Blackjack is one of the world’s most popular casino games. It’s easy to play, sociable, and has a relatively low house edge. Once you have a basic understanding, it’s a simple game to learn. While the game does come down to luck, there is a skill element involved. We’re going to be looking at some of the best blackjack players in the world.
- Who Are the Best Blackjack Players in the World?
- The Best Blackjack Players Ever
- Don Johnson
- Bryce Carlson
- Henry Tamburin
- Stanford Wong
- Russ Hamilton
- Frequently Asked Questions
The Best Blackjack Players in the World
The best blackjack players in the world have all managed to master the game – and win a lot of money – by honing their talents and utilizing a wide variety of techniques to beat the casinos. If you’d like to play blackjack online you too can have a chance of following in their footsteps!
Who Are The Best Blackjack Players Ever?
The best blackjack players ever come from all walks of life, and they all used their own unique techniques to gain an edge over the casinos. Some utilized techniques like card counting, while others took advantage of overly generous bonuses and promotions offered by land-based casinos. Below, we’re going to take a look at the best blackjack players in the world! If you feel inspired by their stories you can try your luck at the top blackjack sites in NJ.
Don Johnson
Don Johnson is widely regarded as being the best blackjack player in the world. He’s known for his six-month winning streak at three casinos in Atlantic City, where he managed to win more than $15 million. Johnson took advantage of rebate and cashback promotions that casinos were offering to get players back in after the financial crisis of 2008.
One of Johnson’s most notable hands was when he bet $100,000 on a single hand. The dealer dealt him two eights, and he chose to split them. The next two cards dealt were also two eights, and he opted to split them again.
He then doubled both hands – after being dealt a two and a three – and the dealer went bust, earning Johnson a profit of $800,000 on a single hand! While Johnson enjoyed huge success during the six months that he played blackjack, casinos weren’t so keen on this technique.
While he didn’t break any laws or breach any rules, he was banned from many casinos in Atlantic City. Some brands, such as Caesars Entertainment, even went as far as banning him from all their gambling properties around the world!
The money won by Johnson is a lot, but not the most won by a player. Check out a few other huge blackjack wins below:
| PLAYER | WINNINGS |
|---|---|
| MIT Blackjack Team | The MIT Blackjack Team won over $50 million using their math skills and a highly effective card-counting strategy. |
| Kerry Packer | The Australian whale won $40 million in one hour playing high-stakes blackjack. |
| Dana White | The UFC boss won $2 million playing blackjack over a three-month period. He is banned from several casinos. |
| Shoeless Joe | A shoeless man entered a Vegas casino and walked away with $1.5 million, after starting with just $300. He played blackjack and his name is unknown. |
| Michael Geismar | Played blackjack over breakfast at the Bellagio and won $470,000 after starting with $300. |
Bryce Carlson
Bryce Carlson is recognized as being one of the top blackjack players in the world, and he’s also the author of Blackjack for Blood. He started playing the casino table game back in the 1970s, and by discussing various strategies with other top blackjack players, he managed to become a true pro.
He used several underhand tactics and strategies to consistently beat the game, including card counting, team play, and concealment. While he usually managed to get away with his escapades, he would occasionally be caught and banned from the casino he was playing in.
One of Carlson’s most notable blackjack feats was when he endured a losing run of 47 hours. It took him a further 141 hours to be able to reclaim his winnings. He’s reported as saying that his favorite hand he played was a $200 hand at the well-known Las Vegas casino, Excalibur.
Henry Tamburin
Henry Tamburin is another well-known blackjack author, who wrote the book Blackjack: Take the Money and Run. He stated that his love for the game began when he was in grad school. According to Tamburin, after losing a lot of money, he became determined to win back all his losses.
Coming from a math background, Henry Tamburin was able to grasp the concept of card counting quite quickly. He used this ability to count cards in conjunction with conventional blackjack strategies to consistently beat the tables in popular casinos around the world.
Henry Tamburin even appeared on CBS, competing in the Ultimate Blackjack Tour competition. Today, he’s an editor and publisher of the Blackjack Insider Newsletter which goes out on his website, Smart Gaming.
Stanford Wong
Stanford Wong is widely recognized as being one of the best blackjack players in the world, and like the two previous names we’ve looked at, he’s also a published author. He wrote the book Professional Blackjack, and Stanford Wong is his pen name; his real name is John Ferguson.
Stanford Wong started to play blackjack in graduate school, and his first book was released in 1975 when he was still a student at Stanford! In addition to this book, he also developed Blackjack Analyzer – a piece of software that automatically analyzes and calculates blackjack odds.
Stanford Wong rose to fame when he organized a team of six players in 1985. Together, these players worked with one another at the table, and managed to win just over $200,000! Since this feat, Wong has published some 15 different gambling manuals, all focusing on the math behind the games and the optimal strategies to win.
Russ Hamilton
Russ Hamilton is a controversial figure in the gambling world. While he’s been a successful poker and blackjack player, he was also involved in the Ultimate Bet scandal. However, that’s a topic for another day, as today, we’ll be focusing on his blackjack achievements. While Hamilton initially started out with poker, he became more interested blackjack.
While gambling in Vegas, Hamilton met fellow blackjack players and started to compete in tournaments. However, once casinos started to phase out blackjack tournaments, Hamilton briefly went back to playing professional poker. Just a couple of years later, however, he returned to blackjack, creating the “Elimination Blackjack” tournament.
Some critics argue that Russ Hamilton only went to blackjack as he was largely ousted from the poker community. However, he’s stated that he has a genuine love for the game, although he’s also enjoyed a successful poker career.
Frequently Asked Questions
By now, you should have a good idea of who the best blackjack players ever are. We’ve covered five players on this page, all of whom enjoyed major success at the table. However, if you have any additional questions, we’re going to aim to answer them in the FAQ section below.
Who’s the best blackjack player in the world?
The best blackjack player in the world is considered by many to be Don Johnson. During a six-month spree at three casinos in Atlantic City, he won more than $15 million. He managed to win this much by having a thorough understanding of the game, combined with claiming special cashback promotions, giving him an edge over the casinos.
What makes a good blackjack player?
The biggest way that a blackjack player can gain an edge over a land-based casino is through card counting. This is a strategy used to keep track of the ratio of high to low cards. It helps players determine their chances of winning and adjust their bets accordingly. It’s not illegal, but casinos may ban players who are caught. This is used by Bryce Carlson.
What is Stanford Wong’s real name?
Stanford Wong, the gambling author who is best known for his book Professional Blackjack, is actually called John Ferguson. While he hasn’t talked publicly about the reason for using a pen name, Stanford University is where he attended school, majoring in mathematics. He’s won hundreds of thousands of dollars playing blackjack and has written numerous guides on how to play.
What happened with Russ Hamilton and Ultimate Bet?
Russ Hamilton used to be a well-known name in the poker world. However, while working for Ultimate Bet (a poker website), he was embroiled in a controversy involving cheating. According to federal prosecutors, the Ultimate Bet team played with “Super User” accounts, letting them view players’ hole cards. Hamilton was shunned from the community and is rarely seen in public today.
Who appeared on CBS’ “Ultimate Blackjack Tour” TV show?
When CBS held their “Ultimate Blackjack Tour” TV show competition, it featured several semi-high-profile gambling celebrities. However, the most recognizable was Henry Tamburin. Tamburin made a lot of money playing blackjack, and his math background allowed him to utilize card counting techniques to gain a significant edge over the land-based casinos that he played in.
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