Famous Blackjack Card Counter Larry Evans Dies at 78

By Keila Brown | 7th December 2010 | Blackjack News, Casino Game Updates

Larry Evans, blackjack and chess grandmaster extraordinaire, passed away at 78 in Nevada. Larry who’s gaming skills excelled in both chess and blackjack was a rare type of gamer, not only did he conquer the title of Chess Grandmaster in the height of his career winning or sharing the U.S Chess Championship 5 times and the U.S Open championships 4 times but also he wrote a long-running syndicated chess column and wrote or co-wrote more than 20 books on chess thus becoming the U.S. State Department’s “chess ambassador”.

This would be an accomplishment of a life time on its own but Larry was also a blackjack card counter. His great logic and mathematical gaming mind made him excel in counting blackjack cards way back in 1968 before card counting came into fashion refining his memory and making some extra cash playing blackjack at Reno casinos.

There are only so many “moves” in blackjack that can be memorized, it’s not like chess openings, there are number of hands are possible before the player exceeds 21 or better known as ‘going bust’. Also, by tracking the number of “ten cards” that remain in the deck, players can decide on whether to raise their bets or not. With blackjack online it is impossible to card count as there is a random card regenerator system.

Not like chess, blackjack cards counters don’t have much more of a career once fame is achieved. They are doomed to casinos banning their entry and placed on black lists. This was the case of Evans; he was banned from all the Las Vegas casinos and even in the world.

Larry died last month from gallbladder surgery complications in a hospital in Reno, Nevada.