Al Francesco

rdf:langString Al Francesco

rdf:langString Al Francesco

rdf:langString Al Francesco

rdf:langString Gary, Indiana,U.S.

rdf:langString

rdf:langString American

rdf:langString Al Francesco (born Frank Schipani; December 2, 1933) is an American blackjack player and gambling strategist. Considered to be “The Godfather of Blackjack”, Francesco is recognized as the creator of the team play concept, the “big player” strategy, and the drop card method. Beginning in 1971, Francesco personally recruited and trained disciplined card counters to work together in teams to beat the casinos. Franceso's teams of blackjack players would station themselves at various blackjack tables to count the decks, and when the mathematical odds turned in their favor, the counters would signal a “Big Player” to come to the table and place large wagers until the edge was lost and once again favored the dealer. While most card counters would eventually be discovered by casinos through their betting patterns and banned from further play, Francesco's unique team concept helped his players evade detection and continue winning. At its peak, Al Francesco's team was taking casino trips with up to 22 members, including three “Big Players”: Ken Uston, Bill Erb, and Blair Hull. In 1977, after team member Ken Uston published a book called “The Big Player” which exposed the group and their methods, Francesco and his associates were largely barred from casinos, and the team fell apart. Even though he personally retired from professional play, Al Francesco's system of team blackjack play lived on. It was adopted and replicated with great success by the MIT blackjack team, the Czech team, the Hyland team, and the Greeks team. Francesco's methods were featured in the book , and in the 2008 Hollywood film . In 2002, because of his long and lasting influence on the game, Francesco was inducted into The Blackjack Hall of Fame as an inaugural member.

rdf:langString (Frank Schipani)