This evening was one that I had long awaited for, and one I will never forget.

Since then, my resume includes the completion of multiple graduate degrees, managing a professional blackjack team, the development of two original casino slot games, becoming a leading analytical consultant and gaming writer, as well as successfully engaging in litigation against Caesars Entertainment. My journey towards being invited began some 19 years ago, at the age of 18, when I first read the classic card counting text Beat the Dealer by Ed Thorp. A candidate must first be nominated by a sitting member of the Blackjack Hall of Fame, and then be approved by the attendance committee. Simply stated, all the attendees have legally succeeded at beating the casinos at their own game(s), and on a grand scale.Īs one can expect, attaining an invitation to this event was no small feat. The common thread that binds them all is that they each have made significant contributions to advance the cause of advantage players of casino games. Every year, from as far away as Australia and Hong Kong, hedge fund managers, top executives from Fortune 500 companies, scores of the best known professional gamblers in the world, and no less than 4 billionaires, converge on Las Vegas to attend the Blackjack Ball.