John Ferguson: An Outstanding Blackjack Player
Popularly known as Stanford Wong, John Ferguson is one of the most famous, outstanding and skillful gamblers. Ferguson excels in many gambling games, however, he is more popular for his expertise in blackjack. Ferguson uses the pseudonym Stanford Wong when he starts writing books about blackjack and other gambling games like craps.
At the age of six, he starts developing best techniques how to win in tic tac toe. Since then, he continues to show interest in different games, especially in blackjack. At twelve years old, Ferguson starts calculating the odds in playing blackjack. To improve his knowledge in this game, Ferguson reads several highly recommended blackjack books.
Before he reached 21, he is already knowledgeable about card counting. His gambling career began in 1964 while he is still studying in Stanford University. Ferguson continued to improve his knowledge and skills in blackjack until he became employed and became one of the teachers at Stanford University.
Years passed and casinos in Las Vegas introduced new blackjack variation, four-deck blackjack. Since in this variation, casinos use four decks of cards, Ferguson needs to learn more blackjack techniques because his previous knowledge on the game is no longer applicable.
After improving his blackjack skills, Ferguson is ready to play blackjack in casinos in 1975. During this year, he published "Professional Blackjack," a book he wrote to help other blackjack players be knowledgeable about this thrilling game. Years passed, Ferguson published other blackjack books including "Winning Without Counting," "Basic Blackjack" and "Blackjack Secrets."
Aside from writing books, Ferguson also helps other blackjack players by introducing a computer program known as Blackjack Analyzer. Initially, he makes this computer program for his personal use, however, many gamblers find it very useful so he decides to sell the program to other blackjack players.
Because of his great contributions to blackjack, Ferguson is chosen to become one of the starting members of Blackjack Hall of Fame. He continues to help other blackjack players by publishing books and newsletters about the game. Today, Ferguson owns Pi Yee Press, a popular publishing company.
His newsletter "Current Blackjack News," gets the attention of many players in the world. To make the newsletter more accessible to players, he now publishes the newsletter through his Web site, www.bj21.com. Even up to present times, he still shares his knowledge about the game by participating in blackjack tournaments as well as by appearing in some television shows as a gambling expert and analyst. |
