Ken Uston is the closest thing blackjack has to a celebrity icon. Born Kenneth Usui, Uston was an Ivy Leaguer who had been the vice-president of the Pacific stock exchange when he met Al Francesco at a party. Francesco had been taking teams of card-counting blackjack players to beat the casinos with techniques that were unfamiliar to the general public. Shortly after this meeting, Uston joined Francesco's team and started his journey to becoming a blackjack professional.

Playing for Al Francesco

Uston caught on quickly and found great success, working his way into every role, including the "Big Player." This player took the appearance of a high roller while getting signals from counters as to where he'd be in the best position to make a large bet and win. This group's success was dependant on precision and communication. "Foot soldiers" would be at tables, playing for small stakes and counting cards until they could call in the BP. If the BP did his job right, he looked like he was throwing money away and no one in the pit would even suspect that he was part of a counting operation.

Starting his Own Team

After quitting his job with the Stock Exchange, the Ken Uston blackjack teams were formed. Ken Uston blackjack teams spanned the globe, looking for the best opportunities to win big. The millions of dollars that they won funded Uston's lavish lifestyle, for which he became recognized. He documented his exploits in The Big Player, a narrative which was almost made into a movie. Years later, the book "Bringing Down the House" was adapted into the movie "21," which detailed blackjack team play and betting techniques that were very similar to those used by Francesco and Uston.

Beyond setting up the Ken Uston blackjack teams, Uston was also responsible for designing advanced blackjack betting systems like the Uston Advanced Point Count, Uston SS Count, and the Uston Advanced Plus-Minus. Ken Uston is a legend in the blackjack world, and will probably be for many years to come.