Meet the blackjack player who took Atlantic City casinos for $15 Million

[Josh]

Meet the blackjack player who beat the Trop for $6 million, Borgata for $5 million and Caesars for $4 million

ATLANTIC CITY - He took Caesars for more than $4 million, burned Borgata for about $5 million and then topped it off by beating Tropicana out of $5.8 million.

For Don Johnson, it was an incredible streak of good luck at the Atlantic City blackjack tables.

"I'll take luck over any other skill," Johnson said, laughing. "There's no magic to this. Eventually, someone would whack them. I'm just glad it was me."

Read more: http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/...cle_86f42838-83c8-11e0-92d7-001cc4c03286.html

 

[Veliko]

George Clooney? I thought it was just a film.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

Where can I meet him? When is he available? A lot of pertinent details appear to be left out.

 

[SamQuint]

So is blackjack a game of skill or luck? :hmm:

jk, don't need to start that up again...

 

[Cal166]

that's one LONG streak of luck...

 

[TwiceOver]

The luck is just making up for his name.

 

[Wyndru]

that's one LONG streak of luck...

Yeah...he probably knows a guy who knows a guy :sneaky:

 

[edro]

It's no different than the average Joe winning a few thousand dollars with $25-50 bets.
He is betting $50-100k/hand.

 

[Josh]

It's no different than the average Joe winning a few thousand dollars with $25-50 bets.
He is betting $50-100k/hand.

I'd say it's a lot different than average joe winning a few thousand dollars. If you read the article he started by placing $25 bets and worked his way up pretty much with discipline and a steady bankroll of his own.

 

[preslove]

I'm surprised the Casinos allowed him to keep playing. He had to have been counting cards. Of course, he's been banned by most casinos, now.

 

[Kev]

I'm surprised the Casinos allowed him to keep playing. He had to have been counting cards. Of course, he's been banned by most casinos, now.

counting cards isn't possible for 1 person to do, now that they use shoe decks

 

[gorcorps]

I'm surprised the Casinos allowed him to keep playing. He had to have been counting cards. Of course, he's been banned by most casinos, now.

While yes, the casinos are in the business to make money and not give it away... a big winner every once in a while does very good things to bring in more business. There's so many casinos in this country (and Atlantic City) that it's good to stand out for something. Now these casinos get some free advertisement, and a throng of people who think they know what they're doing now know of places where somebody has actually won big. It's impossible to tell, but I'd guess these big wins are made up for when they're publicized like this.

 

[SP33Demon]

It was bound to happen sooner than later with such almost even odds. Casinos should just ban the game if it's possible to beat them that badly. Don't hate the player...

 

[edro]

I'd say it's a lot different than average joe winning a few thousand dollars. If you read the article he started by placing $25 bets and worked his way up pretty much with discipline and a steady bankroll of his own.

That was 15 years ago. He is now a professional millionaire gambler, which makes the feat much less interesting.

The media makes it sound like an average Joe won $5Mil in 1 visit.

 

[nickbits]

counting cards isn't possible for 1 person to do, now that they use shoe decks

yes it is... maybe not in the way you are thinking but there are systems out there. they are less effective with more decks though.

 

[Viper GTS]

I seriously doubt he grew his bankroll purely with gambling - Particularly since he seems to have a fondness for table games & horse racing. Playing house games = negative EV, there's just no way around it.

He's got a very high income aside from his gambling, without that he wouldn't have been able to pull this off.

Viper GTS

 

[Kev]

yes it is... maybe not in the way you are thinking but there are systems out there. they are less effective with more decks though.

If you're referring to the method the MIT kids used in bringing down the house, the casinos have caught onto that as well. And that requires a team effort.

 

[dlock13]

Hmm.. That's not what I expected an ex-cop from Miami to be wearing.

 

[PokerGuy]

yes it is... maybe not in the way you are thinking but there are systems out there. they are less effective with more decks though.

Huh? What are you guys talking about? You can count cards with any number of decks, shoe decks with a single player or multiple players working together. The only reason multiple people working together is more effective is because you are less likely to get caught doing it, it's easier to hide.

Increasing the number of decks doesn't make it harder to count, it makes it easier.

 

[kstu]

Increasing the number of decks doesn't make it harder to count, it makes it easier.

wat? you think it's easier to remember the count of an 8-deck shoe vs. a single deck?

 

[PokerGuy]

"They beat most people in the long run because the average person won't have the bankroll," Johnson said. "But I have my own bankroll. If you can take the swings, you're going to win. You also have to understand the math."

That's just complete bull, the guy is full o' crap. No matter how big your bankroll or how long you stay at it, the laws of probability say that you are going to lose in the long run, unless you have a way to get better odds playing blackjack. That can be done by counting cards, alone or as a team, but the "you have to have the bankroll" is baloney.

 

[PokerGuy]

wat? you think it's easier to remember the count of an 8-deck shoe vs. a single deck?

Yes. It's a fact. Trust me on this one, counting on a multiple deck game is actually easier and more beneficial to the player / team if they count.

Edit: It depends on what type of counting you're doing. In most counting schemes, you count until you reach the point where the situation is very beneficial for the bettor, then you bet heavily. With multiple deck shoes, once you reach that situation, you're going to benefit even more, unless they shuffle the shoe often.

 

[TridenT]

And a Beavers fan had to win it all?

This story is fail.

 

[bhanson]

wat? you think it's easier to remember the count of an 8-deck shoe vs. a single deck?

 

[JTsyo]

Yes. It's a fact. Trust me on this one, counting on a multiple deck game is actually easier and more beneficial to the player / team if they count.

Edit: It depends on what type of counting you're doing. In most counting schemes, you count until you reach the point where the situation is very beneficial for the bettor, then you bet heavily. With multiple deck shoes, once you reach that situation, you're going to benefit even more, unless they shuffle the shoe often.

I thought the way it works these days is that they start with multiple decks and then swap out when they get half way through the stack. This way you never see half the cards.