Ain't It Cool News: The best in movie, TV, DVD, and comic book news.

Quint interviews actual card counter Jeff Ma about his life as depicted in 21!!

Getting Rid of the Asians by Dystopika	Mar 22nd, 2008 03:38:04 PM
The book's a great read. I think it's kind of lame that they scrubbed the Asians from the casting. It's a specific point, that they used a lot of Asians in these teams because Asians were generally less scrutinized in the casinos. But I can also see how this detail was easily lost through the studio/development process.
He's an ass that makes Vegas less fun by skywalkerfamily	Mar 22nd, 2008 03:39:59 PM
Ooh, a card counter. Wow.
AINT IT POKER NEWS!!! by skywalkerfamily	Mar 22nd, 2008 03:46:29 PM
Poker I didn't even know her!!
AINT IT POKER NEWS!!! by skywalkerfamily	Mar 22nd, 2008 03:46:30 PM
Poker I didn't even know her!!
better shirt than the director's by leobloom	Mar 22nd, 2008 03:46:46 PM

Must have been a white shirt sale! by skywalkerfamily	Mar 22nd, 2008 03:48:37 PM

There's an Asian in the trailer by Bobo_Vision	Mar 22nd, 2008 04:06:45 PM
The Asian girl who calls Kevin Spacey, "dude", which causes him to say, "Don't call me 'dude'." Is card counting really something that can be learned? I supposed if you just went to a few casinos and left after making small modest winnings instead of taking it too far, they couldn't really get wise could they?
We need more slot machine movies by skywalkerfamily	Mar 22nd, 2008 04:11:19 PM
Poker movies are old.
It can certainly be done by bullet3	Mar 22nd, 2008 04:16:25 PM
However, Casino's have changed their blackjack rules so that it doesn't work as well, you certainly can't re-do it using the same system the MIT team did (with one person counting and then signaling a second to join the game when its to their advantage). You have to be careful though, because casino's love people who "think" they can count cards, it makes you cockey and lose money.
So this movie is like every episode of Las Vegas by skywalkerfamily	Mar 22nd, 2008 04:17:03 PM

The only thing I know about counting cards... by InstantClassic	Mar 22nd, 2008 04:18:06 PM
Is that Rainman could do it. So I take it this gentleman is an excellent driver.
Well, I've just researched counting cards... by Bobo_Vision	Mar 22nd, 2008 04:37:13 PM
...and pretty much anyone can do it, and you don't have to be a math wizard either. Maybe I'll take a trip to Atlantic City.
so he's not in jail or....dead? by The Amazing G	Mar 22nd, 2008 06:30:18 PM
how?
He's Asian, what are the chances?! by cameron1975willi	Mar 22nd, 2008 07:19:51 PM

The book is great! by FILMFUNK	Mar 22nd, 2008 07:56:47 PM
Remember thinking while reading it it won't be long before they make this into a movie and that was ages ago. I will go see this but it's a shame they Hollywooded it up with pretty actors and didn't keep it real with Harold and Kumar style fuglies like this dude!
Counting is Dead by topaz4206	Mar 22nd, 2008 08:15:34 PM
In Vegas, at least, most places use not only a 6 or 8-deck shoe, but it CONTINUOUSLY shuffles the burned cards back into the shoe, rendering counting moot. Even so-called "single deck" BJ casinos reshuffle after every deal. The last bastions of "player edge" games are poker (of course) when played by someone with immense skill, and "full pay" deuces wild video poker machines, which can return 102% if played with perfect strategy. It won't make you a fortune, but hey... free margaritas!
the book was amazing, this looks like a diet version by BadMrWonka	Mar 22nd, 2008 08:48:01 PM
too much class hollywood tomfoolery...the real story was much more interesting. hollywood as usual is perpetually afraid of venturing far from the traditional story arcs, even as they find success and reward in the movies that actually DO that...it makes no sense. I remember thinking American Beauty was going to change things, and it barely left a mark... and I just realized Spacey is in both...sigh...
a message for AICN by BadMrWonka	Mar 22nd, 2008 08:53:38 PM
AICN, you used to be religious with the spoiler boxes and invisotext, now you barely use them, and you even have a spoiler in the TITLE of the Tropic Thunder review, with a spoiler box around it. very meta, but not too useful. one of the reasons I have always loved AICN is your endless devotion to getting scoops, while all the while respecting the experience of going unspoiled into a movie. who's gonna play a character, makeup, directors, locations, etc, that's all fair game, and when it was spoilerful, you always warned us in case we didn't want tio know. where has that gone? I don't want to know surprise cameos, specific plot points, and I certainly don't want to know specific stuff about the LAST SCENE OF A MOVIE, as you have in this interview, without a single warning. am I the only one that kind of is irked by this? I love you guys, I've been coming here almost since inception, and I'm usually a huge AICN defender. I hate it when people whine about nothing, but I feel this is a legitimate area where you guys are slipping a little. if I'm the only one, I'll shut up. anyone?
Another message to AICN by Mezzanine	Mar 22nd, 2008 10:48:25 PM
If you guys arent going to post anything cool for almost two fucking days, why don't you change the name of the site to "Some days its cool news".
why he is not in jail by Bad LT	Mar 22nd, 2008 10:49:00 PM
Counting cards is not illegal. But if casino's think you are doing it, they will kick you out and ban you. In fact, in many places, if someone is winning consistently and winning big money - because they are a card counter, a skilled player or just lucky for unknown reasons - they will be asked to leave.
ok... by The Amazing G	Mar 22nd, 2008 11:11:30 PM
I want a new story now AICN
Awesome interview by goonie	Mar 23rd, 2008 01:40:42 AM
Don't knock it-- this is a really cool interview. I always wonder about these movies that are "based on a true event" and I want to know how the reali-life people feel about their movie counterparts. I found this to be a pretty cool discussion-- Jeff seems like a decent guy. Thanks Quint!
damn.... by The Amazing G	Mar 23rd, 2008 01:59:15 AM
still no new stories
Hear this.... by Stevie Grant	Mar 23rd, 2008 02:01:30 AM
the actual story is unbelievably awesome. this bastardized version (let's inject all sorts of 'Hollywood' drama to avoid any effort in addressing such nonsense as characters or plot), is just a total crapout. FUCK THIS MOVIE.
Remember Tommy Hyland "Breaking Vegas"? by BlindOgre	Mar 23rd, 2008 04:36:24 AM
This movie looks a lot like the story of Tommy Hyland and his crew, who really pissed off vegas with their card counting in the 80's. Jeff Ma may have pulled the same stunt on vegas, but he did not create the card counting method shown in the trailers. That was Hyland. Hard to tell from the compressed view of a trailer, but the story of 21 looks like a slick modernized version of "Breaking Vegas", which ran on the History Channel ages ago... So, while Jeff Ma may have brought down the house, he wasn't the first.
Did some homework... by BlindOgre	Mar 23rd, 2008 04:50:57 AM
http://www.blackjack.org/profe ssionals/tommy-hyland.html And there appear to have been at least two teams from MIT... all of which followed Tommy's lead.
Bad Mr. Wonka by MRJONZ72	Mar 23rd, 2008 06:49:32 AM
I'm with you on the card counting stuff. I was very irked about this! Not even a remote warning.
Old Interview or favorite shirt? by rxse7en	Mar 23rd, 2008 08:57:15 AM
Last month, Jeff wore the same shirt in an interview he did with a casino mag that I design.
Hollywood still prejudice? by Underoos Hero	Mar 23rd, 2008 11:03:52 AM
I would want someone of my same race to play me in a movie, only for accuracy and some consistency. Just like I would rather see an Asian play this role. But Hollywood still thinks old school. They probably have the old WW2 Bugs Bunny Cartoons playing on loop in their offices. Buncha racist/prejudice hacks...
"I think twelve hundred people can fight in there or something" by DirkD13"	Mar 23rd, 2008 11:29:21 AM
Really? Wouldn't they rather watch the movie?
"I think twelve hundred people can fight in there or something." by Speed Fricassee	Mar 23rd, 2008 11:35:22 AM
Ha! I just saw that, too. If I was Quinters, and I heard that in an interview, I'd have to say "That's cool" as well.
"I think twelve hundred people can fight in there or something." by soup74	Mar 23rd, 2008 12:30:50 PM
Quint, if you're reading this, dont fix the typo. its one of the best things about this interview. (actually, say what you want about card counters, or this movie, but from this interview he seems like a pretty decent guy with a good head on his shoulders)
Hollywood is prejudiced. by Christopher3	Mar 23rd, 2008 12:42:04 PM
Non-card counters playing card counters? I'm insulted. Burn Hollywood burn.
If Hollywood is prejudiced... by Rocklover79	Mar 23rd, 2008 06:46:42 PM
then it is a reflection of today's society. Let's face facts, a kickass movie like Better Luck Tomorrow is released with an all-Asian cast and doesn't exactly set the box office on fire. Make that movie with the cast of the OC and we'd be talking about the sequel right now. If movies starring minorities were pulling in massive bank, you'd see more of them. The general public doesn't go see movies with minorities as the stars EXCEPT for a few expections(Denzel, Big Willie, Tyler Perry flicks, etc.). As much as people like to bitch about the entertainment industry and race, they supply what the general public demands. The general public demands to go to a theater and watch pretty white people with problems. It's that simple.
Rocklover: Okay, yeah, but... by LlGHTST0RMER	Mar 24th, 2008 01:23:03 AM
how many of those minority-driven movies are actually geared toward a mainstream audience? And why do you think Will Smith and Denzel are the exceptions to the rule? Because they do big-budget, widely promoted mainstream movies. So many flicks with a predominantly black or minority cast are specifically made for their minority niche. When movies like "Soul Food" or things like that come out, white people (or even hispanics, asians, fillipinos, etc.) see the ads and say, "I don't need to see that one; I'm not black." And that doesn't mean ANY movie with black actors is only for black audiences - that's stupid - it just means that MANY of the movies with a mostly black cast are about, basically, being black. And that's how the advertising is geared. Now, frankly, I never even heard about "Better Luck Tomorrow," and never saw any promotion for it anywhere. I had no idea it was an all-asian cast movie, but I support the idea of minority actors getting more work in movies and TV, so I'm happy to hear it got made. But was the movie basically about what it is to be Asian in American society? Or did the trailers or ads push the asian angle? If so, I can kind of see why it didn't hit so big. Because I'd much rather see Michael Clayton or No Country for Old Men, which coincidentally are movies with almost all-white casts, instead of a movie that might be culturally edifying to me, but doesn't really speak to me much on a personal level. You know what I'm saying?
LIGHTSTORMER by Rocklover79	Mar 24th, 2008 11:59:33 AM
In regards to BLT, I don't really remember the content of the commercials, but the movie does talk a bit about what it's like to be an Asian-American teen. This isn't the foremost plot point, but it is an important part of the movie. I didn't see any commercials for it besides a few that played on MTV. It's a really kickass movie, and I highly recommend it to you. And I agree wholeheartedly with your statement that any movie with black actors in it most certainly is not solely for black audiences, but, as you said, the advertising does nothing to appeal outside a certain niche. I'm guilty of seeing more films starring white actors, but not because I'm making a conscious choice to avoid minority-filled movies. Bigger films are usually better marketed, and bigger films usually have an all or mostly white cast. That's just the way it is. If I think the film is good, I'll seek it out, race be damned. I'd love to see more diversity in film, but I also don't want to sit and watch a film that I have no real identification with, either. Yes, I DO know what you're saying:)

Talkbacks

Quint interviews actual card counter Jeff Ma about his life as depicted in 21!!

User login

Quick Talkback

Talkbacks