Breaking Vegas

Reviewed by:
Paul Ulane

Much like the board game Life, blackjack is a game of chance. But a group of MIT nerds set out to challenge that notion, and the History Channel was there. (Well, not really, but they’re here now to dramatically reenact it in Breaking Vegas.) Starting with a bored professor in 1992, the MIT Blackjack Team quickly took form with a fourth eye on big winnings via card-counting and probability theories. Amid a montage of cash stacks, strippers, and mathematic formulas, untested sweaty-palmed shams led to global hustling—which led to worldwide blacklistings less than two years later and the eventual disbandment of the group. Crude dramatizations drain the momentum from many of these elaborate tales (comped hotel suites, private jets, and weddings, to name a few), so just pay attention to the far more informative interviews with the actual players. Plus, the show details the theories that can, when used properly, beat Vegas. We’re in!