History: The Era Of Thorp

In the early 1960s, a mathematics professor named Edward O. Thorp took the basic method of play that was developed by the four pioneering statisticians (Baldwin, Cantey, Maisel and McDermott) and not only refined it with the use of high-speed computers, but also formulated a strategy that could actually show a positive return at the game in the long run. It was rather primitive, based on keeping a count of the fives in the deck. But it yielded a profit for the player who could follow it successfully.

Naturally, Thorp attracted quite a bit of media attention, and many a newspaper or magazine chronicled the story of how Thorp came about his revolutionary findings which, with the assistance of computer expert Julian Braun of IBM, grew to include a ten count and a point count, similar to that which is used in modern counting systems today. One of those publications was Sports Illustrated, which even talked about Thorp expanding his strategies to include baccarat, which was traditionally a game for high-rollers.

Thorp published his blackjack methods, as well as a detailed account of his practical test for them in Nevada casinos, in a book entitled "Beat The Dealer," a well-written hybrid text/narrative that was so well-received by the public that it became a best seller. The publication of Thorp's book caused a furor among casino operators and officials who had previously been of the belief that no system could possibly gain an edge over the house on a long-run basis. But because Thorp's findings were based on science rather than "magic," and they indeed proved to have a real-world value, many of those associated with casinos were overwhelmed by these new revelations and felt compelled to take counter measures.