect. If so, why? It's irritating in any case.
The second irritant was the inept dropping of technical terms. The text is littered with these technical malaprops. The author might as well have announced: "Hey, I don't really know what I'm talking about." Again, he may have planted these unhappy usages into the text for effect. But again (again), why?
The two stars, by the way, were for the engaging, racy style. As I said, I do enjoy Circus Peanuts.
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