A Look At The History of Card Counting
The idea of beating the casino is as old as the concept itself. It is every gambler's desire to make money. Each one devises his own winning strategy.
One of the most popular cheating systems that was developed by man is card counting. This method is designed to give players some edge over the casino. Casinos know that there are card counters and they are against these practices by keeping them off the casinos. Over the years, blackjack origin highlighted the battle between the gamblers and the casino.
The first person who used statistical analysis in the game of blackjack was Jess Marcum. He initiated blackjack analysis in the year 1949 and 1950. What is outstanding is the fact that there was no technology at his disposal and he only used pen and paper.
Today, Marcum's methods are now known as basic strategies. At that time, it was possible for gamblers to have a 3% edge over the casino. Marcum achieved worldwide fame in the United States as well as in other countries. At one time, he even managed to win the jackpot.
Jess Marcum made his stamp in gambling history as the first man banned from casinos because of card counting even though casinos were not aware of the existence of such method. In a general meeting, casino operators shared information with one another. As a result, Marcum got banned in Vegas casinos. He tried playing in Reno and soon after amassing incredible wealth, more casino operators started getting information. Eventually, news leaked in other cities and states, then Cuba, and Bahamas. Nobody had an idea how much Marcum's winnings was. One thing is for sure, he proved that beating the casinos was possible.
In 1956, four mathematicians namely Roger Baldwin, Herbert Maisel, James McDermott, and Wilbert Cantey likewise made use of blackjack mathematics. Although not casino aficionados, they likewise developed basic strategy. They published this in a mathematical journal sponsored by the Journal of the American Statistical Association which they called "The Optimum Strategy In Blackjack".
Their findings had slight errors in their computations which are not detrimental given their large contribution in the field. After a year, they published a small book entitled Playing Blackjack to Win, which is now a collector's item.
Despite its unique approach, the book did not get much attention and was even unnoticed. However, the article in the book turned out to be the key in beating the casinos.
