Tilton Nathaniel - The blackjack life: a journey through the inner world of card counting, the lessons of teamwork, and the clandestine pursuit of beating the odds

The Blackjack Life

Published by

Huntington Press

3665 Procyon St.

Las Vegas, NV 89103

Phone (702) 252-0655

e-mail:

Copyright 2012, Nathaniel Tilton

10-ISBN: 1-935396-97-8

13-ISBN: 978-1-935396-97-0

Cover Photos: Poker table: Kgelati1 | Dreamstime.com; Cards:

James Knopf | Dreamstime.com

Design & Production: Laurie Cabot

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be translated, reproduced, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the express written permission of the copyright owner.

The Blackjack Life

A journey through the inner world of card counting, the lessons of teamwork, and the clandestine pursuit of beating the odds

Nathaniel Tilton

HUNTINGTON PRESS

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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA

Opportunities multiply as they are seized.

Sun Tzu, The Art of War

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This book is dedicated to my remarkable wife, Celeste. You inspire me to my core and I love you so much.

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The Blackjack Life is based on my real-life experiences through the enigmatic and oft-misunderstood world of professional blackjack. Due to the nature of the events outlined on the pages that follow, and for the protection and privacy of others, Ive altered the identities of some (though not all) of the people I describe. Most of these changes are immaterial to the true account of my life as a card counter and my personal journey. They were made out of respect to those friends, foes, or otherwise, who requested to remain anonymous or whose identities did not need to be referenced. Also, in an effort to safeguard our playing system for future use, Ive made some adjustments to the methods we employed, primarily in terms of the communication we used while working the tables. Finally, for those aspiring to organize a small team, I urge you to note any strategies and decisions that we ultimately decided were costly to our advantage or longevity, and focus on those that we continued to employ as our system evolved. The purpose of this book is to prove that true growth isnt an isolated event, but an ongoing process.

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I dont believe its possible to properly thank the many people without whom this book would not have been written. Ill be forever indebted to the blackjack community as a whole for the support and generosity that its given me. Having explored and studied the wealth of information on the subject, I did my best to acknowledge many of the blackjack contributors, past and present, throughout this book. I would also like to recognize the many genuinely nice people Ive met in casino pits across the country, with some of whom Ive established authentic friendships.

A huge thank you goes out to Semyon Dukach, who was the first to introduce me to advantage blackjack. It changed my life at the time, and our friendship continues to positively impact me today. You create clarity in the lives of others by articulating the simplicity in seemingly complex situations. The most significant of all of your lessons has been that success isnt measured only by wins and losses, but by the passion we have in all that we do. I have a tremendous amount of respect for what you did as a player, but I have an even greater reverence for who you are as a person.

To Mike Aponte and all the players I had the pleasure of learning from or playing alongside as teammates, you were all an important part of my journey, and no matter what paths weve taken since, I sincerely appreciate the time we shared.

To Richard Werthamer, thank you for taking the time to tediously review my manuscript and point out ways to tighten the text or give thought to a particular idea or message. Your own work on the science of the game far exceeds my comprehension of the subject, so Ill just take your word for it.

To Anthony Curtis and all of the very talented people at Huntington Press who believed in my work and helped bring it to life, this book is more than just a journey through my blackjack career; it represents my foray into the world of publishing and you helped make that experience a great one. I am incredibly humbled to be represented by such a world-class organization.

To Arnold Snyder, one of the all-time great blackjack players and writers, thank you for your thoughtful care in reviewing and editing my manuscript. Your insight was beyond valuable and Im so fortunate to have had this opportunity. It has been an honor to collaborate with a true legend. Thank you for all of your hard work.

To my playing partner and great friend, D.A., your commitment to the craft is exceptional and working with you has been an amazing experience. None of this would be possible for me had our paths not crossed on that day back in Boston. You are a true friend and I owe you the greatest debt of gratitude.

Id also like to acknowledge Joe, my high school English teacher, for his support over the past 20-plus years, and especially in the context of my experience writing this book. To George and Mariette, who encouraged me to put pen to paper and then supported me throughout the process, and to my business partner, Todd, who kindly allowed me to generate alpha outside the office as well as in it, I am grateful beyond words. To my longtime friend and creative writing partner, Cleveland D, the MI Posse may have a new look these days, but its still in full effect. To Bob, your ongoing sage advice and loyal friendship are appreciated more than you know. To my wonderfully caring brother, Shaw, thank you for the countless hours you spent practicing with me and expressing enthusiasm for the craft. To the friends and family who have been there for me when Ive been down to the proverbial felt, you always provide what I need to get back up after being knocked down.

To my dear son, Caden, remember these three truths: you can achieve whatever you want to achieve; you can become whomever you want to become; and I will always love you.

Finally, to Celeste, thank you for encouraging me throughout my playing trips and practices, as well as my marathon writing sessions and the publishing process. Since the beginning you have let me be me.

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by Semyon Dukach

Former MIT blackjack team player

Sometimes I try to imagine what my life would be like today if I hadnt been introduced to the game of blackjack in 1992. It seems like such a long time ago. I was a just a kid, really. I was navigating the campus at MIT, trying to make a Ph.D. thesis out of the idea that the Internet could be used for buying things. Then I met the guys running the MIT blackjack team, and my life has never been the same. As a result, I grew from a young graduate student into The Darling of Las Vegas, a card-counting whiz kid featured in the book Busting Vegas, by Ben Mezrich.

Today, I am the chairman of a successful technology company, SMTP.com, and Im actively involved in several other boardrooms around the globe. When Im not looking for an edge in the corporate world, Im staying busy with my wonderful wife and children. Suffice it to say, my life has very little down time.

On most days, blackjack is nothing more than a distant memory. That is to say, the glamour of stretch limousines, private jets, and high-roller suites are all images of the past. Two things I took away from blackjack, however, continue to impact my life today. The first is the business sense that I acquired as a manager of the MIT blackjack team. After all, that is exactly what it was, a business. People invested in our organization, we applied our business processplaying blackjack with an advantageand everyone involved profited.