Introduction
Dr Edward Oakly Thorp is a math’s genius who beat the dealer and the market. Born August 14, 1932, in Chicago, he has degrees from various US Universities. He is a math’s professor, author, hedge fund manager and a Blackjack researcher.
Dr Edward Thorp used computers to devise a system for uncovering mathematical advantages at the Blackjack table and thereby proving that it was not a game of luck. He subsequently published a book appropriately titled Beat the Dealer. His bestseller laid out a card counting system that remains in use today.
Testing his Theories
Thorp took to Reno, Lake Tahoe and Vegas to test his theories at the local Blackjack Tables. The experimental results proved victorious, and he won $11 000 in a single week. In addition to his Blackjack activities, Thorp also assembled a Baccarat team which was also victorious. He became an instant celebrity amongst Blackjack aficionados.
While working at MIT as a Professor of Mathematics Thorp met Claude Shannon who co-developed the wearable computer which Thorps Blackjack team wore at the casino as they targeted Blackjack and Roulette. Proof if needed that even before mobile roulette apps became oular there was high interest in the casino game. In 1985 with the passing of the Nevada Devices Law the wearable computer got banned from casinos in Nevada.
Thorp also devised the “Thorp Count” which was a method for calculating the likelihood of winning certain end game positions in Backgammon which also turned out to be successful.
In a Nutshell
This Father of card counting and a mathematic genius started a revolution in Las Vegas as well as Wall Street through his card counting techniques and truly changed the game forever. He gambled against some of the greatest gamblers and proved false premise that the house always wins. Thorp’s achievements have led him to become an inaugural member of the Blackjack Hall of Fame.
The Hustler
The Hustler is a 2019 crime drama based on the New York magazine’s 2015 article “The Hustlers at Score.” This film follows a crew of streetwise former strip club employees who band together, turning the tables on their Wall Street clients.
This Hollywood blockbuster stars Jennifer Lopez and Constance Wu and the plot is based on real-life events of the likes of Samantha Barbash and Roselyn Keo who were arrested and charged for hustling their clients but served little to no jail time.
Hustlers the Movie
This group of savvy strippers in New York begin stealing money from their high profile clients like Coe’s and Stock traders by drugging them and running up their credit cards. This plot is thought up when Destiny (Jennifer Lopez) and her protégé find themselves out of a job when the financial crisis of 2007 strikes. The hustle begins proving to be very lucrative for the group. They cut their ties with Moves ( the name of the strip club ) and venture out on their own. Their reasoning was that they would be able to keep all of their earnings.
They become more adventurous, and greed sets in as always, be it gambling or hustling as the outcomes are the same. The more money one makes, the more reckless people become, leading to their downfall. This is precisely what happened to this hustling crime ring. Their initial aim was to hustle the Wall Street Bankers who they believed to be responsible for the 2008 market crash, not hurt and destroy innocent people’s lives.
Conclusion
The Hustler film is more than just a girl’s gone wild movie. It has emotional depth, is funny, sexy, empowering and highlights the fact that no matter who you hustle, every hustle has collateral damage to the victim or the hustler.
