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Rating: 
Summary: A Geekier, Less Ambitious Ocean's Eleven
Review: Bringing Down the House describes a few years in the lives of a handful of cocky, largely socially-clueless MIT nerds who bring their math skills to Las Vegas for enormous profit. Card counting is their game, combined with an elaborate network of aliases, codes, teamwork, and later, disguises. The intracacies of their plan, while not hard to understand, were nevertheless brilliant, and clearly gave them an advantage over the casinos. Their techniques were clearly described in BDTH, complete with analogies and tricks to make blackjack and way to beat its odds even more comprehensible to the non-player.The players got fantastically greedy around the same time the casinos got more sophisticated in their methods of tracking cheats and card counters. You get the impression that main character Kevin Lewis and his gang were very, very lucky not to have gotten in more trouble than described in the book (which amounted to a slap on the wrist, really); and you also appreciate the amazing, disgusting greed that kept the group going back for more despite obscene winnings and warnings that would have scared (socially, not book-wise) smarter people away. Las Vegas, and the nation's casino network, really, became too small a place for their card-counting organization to operate, especially when you learn that MIT operated several teams (and that the tech school wasn't the only game in town, either). Mezrich does a great job of devising dialogue and scene details that clearly could not have been remembered to the same degree. He also adds an element of credibility to the tale by going through some of its subjects' steps himself, such as transporting cash strapped to his person through airport security, and counting a few rounds in a major casino. What he doesn't do, however, is make the reader like any of the main characters- they all come across as phony jerks who slip too easily into slimy alter egos. There are a few times when Mezrich tries to keep "the real" Kevin Lewis separate from his gaming personas, and describe him as winsome in the process, but to no avail. Lewis, Martinez, Fisher, et al. were too convincing in playing slimeballs, and acting like they thought the world was their oyster, to calmly come back to Earth and resume their humble Boston identities. There was also some "David-vs-Goliath" nonsense spouted by the card players, who viewed themselves as valiantly undermining evil corporate casinos as they counted at the blackjack tables. The nobility of their efforts quickly became dubious, though, with each mention of big money spent at strip clubs, steak dinners, and tipping bar doormen. These were all kids of privilege, too, by the sounds of it, and most likely ended up working for the very evil corporate world that they foolishly imagined themselves railing against. Although this story was tightly knit and felt complete, there are some missing pieces that I'm still curious about: who were some of the people responsible for funding the MIT teams (i.e., the providers of the seed money for the gambling excursions)? Who ratted out Kevin Lewis' team, and who was responsible for the shakedowns and threats that scared them away? Why would the players confide in author Ben Mezrich, without fear of retaliation or dragging down anyone else still in the game?
Rating:
Summary: Been done before, but not quite as good as this
Review: Card counting has been a developed technique for winning at Blackjack since the 1960's, and the characters in this book are certainly not the first to succeed at consistently winning Blackjack and taking millions from the casinos. This book is not the first time that such a story has been told. What makes this book different, and in my opinion better, is that the story told here is about the lives of the card counters as they live the Vegas high roller life, not about how to count cards and win. In other words, previous tales of a similar nature have usually been told as sidebars within Blackjack books which are primarily aimed at teaching players how to become card counters. This book actually doesn't teach the reader how to play Blackjack correctly (by counting cards, which is not cheating). By retelling this story in non-anecdotal form, and expanding on the details of the life of a card counter, the author here creates a compelling image of brilliant people who live a double life as weekend gamblers. The most compelling thing here is that most of these players could obtain unimaginable wealth on their own merit as scholars and business leaders, and don't need to pursue this lifestyle in order to have material fulfillment. I don't know of too many poverty-stricken MIT graduates, so why devote so much time to this lifestyle and assume all of its risks? The author comes very close to answering this question, because when the characters experience an adrenaline rush as the story unfolds, I found myself having that same rush right along with them while reading about it. And if I could find a way to experience that rush on a regular basis, I would probably be living this life also. That is what good storytelling does. It transforms readers and creates longing. And this is what will happen to you as you experience the Vegas Bigshot life through this book.
Rating: 
Summary: MIT alum suspects the book itself is the hack.
Review: I enjoyed the book. It's an easy read. The story is engaging. But I question its veracity. If you want to read a gambling story that predates this book, search for localroger's "A Casino Odyssey" at kuro5hin.org. He tells a strikingly similar tale. Stikingly similar. If nothing else, the Web publication of localroger's story -- a year before Bringing Down the House came out -- makes me wonder just how much this author has in common with Jayson Blair. I read through all reviews (160 at this writing). I seem to be the first MIT alum to speak up (although "A reader from Cambridge, MA" is probably also familiar with the school.) I was there in the early 80's. There were rumors about undergraduates who earned their tuition counting cards at blackjack tables. I never met one. I did, however, know some of the authors of a bona fide MIT "hack" book: The Unix Hater's Handbook. "Hacking" (loosely translated as a "prank") is a core and longstanding tradition at MIT. Bringing Down the House smells like another hack to me, but I can't be sure. On one hand, several reviewers have pointed out what appear to be exaggerations and inconsistencies. On the other hand, The Tech, official source of MIT news archived on the Web, published an article titled "Card Counting Gig Nets Students Millions," which essentially confirms the author's claims. It includes quotes purportedly from the people potrayed in the book. On the other hand, The Tech itself is not immune from being hacked. On the other hand, I got confirmation from another alum that Micky Rosa is for real. OK, enough with the hands. There are other elements that leave me with questions. One detail that any MIT alum would include in his account is that MIT students aren't called geeks. We're nerds. N-e-r-d nerd. I realize the author isn't an alum, but he shouldn't have missed that -- he doesn't use the word "nerd" ONCE in the whole book. I was also surprised that googling for '"kevin lewis" MIT' doesn't turn up his real name. Are any of the portrayed characters traceable? To maximize my satisfaction of this tale, I would like to have more assurance that it is true. A fiction writer claiming to write his first non-fiction book simply isn't good enough these days. (Thank you, New York Times, for showing me how stupid publishers can be and for utterly destroying my confidence in writers of all sorts. :-)
Rating: 
Summary: Dont start this book if you have to get up early the next da
Review: I read an excerpt of this book in Wired Magazine and could not wait for it to come out in paperback. I was not disappointed. By now all readers know its about 6 brilliant MIT students coached by a former mathematics professor (Mickey Rosa) into a cool, cunning, and colorful cabal of casino raiders. For anyone who has been to Vegas it will conjur up memories of the flight to the desert, the gaming, the girls, the "high-rollers" and the over the top events that are all part of the magic of Sin City. But the twist here is that the player actually beats the house. Be prepared to be entertained. Though other reviewers were disappointed at the authors style or technical errors, the author develops his story through the narrative voice of one main MIT student(Kevin Lewis). Mezrich's pace, character development, transitions and story-telling ability are evident in just about every page and truly qualify this book as a page turner. Readers who like the "can't put it down suspense" of a Ludlum, will love this book. In an almost surreal aside, as I was 200+ pages into this enthralling book, I looked up to my TV to see none other than the "real" Mickey Rosa winning a Blackjack tournament at none other than the Mohegan Sun Casino. Is truth stranger than Fiction? Read the book and decide for yourself!! Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Easy to Read
Review: This is a fun and interesting book. Nothing too heavy. Just a light, easy to read book - which is sometimes the very best thing. In the same easy to read level of entertainment as "Moneyball" (Michael Lewis), "Stranger Than Fiction" (Chuck Palahniuk), or "My Fractured Life" (Rikki Lee Travolta).
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Summary: If you've ever played blackjack, this is a must read!
Review: This is a truly amazing story of six MIT students who beat Vegas at its own game. As anybody who has ever been to Vegas knows, the ONLY game in Vegas where the player has a slight advantage (using minor card counting techniques) over the house is blackjack. The MIT students in this book took it a few steps further to increase their advantage even more. The research, practice, and other methods they used are quite remarkable. It certainly helped that they were all mathematical whizzes. This book is a lot more than just blackjack, though. It gives an inside glimpse into the life of a high roller (AKA whale in gambling jargon) and even has some suspense and intrigue. This is an absolute must read for anybody who has ever gambled in their life, especially if you've ever played a hand of blackjack. The book is a very fast read and you will find yourself turning the pages very quickly as you are enveloped in a fantasy world that only a handful of people ever get to realize. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Rating:
Summary: A Good, Well-Paced Story, with Some Flaws
Review: You won't be disappointed by this book. It delivers on telling a very interesting story of how a group of nerds (and I use the term affectionately) figured out how to profit from a systematic method of counting cards in blackjack. I enjoyed the main character and his story, and several of the scenes are really gripping. No doubt about it--you will keep reading right through the exciting conclusion of the book. However, the book has a few flaws. One major premise of the book is never really proven, which is that the nerds were ever in any real danger. As a result, the drama is not as taut for me as the writer probably would have liked. Also, as a Boston native, a few editing gaffes really stood out for me. As an example, at one point in the book, Sudbury, MA is lumped together with several blue collar and urban towns. Anyone who knows Boston knows that Sudbury is leafy and wealthy. Such small errors may not bother some, but they drive me crazy. Aside from that, though, the book is worth a read if you are interested in the subject matter or nerds, or both.
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