Spotters, Big Players, beautiful women dressed to the nines, and slobby-looking frat boys dot the casino landscape. Card counters—or whatever you want to call them—fervently strive to delude themselves into believing that this is a legitimate enterprise. 

Vegas in the 1990s was frequented by an exclusive club of MIT students during at least one weekend per month. Comped alcohol and luxurious suites, the ever-watchful eyes of security cameras followed their every move. Life at school seemed dull by comparison.

If this had been an acting competition, the cast would have won an Oscar. In the casino, the players did not seem know each other, despite acting in concert. They avoided eye contact with one another, staggered their breaks to avoid being seen together, and they did not converse with other group members in public. The math wizards kissed lucky charms and shouted with excitement when they won, and they shot the breeze with the dealers and other players. No one, except the highest trained security, would ever suspect that high-heeled, short-skirted young women and college boys in sweats and drunk as all get out could be making off with a cool million.  But they were and they did. The cash was strapped to their bodies and carried in duffel bags via limos and airports all the way to Boston.

Blackjack 101 was only the beginning of this epic journey.

Bringing Down the House: the Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions by Ben Mezrich, 2002

This was a very illuminating look into the world of casino survelliance and card counting. The blackjack card in the alcohol glass on the book cover is charming. 

Books on gambling