James Grosjean: Gambling and the Blackjack Ball

If you think of card games where legendary players managed to get the better of casinos and casino advantage over the years, Blackjack stands out! The one casino game which is known for its player-friendly rules and strategies that can be used to get the better of the house advantage and win, Blackjack has been the most popular casino game for years now. In fact there were and still, are a number of players who play and win and win big at blackjack. James Grosjean is one such player, and some think of him as the living legend of blackjack. In fact, Blackjack Ball, which holds one of the most prestigious blackjack tournaments in the world, even has a price named after James Grosjean. 

What is the Blackjack Ball? 

Anyone with a knowledge of casino games understands that most of the high paying, prestigious and most lucrative card games happen in secret. One such secret casino game tournament that specifically targets the best Blackjack players is the Blackjack Ball. The most exclusive affair that can be attended only by invitation, the Blackjack Ball was conceptualized by Max Rubin, who is considered to be the veteran of the casino industry. 

An event limited to only 100 participants, it is known for two things: the Best Blackjack Player title and the Grosjean Cup. The title of the Best Blackjack Player is bestowed to whoever wins while the Grosjean Cup is given to the best player in the tournament. As the name suggests, the Grosjean Cup was created in the honour of James Grosjean, but the interesting fact is that he is longer allowed to compete in the Blackjack Ball! 

James Grosjean and his Blackjack Ball successes 

Seeing that there is a trophy based on his last name, it is obvious that James Grosjean is a revered player in the Blackjack niche. So why is he banned from playing? The only reason he is banned is that he is too good at the game; after being either the best or the second-best player every time the Blackjack Ball has conducted the organizers decided to completely ban him from playing to ensure that others get a chance to play and shine. Thus, James Grosjean was banned from the Blackjack Ball because he was too successful a player who wins every time he plays. 

How does he do it? 

The secret of success of James Grosjean as a blackjack player is that he is much more than just a card counter. A Harvard economics graduate he used his education and his knowledge at the beginning of his career to learn card counting and excel in card games. In fact, he made a fortune using the skill, but he didn’t just stop at counting cards. Concentrating on the game of Blackjack he fine-tuned his strategies to such a level that he won every time he played. Finally, he was so successful that he wrote a book titled “Beyond Counting: Exploiting casino games from blackjack to poker”. Thus, James Grosjean is the living legend of casino games, especially blackjack!