The casino game everyone thinks they can beat.
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Prologue
Host Ira Glass and producer Robyn Semien get a blackjack lesson from Andy Bloch, who played for the MIT blackjack team. He teaches them the basics of card-counting, the technique that gives players an advantage against the house — enough of an advantage that most casinos will ask you to leave if they catch you doing it. (9 minutes)
Render Unto Caesar's Palace What Is Due To Caesar's Palace
Jack Hitt tells the story of the Christian card counting team featured in the documentary Holy Rollers, and why they see no contradiction in being devout Christians who spend their days in casinos. Jack is the author of the book Bunch of Amateurs. (18 minutes)
Harrah's Today, Gone Tomorrow
Producer Sarah Koenig tells the story of a woman who sued the casino where she lost her inheritance, saying that it was to blame, not her. The story was inspired by a chapter in The Power of Habit, by Charles Duhigg. (25 minutes)
Related
Act Two: Does This Suit Make Me Look Terrorist To You?
Act Three: Slingshot
Act Two: Whose Idea Was This Anyway?
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