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Blackjack Hall of Fame Beginnings
The original members of the Blackjack Hall of Fame were nominated by professional Blackjack players who knew and understood the game. Twenty one players nominated different players and advocates of Blackjack who they felt had made an outstanding contribution to the world of Blackjack whether in game or by advice in books and so on. Once there were nominees the listed names were opened to the public on the internet to vote for, for the period of one month and then the finalists were voted for at the Blackjack Ball of 2003. After much deliberation it was believed that for future Blackjack Hall of Fame members, only professional gamblers could vote as they truly knew of and understood the contributions that these players had made to the game of Blackjack.
The Original Seven Blackjack Hall of Fame Members
The original seven Blackjack Hall of Fame members were made up of a mixed group of individuals who had all contributed to the world of Blackjack in one way or another and had achieved outstanding results when playing Blackjack. Al Francesco, a renowned mathematician is accredited as being the creator of team play in order to win Blackjack games. Tommy Hyland was the initiator of the Hyland Team which won millions from many casinos. Edward O Thorp is considered to be the father of Card Counting and is most well known for his book “Beat the Dealer”. Stanford Wong is the author of many authorative books on Blackjack that have become collector’s items and some even sell for up to $2000 a book. Ken Uston, another author is best known for revealing the team play tactics that Al Francesco used and as a result of his book, three famous team playing teams were established: The Hyland Team, The MIT Team and The Czech Team. Arnold Snyder and Peter Griffen who were also part of the original seven Blackjack Hall of Fame members wrote books about Blackjack based on their successful games.
Additional Blackjack Hall of Fame Members
Every year, since its first year, new members have been added to the Blackjack Hall of Fame. The nominees are put forward by existing Hall of Fame members. Each year the nominees are voted for at the Blackjack Ball by other professional gamblers who truly understand and appreciate their accomplishments. In 2004 Keith Taft and Max Rubin were added to the Blackjack Hall of Fame, Taft is best known for his invention of hidden communication devices and other electronic devices that helped him to win many Blackjack games. Max Rubin together with the 2005 winners, Julian Braun and Lawrence Rever are best known for their books and articles on Blackjack. The 2006 winner, James Grosjean is another well know Blackjack author. 2007 saw the manager of the MIT Blackjack team being awarded, Jonny Chang who also wrote many articles and books on his winning theories.
The Four Horsemen of Aberdeen
The latest additions to the Blackjack Hall of Fame are collectively known as The Four Horsemen of Aberdeen who started working out mathematical ways to beat the Blackjack table. Roger Baldwin, Will Cantey, Herbet Maisel and James McDermott were all brilliant mathematicians who started working out their systems using a simple calculator back in the 1950’s and devised systems for beating the Blackjack table based on statistics and card counting. The Barona Casino in 2003 erected a physical “Wall of Fame” for the Blackjack Hall of Fame members and offered them free accommodation , entrance, food and drink to their casino for life on condition that the members did not practice their skills in the casino. For a serious Blackjack player, being in the Blackjack Hall of Fame is the ultimate goal and award of recognition for a lifetime of achievement in the game of Blackjack.
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