Rain Man is a 1988, IMDB 8-Star, Oscar-winning movie revolving around the emotional journeys of 2 estranged brothers. Charlie (played by Tom Cruise) is a self-absorbed businessman who discovers his autistic older brother Raymond (played by Dustin Hoffman) after their father passes away.
Raymond, known as the movie’s title Rain Man – because Charlie, as a young child, used to mispronounce his older brother’s name – has an unbelievable talent for counting cards.
Now, I say unbelievable but here’s what happens.
Rain Man, with his older brother, rack up a quick win of a whopping $86,000. In one sitting. In a game of Blackjack. Starting with a mere $5,000!
That’s more than 17x their initial amount. A profit of over 1,620%!!
This is the casino scene from the film I am referring to and here’s what’s been going on.
The Casino Scene
The scene starts with a camera panning in on a uniformed person.
Phone ringing in the background. Whizzing sounds of spinner machines. Distinguishable green of familiar tables. Clinking of casino chips. Rhythmic whisper of cards as they’re dealt to tuxedo-clad players in the background.
With a music that gives you the vibes about something intense about to go down. And it most certainly is as we are about to witness an odds-defying entertainment of Blackjack.
2 men enter the scene. 1 young and energetic – Charlie.
The other – Rain Man – doesn’t look like he wants to be there. Like, almost being forced into a chore.
But something’s different about this one.
The undesired, unwanting-to-be-there, attitude gives you paradoxical thoughts.
You are practically absolutely sure things aren’t the way it seem and the Rain Man, even though he doesn’t want to be there, is about to win big.
But HOW?
How is he about to pull this feat?
You’re asking this question just like everyone else, as the scene progresses. They gather around the 2 brothers making win after win at their Blackjack table – just as you predicted!
What’s going on is that the couple has racked up $86k, starting from a mere $5k. That’s what the 1 attendant tells the other at their table. The other one immediately alerts the security team and they start observing the 2 brothers.
They suspect that he’s counting cards.
But the other observer on the big screen camera dismisses it saying that it’s impossible in a 6-deck shoe.
Here’s Why It’s IMPOSSIBLE Counting in a 6-decker Game Of Blackjack
Counting cards in Blackjack is a technique where you keep track of high cards – picture cards and aces – and low cards – 2s and 6s. Now, before you go thinking that you can learn this trick for yourself, here’s some quick Maths for you:
- There are (3×4) 12 faced cards
- +4 Aces
- (5×4) 20 low cards
Adding those up means there are 36 cards in a single deck. (My mind’s already spinning *and we haven’t even gotten to the challenging part yet*.)
See, multiple decks of cards together are called a shoe. So, in the above numbers, of a single deck, go ahead and add another deck.
You are now tracking 72 cards.
Add another – 108 cards. And another – 144 cards. Now, repeat that until you have 6 decks in your shoe.
You’re now keeping track of Two Hundred And Sixteen cards!
Now, you might understand why the security person on the big screen says that he can’t be counting cards because it’s a 6-deck shoe!
Is This Gift All Good, No Bad, No Ugly?
Just for a second, say, we ignore the challenges of autism. The temper tantrum, the obsessive need to follow a routine, challenges in communication. But hey, is it worth it if it really makes you a genius in the casino?
Turns out, we immediately get the answer to this question in the following scene – No.
Rain Man goes to the spin wheel, he claims with a similar surety (from the Blackjack table) that the ball will land on the number 20 – he is “definitely” sure about it.
But it doesn’t…
So, even with the gift of being great with numbers, Rain Man doesn’t become a genius in the casino.
One unambiguous reason for that is, he doesn’t rely on the proper strategy in the casino, or in the game of Blackjack for that matter.
You can find more on bestcasinositescanada.com – the guides, the strategies, and even licensed platforms for playing Blackjack online.
Blackjack With A New Perspective
It’s important to view the Blackjack game with a win-win perspective. You have to start with an entertainment mindset.
Just like you do when you spend your money at movie theatres, sports, gaming, trips, outings, and everything else.
You are looking for entertainment and to have some fun.
And, in the meantime, if you can have a chance to win some cash––why the heck not, right?
Last Words
Rain Man portrays the story of 2 estranged brothers and has several noteworthy ideas. It’s a journey about a selfish, me-first, person as he learns to be compassionate and more caring towards others.
Which is taught to him as he cares for his innocent and autistic, older brother.
Autistic, but he’s also a loving person as we discover that he used to sing and care for Charlie when he was little.
Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman play their characters magnificently in Rain Man and the movie claimed Oscar for the best Screenplay in 1989.
