Top 5 Legendary Blackjack Players of All Time!

Blackjack, originally known as 21, is a card game played one on one, player vs. Dealer. The object of the game is to have the cards you are dealt add up to 21. If the cards go over 21, it is called a bust, and the player is out. Whoever is the closest to 21 wins. The suits have no meaning in Blackjack; it is a numbers game.

Cards two through ten represent what they are, while face cards have a value of ten ( Jack Queen and King). The mighty Ace can be represented as an eleven or a one; it is up to the player. For example, the player is dealt a three and an Ace; that hand could represent four or fourteen. As previously mentioned, the game's object is to have your cards equal up to 21 or as close as possible without going over.

The game of Blackjack is pretty straight forward not much to it; a player could be relatively successful at the blackjack table by following the rules. However, throughout Blackjack's history, some players took the game to a whole new level. These professional Blackjack players have had tremendous success at the tables. Now they are Legends of Blackjack's; this article will go over the best ten players to ever sit and play the game of Blackjack.

The List of the Greatest Blackjack Players of All Time:

#1. Bryce Carlson

Bryce Carlson is the author of the best-selling book "Blackjack for Blood." A book tailored towards the players who are learning how to play. Carlson's book is of the greatest books written on the subject of Blackjack, and he is considered to be the world's best in playing Blackjack.

#2. Edward O. Thorp

Edward O. Thorp is a mathematics professor, a hedge fund manager and still had time to become one the greatest players of all time. Thorp used his knowledge in mathematics and came up with a card counting technique. After he had a tremendous amount of success with his methods, he published a book entitled "Beat the Dealer."

#3. Arnold Snyder

Arnold Snyder is a professional Blackjack player and accomplished gambling writer. Snyder is credited for protecting professional blackjack players' rights; he was a crucial witness in a criminal case that had to do with counting cards. With his testimony, the judge ruled that counting cards were not illegal.

#4. Russ Hamilton

Russ Hamilton is a professional Blackjack and poker player. Although Hamilton is considered one of the greatest blackjack players of all time, he soiled his reputation when he was found guilty of a 22 million dollar scandal with a company Ultimate Bet who hired him for consultant work.

#5. Don Johnson

Don Johnson got his claim to fame after winning 15 million dollars from three casinos within six months by playing Blackjack. Johnson won $800,000 in one hand alone. Although it was determined that he did not count cards, he was still banned worldwide from all Caesar casinos.

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Blackjack Honorable Mentions

Apart from the top 5 blackjack players mentioned above, there are some more legendary players who have left a remarkable impact in the blackjack world; Ken Uston, he was a professional blackjack player and author who took the world of blackjack by storm in the 70s and 80s. Uston used a card counting methods and was ultimately banned from casinos worldwide which led him to file a lawsuit, which he won. the case ruled that players cannot be excluded from casinos for counting cards. He wrote the book Million Dollar Blackjack Before he sadly passed away in 1987.

Stanford Wong was another player who left a mark, by creating a computer software that analyzes blackjack odds. Other honorable mentions include Tommy Hyland, lobbyist of all blackjack players' right, Don Schlesinger, author of "Blackjack Attach: Playing the Pros Way" and Lawrence Revere who invented the blackjack basic strategy card.

Summary

If becoming a professional Blackjack player is on the bucket list, it would be a good idea to look at these ten individuals for inspiration. They all have cemented their names in Blackjack history all for different reasons but still profoundly impacted the world of Blackjack.

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