Busting Vegas: A True Story of Monumental Excess, Sex, Love, Violence, and Beating the Odds

Highly Recommended

Busting Vegas written by Ben Mezrich, is an incredible story about the game of blackjack. It seems almost impossible that the famous Las Vegas game of Blackjack can actually be beat. Semyon Duckach also known as the Darling of Las Vegas, and his geeky team of MIT students figured out systems casinos had never seen before, and couldn't stop. They did this without cheating, without card counting, but by using math. Making over 2 million dollars within the six months of playing, they brought the most famous casinos to their knees. Being a high roller like this not only comes with perks, but also danger. They dealt with drugs, criminals, and the famous back rooms of casinos. Busting Vegas is book all about seven MIT students, and there dangerous adventures of playing blackjack in casinos all over the world. This book is filled with suspense, and mind blowing experiences that these young kids experience. The major themes in this book were money, love, lust, and trust. Their interest in money was what brought all these kids together in the first place, and you can't be doing such a dangerous task with people who you don't completely trust watching your back. I really enjoyed this book, and once I got started reading it, I had a hard time putting it down. I recommend this book to people who like suspenseful, intriguing books. I don't know anything about gambling, or the game of blackjack, but to read and enjoy this book that knowledge is not important. This book is a quick read, but a great book if you enjoy suspenseful novels. This is not Ben Mezrich's only great book, the book he wrote before this was Bringing Down the House. I have not read this book but it gets great reviews and if you like how Busting Vegas was written, I recommend looking into that book as well. I would rate Busting Vegas five stars because I really enjoyed it, not only the story line but how it was written. Mezrich puts in interviews of people who either know Semyon, or a lot about the game of blackjack in the book as well. It puts into perspective of how others viewed him, and even how the casinos felt about everything he and his team did. Overall, I recommend this book to others and give it a high rating.

Great Book-Roller Coaster Read!

Ben Mezrich's novel Busting Vegas is a mesmerizing true story about a few ordinary MIT students whose lives are changed after coming across a flyer stating: "MAKE MONEY OVER THE SUMMER. PLAY WITH THE MIT BLACKJACK TEAM. SATURDAY MORNING, APRIL 12. ROOM262" (Mezrich 19). The formed MIT team traveled around Las Vegas to some of the most famous casinos as well as some well-known casinos in Europe including the Monte Carlo. Using just three techniques, Semyon, Owen, Allie, and Victor took down many casinos making millions of dollars. Although, it wasn't all fun and games; the team encounters countless amounts of trouble on their journey to wealth. Busting Vegas shows us the many consequences that can be created by greed. For example, Owen almost takes his own life after shooting up heroin because of his greed when he loses two hundred thousand dollars of the teams money. Even after having guns pointed at them numerous times, the team cannot back away from their addiction to money and the greed that is eating them alive. I liked this book for a few reasons. Busting Vegas was a very fast ride, with great attention to detail that helped paint an elaborate picture in my mind. I had very few dislikes when it came to this novel. However, it had a bit of a slow beginning which made it kind of difficult to get into but once the pace picked up, it became very difficult to put down. Other than that, it was an excellent read. People who enjoy books that keep you on your toes should be sure to pick this book up. It is an exhilarating ride that will keep your heart racing until the very end. Other recommended works by Ben Mezrich include Bringing Down the House and Ugly Americans. Overall, I think this book deserves a rating of four stars.

Great book

This book is great. It is actually the first book I've read by Ben Mezrich but it certainly will not be my last. I did not think I would like a book about blackjack, not being a gambler and hardly knowing the game, but it was interesting and suspenseful. Mezrich tells the story of Semyon Dukach and puts in recent interviews of different people who know about Semyon or just Las Vegas and gambling in general. This is great and has gotten me interested in blackjack and Mezrich.

this book is different from Bringing Down the House, but even more enjoyable to read

Busting Vegas was truly an entertaining read. When i first picked up the book, i thought perhaps it would be a rehashing of the other story. However, upon reading BV, i learned that it is a totally different story. it takes place all across the globe detailing the story of Semyon Dukach, the Darling of Vegas. His methods for beating the house were entirely different from the original MIT BJ team, and Mezrich clearly explains his three techniques. If you want to learn about these explosive three methods and also how to make your own team, you MUST READ this book! and do it quickly, since casinos are sure to be in hot pursuit of ways to combat them!

Disappointed

After truly enjoying Bringing Down the House, I was excited about Busting Vegas. It was an awefully quick read, and other than the different ways of winning in blackjack, the story seemed too similiar to the first. It was very predictable. I was dissapointed in this one.

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