Who are the Kings of Blackjack?

It is the most popular casino game available - online and in land-based casinos - and one that has turned the average aspiring cardplayer into a multi-millionaire - we are of course, talking about blackjack. Since its origins in 18th century Europe, the game has evolved into the one we love and play today. Along the way, a number of people have shaped the game and are now considered pioneers of blackjack. But who are the Kings of Blackjack? Read on to find out more.

Edward O Thorp

Thorp is often considered one of the most famous players in blackjack history. A mathematician who developed a fascination with blackjack and notably card counting, Thorp was the author behind Beat the Dealer: the first blackjack book, published in the 1960s.

After using computers to refine his strategy, it was then time to put it to the test. He teamed up with Emmanuel Kimmel, a New York businessman and they took a trip to Reno to play blackjack, using the technique. Their casino adventure proved successful and the pair finished off with over double the money they started with. They then proceeded to visit many casinos in Reno, Lake Tahoe and Las Vegas, before eventually being banned.

As well as blackjack, it's believed that Thorp pioneered advantage plays in other casino games, including roulette.

Ken Uston

A decade later and Ken Uston was on the scene and deemed to be the man that popularised game play. He was a famous blackjack player in the '70s and became widely recognised as a team card counter.

He became fascinated in blackjack and its strategies after meeting Al Francesco and was recruited by the man himself to be part of his 'big player' blackjack team. Despite soon being banned from casinos, he'd don costumes and disguises to conceal his identity and still be able to play.

Uston went on to author The Big Player, which discusses team play card count techniques, and Million Dollar Blackjack, in which he details professional gamblers' techniques for gaining an advantage in the game. More recently, he was the subject of a TV documentary entitled: The Blackjack Man.

Stanford Wong

Stanford Wong was the pen name of John Ferguson, a gambling author and expert. He also introduced a certain advantage known as 'wonging' in the 1980s which involved watching the play without actually wagering money, until it becomes advantageous and then stepping to play, before stepping out again when it's no longer in your favour. Casinos wised-up to this and brought in the 'no mid-shoe entry' rule.

His impressive blackjack resume includes developing computer software programmes for blackjack advantage techniques, and Wong has also published many newsletters and journals for professional blackjack players. Some of his most-famous works include Professional Blackjack, Blackjack Secrets and Winning Without Counting.

MIT Blackjack Team

The MIT Blackjack Team has to be the most famous team of blackjack players of all-time, operating from 1979 to the early 2000s. The team used card counting and other advantageous techniques to win at blackjack, taking on the strategies devised by former MIT lecturer, Edward Thorp.

The first team put together actually tried their luck in Atlantic City and failed, but later that year, a new team was formed and an investor chipped in with funds. This time they were successful and the team grew from there. In 1984, the team consisted of 25 players and this figure doubled by the end of the decade. At various times, there were nearly 30 players playing simultaneously at different casinos around the world.

The MIT Blackjack team's exploits were notably written about in Bringing Down the House by Ben Mezrich, which soon hit the big screen in the form of Hollywood blockbuster 21, starring Kevin Spacey.