Card counting history can be backdated to 1962 the year when Dr. Edward O. Thorp published a book. Beat the Dealer soon was consiedered to be a blackjack counting bible. Many people tought Thorp as father of card counting. When the book appeared in bookshops, card counting increased to high level. Thorp showed which cards are more beneficial for the players and which are more beneficial for the dealer. Casinos were shocked and they urgently changed the rules but players protested.

Finally, rules were restored but in case of casinos catch someone on counting, they ban them from the casino. Card counting had existed for a long time. Before Thorp's book was published, Jess Marcum and Joe Bernstein had successfully used starategies of card counting against the casino. In 1957, Roger Baldwin, Herbert Maisel, Wilbert Canteney and James McDermott developed another system. First, Ken Uston wrote the book Big Player Team. In the book, he told details about how he took part in Al Francesco's team. Later, Uston became perhaps the most famous card counter. Besides Ken Uston and Al Francesco, Tommy Hyland is often mentioned as one of the most famous card counters.

The 70's and 80's were the milestones in the history of card counting because the first computers appeared on the market. With the usage of computers, errors could be reduced. The most famous card counting team was perhaps the MIT Blackjack Team. Some college students decided to try card counting. Their story was published in the book Bringing Down the House. According to the book, they won $400,000 in a weekend in Las Vegas.

Let’s not forget about an IBM technician Julian Braun and a former casino pitt boss Lawrence Revere. They invented several card counting systems. One of Revere's best-known books is Playing Blackjack as a Business. But history of blackjack card counting is just a cat-and-mouse fight between counters and casinos.

Many personal stories can be found on the Internet about card counters. One of them told how they went to Las Vegas with friends for a weekend. Before the trip, he read about casinos and realised that all casino games give the house an edge over the players. He bought a book on card counting as well, learned the rules and studied some systems. Arriving Las Vegas, $40 was in his pocket. A few hours later, his $40 turned to $165 and that was enough to return to Vegas several times in the future. He also learned how the cat and mouse game was going on with the pit boss.

The only risk of card counting is that if casino cathes someone, they can be banned for a lifetime. Although card counting did work in case of this player, he never thought to try to make ends meet on it. Only the joy of the game is important to him.