James Grosjean started to develop his expertise in how to play blackjack while he was a graduate student in mathematics at the University of Chicago. He is a member of the Blackjack Hall of Fame and he plays blackjack all over the world. He has earned the reputation as one of most dangerous blackjack players that ever existed. James Grosjean was also seen on the televised Ultimate Blackjack Tour that was aired on CBS but it is his legal battles that have made him famous in the gambling community.
In 2005, Grosjean won a legal battle against the Imperial Palace. They were charged for an illegal detention and had to pay Grosjean $599,999. This amount eventually diminished somewhat due to a statutory limit but it nevertheless served as an inspiration to the gaming community as a whole. The other casino beat in court by Grosjean is Caesars Palace. Caesars Palace actually had Grosjean detained for several hours and then sent him to a detention center where he had to spend 4 1/2 days. The reasons for this were all very shady and the fact that Grosjean won in court serves as an example to all casinos that they have to behave with the same kind of integrity as all other businesses. The investigative agency Griffin Investigations was also charged and declared bankruptcy as a result of the litigation.
In 2000 his book Beyond Counting: Exploiting Casino Games from Blackjack to Video Poker was published. It is basically a mathematical analysis of card counting. In it Grosjean discusses the math of partner play, casino dealers and spotters. The book also contains travel tips for gamblers that are moving from city to city in search for a casino they haven't played in. Games dealt with in the book are Craps, Caribbean Stud Poker, Three Card Poker, Let It Ride and Big Six Wheel.
While Grosjean's publication is best suited for the serious player that also has a talent for math it can be of use for anyone interesting in raising their level of casino play. As Grosjean managed to actually legally beat two major casinos it could be interesting to anyone to read the biography part of the book and learn more about him as a person. Among the professional players this has become a must have book as it is said to greatly enhance the gaming.
Grosjean is still an active casino player but for obvious reasons he has to be a bit careful with his appearance as he enters the land based casinos. In fact, he wears a disguise not to be recognized. This is not to say that the casinos fear court cases but rather an expression of the fact that James Grosjean is known to be a very skilled player sure to make some money from the games he participates in.
Grosjean's latest victory is the "the World's Greatest Blackjack Player" award which he won at this year's Blackjack Ball. It is the second time he has won this award. The first time around was in 2004 and it would be no great surprise to see this smart and skilled player score it again.
Tim Arnell