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21
21 is the real-life story of how a team of MIT students learned how to beat the casinos at blackjack and take them for a ton of money...
21 lacks any real substance or significance, it's light and breezy and isn't excellent in any area, but nonetheless you're almost certain to enjoy it. I enjoyed this film: I think the average moviegoer will enjoy it: Testosterone Satisfaction Rating: To enjoy this film you should: have at least a passing interest in cards.
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OK, it's not really real-life. Yes, there was a team of MIT students who learned how to count cards and won hundreds of
thousands at casinos, and that's who the book was written about (look out for Jeffery the dealer - he's
a member of the real team) - but the film drifts from the truth significantly in the
interests of Hollywoodization. They do, however, explain the technique of card-counting pretty well, even if they
simplify it for cinematic audiences and don't really tell us why it works. The idea, in case you're interested,
is that by keeping track of which cards have been dealt, you can make a better guess at whether a high or low card is due
to be dealt next, and adjust your strategy accordingly. This takes the probability of winning from just under 50% to just
over 50% - so if you repeat this a gazillion times, you're bound to make a profit in the long run (this is
how casinos make money in the first place).
And you know, it's bloody clever how they make it look like anyone could count cards and clean up.
These casinos are sneaky bastards. If they wanted to eliminate card-counting, all they'd have to do is use
batches of 1000 packs of cards mixed up, instead of just a handful, then the card-counter's advantage would evaporate
instantaneously. So why don't they do that? Because card-counting is not only very difficult (it requires 100%
concentration, 100% of the time), its profit margins are very small. Most people who try it will end up losing money and
whenever someone starts winning regularly, the casinos are perfectly entitled to kick them out. So it's in the interest of
casino operators to make people think they can win by counting cards, give it a go and lose. Sneaky, clever bastards.
As for the movie, I rather enjoyed it. Some of the minor details of the plot don't really hang together, but they don't
damage the overall feel excessively. Kevin Spacey is always good value, lending his dour presence as required, and Jim
Sturgess successfully hides his English roots to make a satisfactory if unremarkable lead, with Kate Bosworth (Lois Lane
in
