Blackjack Legends: Bill Kaplan and J.P. Massar

Bill Kaplan and J.P. Massar formed the basis for what would become the most famous card counting team in history – the MIT Blackjack Team. Interestingly enough, the two Americans met at a Chinese restaurant in Cambridge, Massachusetts of all places. Massar overheard Kaplan talking about blackjack card counting in the restaurant, and walked over to introduce himself, which is where our story begins. Continue reading “Blackjack Legends: Bill Kaplan and J.P. Massar”

Blackjack Legends: Ken Uston and Al Francesco

Two blackjack legends whose legacies are tied together are Ken Uston and Al Francesco. The main reason why Uston and Francesco are linked is because they played on the same blackjack team together. Now most people would consider Uston the more famous out of these two because he went on to write several major blackjack books, and appeared on TV shows too. But it’s still worth discussing both of these blackjack legends in-depth because many within the blackjack community actually consider Francesco more of a prominent figure. Continue reading “Blackjack Legends: Ken Uston and Al Francesco”

Blackjack Legends: Don Johnson

While most blackjack legends become famous for card counting, Don Johnson has etched his name into blackjack history by using conventional strategy to win millions of dollars. By his own admissions, Johnson doesn’t count cards, and claims that many players could beat the house if they had the bankroll to do so. Seeing as how Johnson’s theory on blackjack is so interesting, he’s definitely worth looking at closer. Continue reading “Blackjack Legends: Don Johnson”