| The dream of capoting a casino is as old as | | | | Jess Markum also went down to history as |
| the notion "casino" itself. Every gambler | | | | probably the first man thrown out from the |
| wants to win. Every other invents his own | | | | casino because of cards. Though at that time |
| "system". Every hundredth attempts to | | | | casinos did not understand that such system |
| carefully analyze the game. And only the few | | | | existed. Jess lived in Las Vegas for about a |
| of millions succeed. | | | | year. The casino owners exchanged the |
| | | | information when they gathered at the general |
| The most famous achievement in the sphere of | | | | meeting. And they were terrified. After that |
| "system" game against the casino was the so | | | | Markum was not admitted at all Vegas casinos. |
| called "card counting" at blackjack - | | | | He went to Reno. The same story- in half a |
| mathematically based methods of game allowing | | | | year after unbelievable "luck" the casino |
| to get some advantage over the casino. The | | | | owners started making inquiries about the |
| casinos, surely, knows about the existence of | | | | incredible gambler. Then other states and |
| "counters" and are trying to oppose them - | | | | cities. Then Cuba, the Bahamas. Nobody knows |
| from changing the rules to banning the game. | | | | how much money he has won during that time. |
| Sometimes even exceeding the limits of reason | | | | One thing is known for sure- in fact, Jess |
| and legality. In fact, all the history of the | | | | Markum started the war between the gamblers |
| blackjack is the struggle between the | | | | and casinos in blackjack, that is still going |
| gamblers and the casino which is more clever. | | | | on and getting more and more strained. |
| | | | |
| More than half a century passed since the | | | | He did not share his calculations with |
| first attempts of beating the casinos in | | | | anyone, and completely gave up playing |
| blackjack, based not on the marked cards and | | | | against casino after a wide public |
| intuition. There has been a peck of salt | | | | publication of blackjack methods by other |
| eaten since then, but the struggle is still | | | | authors. |
| going on.... | | | | |
| | | | Jess Markum died in 1992, at the age of 72. |
| Mammoth. | | | | |
| | | | The four of Neanderthals. |
| Probably the first person in history who | | | | |
| applied mathematic analysis to the game | | | | The next effort of great influence on the |
| blackjack was Jess Marcum (originally | | | | blackjack math was made in 1956 by the group |
| Marcovitch) was born on 30th December 1919. | | | | of four mathematicians- Roger Baldwin, |
| | | | Wilbert E. Cantey, Herbert Maisel and James |
| It happened at the turn of 1949 and 1950, | | | | McDermott. |
| when Jess, being an excellent mathematician | | | | |
| and physicist-theorist got to Las Vegas. Then | | | | These people had never played in casino |
| his mathematic flair prompted him that most | | | | before, having spent a great number of m/hr, |
| possibly not everything depends on intuition | | | | they created basic strategy of playing |
| in blackjack. | | | | blackjack according to the most popular at |
| | | | that time rules and published it together |
| Marcum started analyzing blackjack. First, | | | | with the calculation methods in the |
| the uniqueness of his attempt is that he | | | | specialized math journal for statisticians - |
| performed absolutely all calculations with | | | | Journal of the American Statistical |
| his pen on the paper, on principle without | | | | Association entitled "The Optimum Strategy In |
| using any technologies whatever weak they | | | | Blackjack". |
| might be at that time. Second he had found | | | | |
| the solution! | | | | They made several slight mistakes in |
| | | | calculations which is nothing serious taking |
| Jess manually developed what is now called | | | | into account their enormous contribution. A |
| basic strategy and counting systems ten years | | | | year later they issued a small book Playing |
| before someone else has done that. He | | | | Blackjack to Win, which is now a bibliography |
| counted that theoretically he had an | | | | rarity. |
| advantage over the casino of about 3% -under | | | | |
| the conditions of that time it was quite | | | | In fact their book and the article did not |
| real. Moreover, Markum had been playing | | | | spark much furor, and remained almost without |
| blackjack in all known to him casinos- both | | | | attention regardless of their innovative |
| in the USA and abroad. His name appeared on | | | | approach. However, the word almost turned out |
| the pages of the newspapers as an example of | | | | to be the key for all the gambling industry, |
| "lucky man" who managed to hit the jackpot. | | | | as someone did paid close attention to the |
| | | | research of the excellent four. |