Don Johnson, the man who has been entered in the Backjack Hall of Fame

Friday, November 11, 2011

The Atlantic City casinos certainly have reason to worry. Their woes are always talked about in North America gazettes and the leakage of money they record that sometimes reach record highs. Certain "high rollers" also represent a potential threat to the casinotiers located in this city that is nicknamed the "Las Vegas of the East". One of these threats has again poked his nose out in recent days; it’s a man, Don Johnson, who with his 15 million in winnings in less than six months has entered the Hall of Fame for best Blackjack players.

The biggest Atlantic City casinos fleeced

Don Johnson is an ordinary citizen of Bensalem, Pennsylvania. Approaching fifty, one would never think that this man has foiled the towers of the biggest casinos on the Eastern Seaboard of the United States. A small shoulder bag, a sweatshirt with a Chicago logo, a simple Nike cap, and black plastic glasses serve as a barrier between his identity as a common man and the sudden popularity that has descended upon him. And yet Johnson, former assistant director of Heritage Development LLC, a Wyoming corporation making interactive programs for horse betting platforms, has actually won more than 15 million euros in less than six months at Atlantic City casinos.

His history is arresting to us and one wonders how such prowess is possible. Cheating? Counting cards? Mathematical technique? Luck? Or perhaps just the genius of a man who has chosen the best of moments to achieve his full potential … In an interview conducted by an Atlantic City daily, Johnson confided to having won exactly $5.8 million in half a day at the Tropicana Casino in April. "I was betting up to $100,000 at a table, but I was losing pretty rarely," he added.

Johnson has not only taken the Tropicana. Caesars has yielded him close to 4 million dollars; the Borgata, for its part, has been forced to write him a check for $5 million following rapacious victories in Blackjack.

The secrets of a talented player, of a genius

"I think it’s luck that has helped me win, rather than my skills in Blackjack," explained Johnson, laughingly. "I haven’t done magic tricks for this to happen. Luck chooses who she wants. I'm just very glad it was me." Johnson, however, confirmed that it was he who lost millions of dollars at the most prestigious casinos in Atlantic City over last six months. Before this avowal, the identity of the person had been a real mystery.

"It’s happened that I have lost money, of course. I don’t wear a bullet-proof jacket," he exclaimed in all honesty. "I’ve lost quite a bit of money in between games, that goes without saying." The man began playing Blackjack fifteen years ago, but still does not claim to be a professional player. At the time, he would never have bet more than twenty-five dollars. Today, this "high roller" counts among the ranks of the best players in the world, although one would have difficulty fitting him with the image of a celebrity. He owns neither an Armani shirt or Bruno Magli shoes. He does not wear a collection of watches or gold-studded jewelry. Don Johnson prefers sportswear, t-shirts, jeans and baseball caps.

Besides that, the individual is humble and revealed to us the secrets of his colossal winnings. "The casinos beat the players in the long run because they don’t have a large enough bankroll," he explained. "I think I have made a difference simply because I had a solid bankroll. When you have money, you can easily score big hits." Johnson also guaranteed that a good knowledge of mathematics enabled him to rise to the highest levels. He is probably right. A team composed of blackjack students from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has written a book, Bringing Down the House, and produced a film, 21. One can see that these students consistently beat the dealer by using mathematics.