Product Description

Movie DVD

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #35388 in DVD
• Brand: A&E
• Released on: 2004-06-29
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Formats: Color, Dolby, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 90 minutes

Amazon.com
Creating a foolproof plan to beat Las Vegas has been a goal for gamblers and grifters since the city was established, but only one group has come closest to making such a system pay off--a collection of math whizzes from M.I.T. The unique rise and fall of their blackjack team is the focus of this intriguing 2004 History Channel documentary. For two years in the early '90s, the team reaped millions from casinos around the world with their scheme, until conflict within the group and a diligent security company brought the group's winnings to a crashing halt. Interviews with team members and author Ben Mezrich, whose 2003 book Bringing Down the House focuses on a later M.I.T. team, provide the most interesting moments; however, the pulpy narration, hyperactive direction, and awkward dramatic re-creations cheapen the doc's efforts to effectively relay this engaging story. More straightforward and successful attempts to address the world of gambling are featured in the DVD's supplemental features, which offer two additional History Channel documentaries, High Rollers: A History of Gambling and "How To Win in Las Vegas," an episode from their Conquest series. --Paul Gaita

Customer Reviews

Creating a business to outsmart the casino business
I heard about this story sometime ago and while I wanted to learn more, I didn't think it justified spending the time to read the book. Pleasantly surprised, I found that a DVD version of the book was available. I originally thought it was just a few students getting together and using their brainpower to outsmart the casinos. I was surprised to find out that it was actually a business, complete with financial statements, training program, recruiting, and investors.

The video does a fine job of recreating the circumstances on the initial formation of the company/team and onward to its later incarnations where apparently substantial lasting success was achieved after learning from some early mistakes in the initial formation. Interviews with the security company that casinos use worldwide to work the system in their favor are also shown. The video gives you an idea of just how sophisticated the casinos are in stopping card counters and the like. The gambling isn't just confined to the US but also various locations around the world. These are also shown in snippets.

If anything, you learn that it is possible to outwit the system, but a substantial effort must be put in to do it. For the regular folk who don't have the brainpower/time it is heartwarming to see that it can be done.

Love it!
I've showed this movie to my AP Statistics class for 3 years in a row and the students love it. They totally get into it. It's informative and entertaining.

Making a Business out of Beating Vegas!
"Breaking Vegas" is an excellent business case study that includes product development, staff recruitment and rewards, and training. "Mr. M" conceives the "how to," building upon the earlier work of Ed Thorp ("Beat the Dealer") at UCLA, using his computer and statistical analyses skills to play blackjack. A partnership was formed to raise $1 million, with the net distributed 45% to Mr. M., 45% to the financial backers, and 10% to the players.

Players were recruited via fliers posted around the M.I.T. campus. Trainees first had to master card-counting in a noisy environment full of distractions, then memorize a number of rules covering when to hold, split, or take another card. Then it was on to adding another strategy - signaling to another player when the deck was favorable so he/she could join in and bet heavily. Since the "big player" always gambled heavily, and the rest only played minor amounts, it was hard for the casinos to see that (banned) card-counting was being employed.

After further refining their skills at the nearby Foxwood Resort, it was off to Las Vegas. At first the players reveled in their winnings and comps; however, eventually the casinos' detective service followed the group around the world and pieced their methods together. Other tip-offs came from players sometimes using their real addresses to sign for comps, and leaving behind a pamphlet detailing their strategies. Life then became increasingly sour for the players as they were banned from more and more casinos around the world - sometimes even encountering threats of physical violence. Disguises brought little benefit.

At that point a "perfect storm" developed - increasing harassment from casino management, decreasing player morale over the harassment and their relatively low share of the winnings, and a long run of bad luck. (One player alleged that the "bad luck" was caused by the players lacking incentive to play well.)

Thus, after less than 2 years the partnership enterprise folded, with a winnings-to-date record of close to zero. One of the original recruits then started his own team, using most of the same original approaches except for eliminating the investors - players provided their own stake. This group was successful for several years and netted about $4 years.

An interesting, sometimes even exciting, video.