Breaking Vegas - Mezrich, Ben

For nearly five years, he was known as the 'Darling Of Las Vegas'; the biggest high roller to hit Sin City in decades, a hotshot, twenty one year-old kid with a seemingly unlimited bankroll and an even more unlimited lust for big money action. His name was Semyon Dukatch. Stories swirled in his wake; some believed he was a Russian arms dealer, others believed he was a pop star from Eastern Europe. But the truth was even more unlikely: he was a twenty-one year old graduate student who spoke five languages, was an expert in computers and mathematics, and had a plan that would one day make him richer than anyone could possibly imagine. The Darling of Las Vegas quickly became a legend in the world of cards and casinos. He is the only person banned from the island of Aruba. He was held, at gunpoint, in a cave in Monte Carlo and told that if he ever returned, he'd be murdered. After a death-defying plane crash, he crawled into a burning Cessna - with broken bones in both feet - to rescue four hundred thousand dollars won from an Atlantic City casino. He hit cruise ships, charity balls, wherever there was a game worth beating, anywhere in the world. Along the way, he fell in love with his best friend's girlfriend, was betrayed by his own teammates - and nearly lost his life. This is a startling true story that changed the course of Vegas history, a story in which the stakes have been raised to epic proportions. A tale of monumental excess, sex, love, violence, and statistics, this is the ultimate Vegas story.

Softcover. English. William Heinemann. 2006. ISBN: 9780434014507. 304 pp. Fair/good. Book No: 61550