The Last Casino

Has anyone seen this? I have only been able to see about half the movie so far (time issue). If I remember correctly it is a Canadian flick and the "bad guy" (guy that fronts the bank roll) is so over the top you just want to slap him.

Aside from all the "silly" things the movie has I thought it was rather interesting when they broke down how cards are counted at blackjack tables. How numeric values are given to the cards, how partners scope out tables to track the card count then pass that count to the player, how foot positions help keep track of the count, etc. Has anyone seen anything that is more serious but talks about the same kind of thing?

Like I said, the movie was not something I would recommend to anyone to watch but I thought there were a few nuggets to be found in it.

Comments

  • Has anyone seen anything that is more serious but talks about the same kind of thing?

    Yes, in book form:

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

    Quite a good book, and I'd definitely recommend it if you are interested in the subject matter of "The Last Casino" (i.e. the story of a blackjack card counting team).

    ScottyZ
  • Thanks for the info. I have just reserved a copy at the library.

    SP
  • There was a documentary about the original MIT blackjack team, i can't remember what it was called, but it was pretty good. The Last Casino was same subject matter, pretty much based on the idea of the MIT Blackjack team only Canadian. The movie was pretty good, i've watched it twice, but that's only because it's on TMNOnDemand and I've been bored.
  • i hear ya joe, same. the movie goes a bit overboard for entertainment sake, but the ideas are there.

    i coudl think of a zillion better movies to watch if you are looking for a GOOD movie, but it's ok as a novilty flick

    thanks,
    johnny
  • I quite liked the scene when they catch the house cheating. They are playing at high-rolling underground club in which uses only one deck and suffles after every round to eliminate card counting. I thought the movie was okay...but I have a general basis for all Canadian movies especially those based (or least partially based) in our home land.
  • There is a documentary out (it's been on Discoveryand History I think) called Breaking Vegas. It's actually based on the book Scotty mentioned. It includes interviews with actual team members and was pretty good in my opinion.

    Here's a link...Breaking Vegas

    There was also a National Geographic documentary called Beating Vegas that originally aired in Dec. on National Geographic TV. While I did not see this show, I did see them film some of it at the Mohawk Casino near Cornwall. They were actually set up about 40 feet from the poker tables. Some of the floor people got roles, and they even offered spots as extras.
  • Great movie, I really enjoyed it. Considering its a Canadian film it was very well done.
  • I've read that they are making a movie based on the book Bringing down the house. It is going to star Kevin Spacey. You can find out the info at their website www.blackjackscience.com
  • Picked up the book tonight from the library. Looks like it's gonna be a good read!

    cheers
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