Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions |...

Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions | Ben Mezrich | Fantastic book...one of my favorites!

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Bringing Down the ...

	Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions Ben Mezrich Free Press, 2003 - 272 pages average customer review:based on 421 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Great book!

Loved ths book! I thought it was even more thrilling than the movie. Lots of fun and kept you enthralled and rooting for the "good guys".

Fantastic book...one of my favorites!

I don't read much since it's hard to find something that keeps me interested. I couldn't put this down! It's an amazing story, especially considering it's true. I didn't think there would be much suspense to the story, but man was I wrong. The way the author tells it, he hints at something that could be coming, and sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't. I loved it. For those looking to buy a book to learn how to count cards...this isn't it! This isn't even really a book about basic strategy. They talk about it VERY little since it's needed for the story, but the book is focused on the journey of one young man (20s for most of the book...my age) through Vegas, Atlantic City, and finding himself and his place in the world.

I can't recommend this book enough. I loved it!

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Different from the movie, but still an enjoyable read

The reason why I'm focusing on the way the book relates to the movie is because this is the movie tie-in edition. After watching the movie I decided to read the book. I normally don't watch a movie unless I've read the book first. In this case, I'm glad I watched the movie first. The movie made it easier to understand the nonverbal and verbal cues they used to count cards.

It seems to me like the producers and writers just took the idea of counting cards and how the MIT kids did it and then Hollywood-ized the rest.

As a standalone, the book was good. Not only did they hit Vegas but they also a steamboat casino in the midwest, an Indian casino on the east coast and Atlantic City. The main character, Kevin joins the team because he is tired of his ho-hum life (because I'm sure life at MIT is so ho-hum).

Anyway, if you've watched the movie and are interested in a more factual and realistic setting in how they earned millions, you should read the book. Plus, there's an essay at the end by Kevin who teaches those who wish to learn how to count cards.

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Takes All The Fun out of playing the game!

You know the phrase that cheating doesn't really amount to anything except in this case when the card counting teams from MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) organize, rehearse, and prepare to take money from casinos whether Las Vegas, Atlantic City, or the casino boat in Chicago, Mohegan Sun or Foxwoods in Connecticut. Sadly, the book is really for people who enjoy gambling at the casinos like myself. I'm not a high roller. In fact, I'm so far down on the todem pole of rollers that I barely qualify for comps at all. Anyway, the book is a lot more interesting than I thought it would be only because I am fond of playing card games. I just think that the whole idea of card counting and these teams ruin and take away the fun of the sport. Unlike Poker, blackjack can be beatable if you know the system. Then again, it still takes away the fun of playing. Yes, you lose money but you have to be prepared to lose when you walk in the door. Gambling is chance and randomness rolled into one. The house or casino takes their cut and they are going to always have a heads up. When I read about how the kids began to live double lives, I felt sorry for them. I felt sorry for Mickey Rosa, the MIT genius who brought the teams together and trained them. They decide to go without him and if I was on the team, I would have left at that point. Enough was never enough for the players, they wanted more. They got off the adrenaline and high of beating the house at times. The players were more like actors than players. When I go to a casino, I don't expect anything but to break even or lose some money. I don't expect to get it back but that's the fun. If this book has a lesson, it's enjoy the game and stop worrying about cheating and card counting. The house managers know better and they have security, pit bosses, and cameras everywhere. They follow the high rollers for a reason especially if the house is losing. By following the high rollers, they know what they like and if they are going to gamble thousands at a time, they are profitable to the house. Everybody uses everybody in gambling and casino industry. Gambling like prostitution has been around since the beginning of time. If you can control your gambling habit, you are better off. Don't spend a lot of money or worry too much about the cards. You are there to enjoy the game and pray for the chance to win some money. Don't bet your life savings, your house, your car, your children's college fund, your savings, or your plane tickets because you won't see it again. The house doesn't care if you go broke as long as you do it there.

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