Rating: 
Summary: Excellent - Entertaining from cover to cover
Review: Loved this book, without question. It kept me turning the pages nonstop. It was a quick, easy, entertaining and even suspensful page turner. I have always loved gambling and Vegas and the image of the two. I don't really buy into anyone really being able to beat Vegas (those hotels aren't built cheap!!!), but it was fun to think about it happening while reading this book. Made me think, all those times I have been in Vegas or at the Grand Victoria here in Chicago, is that person just a card counter calling in the big guy, because it seems at everytable that one guy will come around plunk down a larger bet then the rest of the table and get a blackjack and just like that they pick up and leave. Hmmm!!! Anyway, a great book and would suggest anyone looking for a good read, pick this one up.
Rating: 
Summary: Amazing Story, Laughable Author
Review: Ben Mezrich won the lottery with this story, and he was at least smart enough to not tear up the ticket. The story is nothing shy of fascinating, and Mezrich was just talented enough to not mess it up. Oh but he tried. His overuse of Creative Writing 101 literary techniques and his fascination with the italics button bordered on distracting. He also managed to contradict himself in a span of two paragraphs. How the heck did he publish several other novels is beyond me. Contrary to the theme of the novel, sometimes it IS better to be lucky than good. Look no further than Mezrich's good fortune in having this story dropped in his lap for proof of that axiom.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: I read this book in 3 day's. I could not put it down. I would recommend this book because it has character and some charm to it. enjoy
Rating: 
Summary: Mezrich Gets Saved
Review: Ben Mezrich should thank his lucky stars the story is interesting, bc, frankly, that's what keeps people reading this book. The writing is dull and inaccurate. He jumps around at parts, and keeps details from the reader. I'm not sure whether this means he's a poor writer or a poor interviewer, but the "whole" story is in no way told. However, the story itself is interesting. Someone else should have written it though.
Rating:
Summary: Buyer Beware
Review: This book is somewhat fun and entertaing. However, I must say that I am not 100% sure it is all true, based soley on two things stated in the book that I know 100% for sure are NOT true. 1) NFL cheerleaders do NOT go on the road with the local team, and 2), the next time I see someone walk past a cocktail waitress in Vegas and snatch a drink off her w/o serious repurcussions will be the first time I see it. I realize these may be considered petty issues, but it immediately made me wonder how much of the balance is true. One would kind of like to believe in the whole story, but I'm not too confident in that. But if you can look past all this, it is a fun read - just don't bet the house it's true.
Rating:
Summary: Bringing Down the House
Review: Bringing Down the House was one of the best books I have ever read. It made me feel like you were in Vegas standing on the strip. Hearing the stories of Kevin ,Martinez and Fisher from the MGM to M.I.T it was so much fun to keep on reading. Reading the stories of how they took Vegas for Millions. You will never imagine what happend at the Moehgan Sun or how they have to deal with Tyson biteing off Holyfelds ear and a riot at the Hotel. This was the best book I read this year.
Rating:
Summary: Bringing Down the House
Review: If you want an exciting and suspense filled book than the novel Bringing Down the House by Ben Mezrich is your best choice I really liked it because it was interesting and fun at the same time. My favorite part in the book is when they go gambling at Moheagan sun in conneticut. I really think this novel will make you want to go to Vegas and play blackjack. The characters in the book make it look so easy even though it isn't. This book also teaches you a lot of things in black jack that i didn't know. I think that if you are looking for a book to read about gambling then this is it.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining but sensationalised
Review: "Bringing Down the House" is the tale of the MIT blackjack team that beat Vegas for millions. The main strength of the book is its entertainment value. I read the book from cover to cover in a single session. Although the writing is at times pedestrian the author certainly knows how to keep his audience captivated. Much of the book reads like a spy novel with subterfuge, violence, glamour and money. The main drawback of the book is its deviation from factual content. The author makes it seem as if losing is a rare occurrence whereas in blackjack it occurs very regularly. Playing blackjack is glamourised, with the author describing high stakes gambling with famous celebrities. The reality is professional blackjack is not very glamorous and involves grinding at the tables for countless hours in less than salubrious conditions. If you are seeking some light entertainment the book is highly recommended however for a more realistic view of professional blackjack I would look elsewhere.
Rating:
Summary: Great gift for those braniac gamblers
Review: My boyfriend loved this book. It wasn't what he expected, but was even better. It doesn't glorify gambling or make it seem like anyone can scam vegas, but instead show the complicated and technical side of coordinating such a scam.
Rating:
Summary: MIT alum suspects the book itself is the hack.
Review: I enjoyed the book. It's an easy read. The story is engaging. But I question its veracity. If you want to read a gambling story that predates this book, search for localroger's "A Casino Odyssey" at kuro5hin.org. He tells a strikingly similar tale. Stikingly similar. If nothing else, the Web publication of localroger's story -- a year before Bringing Down the House came out -- makes me wonder just how much this author has in common with Jayson Blair. I read through all reviews (160 at this writing). I seem to be the first MIT alum to speak up (although "A reader from Cambridge, MA" is probably also familiar with the school.) I was there in the early 80's. There were rumors about undergraduates who earned their tuition counting cards at blackjack tables. I never met one. I did, however, know some of the authors of a bona fide MIT "hack" book: The Unix Hater's Handbook. "Hacking" (loosely translated as a "prank") is a core and longstanding tradition at MIT. Bringing Down the House smells like another hack to me, but I can't be sure. On one hand, several reviewers have pointed out what appear to be exaggerations and inconsistencies. On the other hand, The Tech, official source of MIT news archived on the Web, published an article titled "Card Counting Gig Nets Students Millions," which essentially confirms the author's claims. It includes quotes purportedly from the people potrayed in the book. On the other hand, The Tech itself is not immune from being hacked. On the other hand, I got confirmation from another alum that Micky Rosa is for real. OK, enough with the hands. There are other elements that leave me with questions. One detail that any MIT alum would include in his account is that MIT students aren't called geeks. We're nerds. N-e-r-d nerd. I realize the author isn't an alum, but he shouldn't have missed that -- he doesn't use the word "nerd" ONCE in the whole book. I was also surprised that googling for '"kevin lewis" MIT' doesn't turn up his real name. Are any of the portrayed characters traceable? To maximize my satisfaction of this tale, I would like to have more assurance that it is true. A fiction writer claiming to write his first non-fiction book simply isn't good enough these days. (Thank you, New York Times, for showing me how stupid publishers can be and for utterly destroying my confidence in writers of all sorts. :-)
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