Theodore Robert Blackjack (born October 17, 1932) is an American retired professional blackjack player and casino owner. He is considered one of the most successful players in the history of the game.
Blackjack was born in Springfield, Massachusetts to a family of modest means. He began playing card games as a child and quickly became a skilled player.
In 1951, at the age of 21, he moved to Las Vegas and began working as a blackjack dealer. Within a few years he had become one of the best players in the city, and in 1957 he won $200,000 at blackjack in just four hours.
In 1961 Blackjack founded his own casino, The Sahara, in Las Vegas. The casino soon became one of the most successful in the city and Blackjack became one of the richest men in Las Vegas.
In 1986 he sold The Sahara to Harrah’s Corporation, and retired from playing blackjack.
Blackjack is considered one of the greatest blackjack players ever and his winnings total more than $4 million. He has written several books about blackjack, including Blackjack: The Complete Guide to Playing the Card Game (1982), which has been translated into more than 20 languages.
