21

They like to say that a movie was based on true events. I’d say this one was more “inspired by,” since it changes almost everything. In other words, this is almost 100% bullshit. There really was an MIT blackjack team (actually, several of them over the years) and they really did do well. But they never made $100,000 or more in a single night, as we see here. That would have been stupid. In fact, much of what these players do in this movie is pretty stupid. It’s a fascinating story, but this ain’t it. Which is not to say it’s not entertaining. Just don’t believe any of it is true.

There are two things that astonished me, though. They filmed in three actual Vegas casinos: the Hard Rock, Planet Hollywood, and the Red Rock far away from the glitz of the Strip. The producers worried that management would not like it that the movie is about card counting, and tells you how to do it. But the casinos were delighted. The fact is, counting is much harder than most people think, and they didn’t show all the little secrets of how to do it. The casinos welcome would-be counters. The huge majority of them will lose a ton of cash while they learn. It’s only the ones who have mastered it that get the boot.

And speaking of the boot … the thing that amazed me is that these managers were okay with showing Laurence Fishburne as an enforcer for the casinos, who found card counters and took them to the basement and beat the shit out of them. Whoa! Maybe in the days of Bugsy Seigel. But the fact is these places are run straight, no violence needed. They make their buck every night. When they spot a counter they take his picture and escort him to the door and tell him he’s not welcome. Then his picture is circulated to all the casinos. They can do that, and I think it’s pretty chickenshit. If somebody figures out how to win at a game, I think they should either have to stop offering it, change the rules to favor the house again, or just eat the relatively small amounts these smart people take them for. For chrissake, the idiots at the slots more than make up for any losses at blackjack.