Just like any other competitive sport, be it Football or Poker, blackjack has a history of well-known professionals that have changed the way the game is played. Throughout the 300 year history of blackjack, there have been numerous players who have been influential to the game. Ace Ten brings you some of the more respected and revered professionals are listed below.
Peter A Griffin
Peter griffin was a famous poker intellectual and professional. His research on betting correlation and playing efficiency paved the way for many future geniuses to develop methods to beat casinos in the game of blackjack. He also wrote The Theory of Blackjack
Al Francesco
Al Francesco was the first blackjack player to modernise and create strategies focused around team play. His strategy involved “Big Players” that would make bets depending on signals from “spotters” who were counting cards at blackjack tables, this made it seem that the big players weren’t counting cards but making random bets.
Ken Uston
Ken Uston was a member of Al Francesco’s blackjack team, and after a few years in the business he published the first book on blackjack team strategies titled; “The Big Player”. This book revolutionised how blackjack was played and offered by casinos in the United States.
Edward O. Thorp
Also referred to as the king of card counting, Edward O. Thorp was the author of “Beat the Dealer”, the first book that gave players an edge over the casinos, it did, however, take exceptional math skill. Most blackjack card counting techniques are based on Thorp’s book.
John Chang
John Chang was one of the masterminds behind the world famous MIT blackjack team that won thousands of dollars in the 1980’s. The team was based on Al Francesco’s Big Player strategy. To be initiated into the MIT blackjack team was notoriously difficult, but those who made it were often math geniuses.
Stanford Wong
Stanford Wong is a famous blackjack player and author. His books, some of which cost $2000 on release, were fundamental for all blackjack players at the time. He provided easy to read tables and figures that allowed the average player to get an edge over the house.
Keith Taft
Keith Taft was an instrumental figure in the creation of computers, and technological discoveries to beat the house in blackjack. He developed wearable computer devices that included switches to input data and sometimes even cameras. He was a technological pioneer way before his time.
Tommy Hyland
Tommy Hyland was a famous poker player and manager that has been the leader of histories most successful and long-standing blackjack team. He advocated trusting players, as well as fighting for their rights against the Griffin Agency.