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Busting Vegas
- The MIT Whiz Kid Who Brought the Casinos to Their Knees
- Narrated by: Ben Mezrich
- Length: 5 hrs and 48 mins
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Busting Vegas
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Editor reviews
The narrative drive that moves this audio along is the true story of a team, assembled by an MIT math whiz, that used three complicated techniques to tilt blackjack odds in their favor and win a pile of money. The accomplished writer of this fascinating story has a previous book on gambling strategies, as well as some well-received fictional titles. His attention to setting and nuance of behavior are vivid and immediate; they rivet the listener to a story line that's already as fascinating as any you'll hear. As narrator, the author is likable and easy to listen to. His brief interview at the end is a bonus for anyone interested in the writer's craft.
Summary
Semyon Dukach was known as the Darling of Las Vegas. A legend at age 21, this cocky hotshot was the biggest high roller to appear in Sin City in decades, a mathematical genius with a system the casinos had never seen before and couldn't stop, a system that has never been revealed until now; that has nothing to do with card counting, wasn't illegal, and was more powerful than anything that had been tried before.
Las Vegas. Atlantic City. Aruba. Barcelona. London. And the jewel of the gambling crown, Monte Carlo.
Dukach and his fellow MIT students hit them all and made millions. They came in hard, with stacks of cash; big, seemingly insane bets; women hanging on their arms; and fake identities. Although they were taking classes and studying for exams during the week, over the weekends they stormed the blackjack tables only to be harassed, banned from casinos, threatened at gunpoint, and beaten in Vegas' notorious back rooms.
The stakes were high, the dangers very real, but the players were up to the challenges, consequences be damned. There was Semyon Dukach himself, bored with school and broke; Victor Cassius, the slick, brilliant MIT grad student who galvanized the team; Owen Keller, with stunning ability but a dark past that would catch up to him; and Allie Simpson, bright, clever, and a feast for the eyes.
In the classroom, they were geeks. On the casino floor, they were unstoppable.
Busting Vegas is Dukach's unbelievably true story, a riveting account of monumental greed, excess, hubris, sex, love, violence, fear, and statistics that is high-stakes entertainment at its best.
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What listeners say about Busting Vegas
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
- Colin
- 14-06-08
Interesting story, well written and well read
The author writes fiction as well as non-fiction, and as he says himself in the interview which is included in the download, his non-fiction reads like fiction. This book reads like a well written novel, with a good balance between narrative and vivid description which makes the story more enjoyable. The story and the characters are interesting, the more so because it is a true story. It well deserves 4 stars.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Number One
- 05-12-13
all night page turner...................
Where does Busting Vegas rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
A study no one imagined with the lure of apple for Adam.
What did you like best about this story?
All the ingredients of your wildest dreams.
Which character – as performed by Ben Mezrich – was your favourite?
Ben relates all the characters so well you can step mentally into the plot.
Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
This tale makes you wish you could shape shift and join the gang.
Any additional comments?
Makes me wonder what next and should I delve into what before..............
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- max
- 02-01-20
good adventure
great true story, well performed and written. The cheesy unnecessary musical interlude let it down on the production side though.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Mr
- 01-12-15
Great story shame about the narrator
Where does Busting Vegas rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
I would say this book is worth a listen for the story alone. It is a pity that the narrator's voice is extremely monotone and went through me a little by the end.
Who might you have cast as narrator instead of Ben Mezrich?
Anyone with a little charisma to their voice as the intonation was pretty poor
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
No
Any additional comments?
Don't let the narrator put you off you purchasing this book as the factually based story of this MIT group attempting to take the big casinos for all they're worth.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- jeffrey
- 17-07-15
No one busted Vegas, vegas busted them
If this book wasn’t for you, who do you think might enjoy it more?
I was expecting some interesting explanation of a complex scam that netted millions of dollars. Instead I got something that sounded like something the author was making up as he went along. There is no excitement, no intrigue, no insight into the mechanical aspects of how these people were supposed to have "busted vegas"
What was most disappointing about Ben Mezrich’s story?
it was dull, it was boring, nothing happens except everywhere these people go they get kicked out within an hour or beaten up. No casino lost anything as far as i was able to tell.
Any additional comments?
not recommended
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