BlackJack Masters: Semyon Dukach
Semyon Dukach is one of the most notorious members of the MIT blackjack team, and his story is being told in Ben Mezrich’s book “Busting Vegas”. Dukach has an MS from MIT and a BS from Columbia. He is a CEO mentor at the Cambridge Business Development Center and is the founder and CEO of Fast Engines. The “Darling of Vegas” is also banned from every casino in Nevada.
He and his MIT blackjack team are rumored to have made over $4.5M at the blackjack tables in Vegas. The math genius seems to have the Midas touch with everything he does, and now he’s teaching blackjack seminars to anyone who wants to learn how to beat the house. His seminar dates are sporadic and you have to look for them, but they’re well worth the effort. The seminars are open to the public, but anyone affiliated with a casino must pay an $800,000 fee. If they fail to do so they will be sued for three times that amount. He covers the following blackjack categories:
- shuffle tracking techniques
- key-card sequencing
- cut card techniques
- avoiding detection
- basic team play
- getting to the long term
- optimal betting and variance
- basic strategy and card counting recap
He had a recent appearance on ABC Primetime and an interview on CNN where he vowed to share his blackjack knowledge with the public. Other television appearances include a two-hour History Channel feature, a BBC special, and a National Geographic Channel documentary. His current projects include GottaFlirt.com, SMTP.com, and investing in start-ups.
