21: Bringing Down the House (post 2)

"So you guys cheat at cards?"
Martinez sat up, indignant. "Absolutely not. We don't alter any of the rules or f**k with the nature of the game. We use our brains to take advantage of arbitrage opportunities. Blackjack is beatable-- so we beat it. We beat the hell out of it."

Kevin introduces us to Martinez and Fisher. They are the ones who got Kevin into all of this. Kevin at first thought that they were just lazy drop out M.I.T. dropouts. One night they invite Kevin to go to Atlantic City with them. Kevin isn't sure what they do to make all of their money. He begins to think it has something to do with drugs. When they arrive at the airport a nice Mercedes limo is there to pick them up. Kevin meets Dino and finds out through information that Martinez is a high roller. All of their expenses are paid for including their room, drinks, foods, and seats to a fight, which is what Kevin thought they were coming for. Kevin sits down and plays blackjack with Martinez, and starts to wonder how he is doing so well. After that he watches Martinez and Fisher play at a table with much bigger stakes. He is amazed! After all of that (winning Thousands in less than an hour) they sit around the pool. Kevin asks how they do it and if it is cheating. Fisher and Martinez explain their ways.

After that school starts up and Kevin doesn't see either of the two for several weeks because Kevin goes back to school while they live their high and mighty life. One night Fisher and Martinez approach Kevin and take him to a classroom where there are seven other students and one teacher. He is told that it is Blackjack 101. He is informed that his play at Atlantic City was a test and that he indeed did pass. Now he has three more tests to pass if he wants to play on the team which has both investors and players that make money.

This is a really good book and I recommend it to anybody who likes blackjack.