I have found myself fascinated with the concept of card counting. Apparently, American mathematician Dr. Edward O. Thorp is considered to be the father of card counting. He wrote a book entitled “Beat the Dealer” that outlined various strategies for one to use in the game of blackjack. Various individuals have been incredibly successful in the game of blackjack before the publication of this book. Al Francesco invented blackjack team play and taught Tommy Hyland and the infamous Ken Huston how to count cards. Huston became the subject of a 60 Minutes feature. Teams run by these men, along with various groups from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are said to have earned millions of dollars through blackjack play. The MIT students are the subject of two films: “The Last Casino” and the more recent film “21”. These films, along with many others highlighting the world of gambling have sparked my interest.
Though interested, I’ve never been one to gamble, as I am well aware of its possible consequences. One risks losing his or her hard earned money and can lose much more in what can become a powerful addiction. I am not writing this particular article to expose the dangers and evils of gambling, though they exist. I am writing to make known the hazard of gambling with aspects of one’s life that are beyond money. We are often guilty of giving our effort, attention, love, etc. to anything but God. In Matthew 6:31-33, Jesus tells us to “seek first” the kingdom of God and his righteousness. He tells us to stop worrying about the things that the “pagans seek”. Everything in this world fades and is far from flawless. We need to invest more of ourselves in the sure bet that is our Lord and master. We can discover systems, but in the end everything is meaningless without God.
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