'Blackjack', an ace and a face card or ten, is the top scorer. Blackjack usually pays a bonus. Five cards adding to 21 or fewer is the next ranking hand. Apart from that, unbusted hands rank by total add-up. Hands below the dealer's hand lose unless the dealer goes over 21 (busts). Hands equal to the dealer's keep their chips. The name came into existence because prospectors used the term ‘blackjack’ to describe the bonus you get after making 21 from two cards. Arkadium has the best online blackjack game Blackjack is a truly iconic game — the ultimate casino challenge — and Arkadium has the best online blackjack game.

21 is a 2008 American heistdrama film directed by Robert Luketic and starring Jim Sturgess, Kevin Spacey, Laurence Fishburne, Kate Bosworth, Liza Lapira, Jacob Pitts, Aaron Yoo, and Kieu Chinh. The film is inspired by the true story of the MIT Blackjack Team as told in Bringing Down the House, the best-selling book by Ben Mezrich. Despite its largely mixed reviews and controversy over the film's casting choices, 21 was a box office success, and was the number one film in the United States and Canada during its first and second weekends of release.

Plot[edit]

Ben, a mathematics major at MIT, is accepted into Harvard Medical School but cannot afford the $300,000 tuition. He applies for the prestigious Robinson Scholarship which would cover the entire cost. However, despite having an MCAT score of 44 and high grades, he faces fierce competition, and is told by the director that the scholarship will only go to whichever student dazzles him. Back at MIT, a professor, Micky Rosa challenges Ben with the Monty Hall Problem which he solves successfully. After looking at Ben's 97% score on his latest non-linear equations test, Micky invites Ben to join his blackjack team, which consists of fellow students Choi, Fisher, Jill, and Kianna. Using card counting and covert signalling, they are able to increase their probability of winning while at casinos, leading them to earn substantial profits. Over many weekends, the team is flown to Las Vegas and Ben comes to enjoy his luxurious lifestyle as a so-called big player. The team is impressed by Ben's skill, but Fisher becomes jealous and fights him while drunk, leading Micky to expel him. Meanwhile, the head of security, Cole Williams, has been monitoring the team and begins to turn his attention to Ben.

1. Catch 21 is an American game show broadcast by Game Show Network (GSN). Created by Merrill Heatter (who also produced the show's predecessor Gambit), the series follows three contestants as they play a card game centered on blackjack and trivia. The show is based on a popular online game from GSN's website and aired for four seasons from 2008.
2. The Boeing Insitu RQ-21 Blackjack, formerly called the Integrator, is an American unmanned air vehicle designed and built by Boeing Insitu to meet a United States Navy requirement for a small tactical unmanned air system (STUAS).5 It is a twin-boomed, single-engined, monoplane, designed as a supplement to the Boeing Scan Eagle.5 The Integrator weighs 61kg (135lb) and uses the same launcher.

Ben's devotion to blackjack causes him to neglect his role in an engineering competition, which estranges him from his friends. During the next trip to Las Vegas, he is emotionally distracted and fails to walk away from the table when signaled, causing him to lose his earnings of $200,000. Micky is angered and quits the team, demanding that Ben must repay $200,000. Ben and three of the students decide that they will continue to play blackjack without Micky, but they are caught by Williams, whom Micky tipped off. Williams beats up Ben and warns him not to return.

Ben learns that he is ineligible for graduation because his course taught by an associate of Micky's is marked as incomplete (with Micky's influence, the professor initially gives Ben a passing grade throughout the year without him having to work or even show up to class). Furthermore, his winnings are stolen from his dormitory room. Suspecting Micky, Ben confers with the other blackjack students, and they persuade Micky to make a final trip to Las Vegas before the casinos install biometric software. The team puts on disguises and returns to Planet Hollywood, winning $640,000 before they are spotted by Williams. Micky flees with the bag of chips, jumping into a limousine, but realizes it was a setup when he discovers that the chips are fake. It is revealed that Ben and Williams made a deal to lure Micky to Las Vegas so that Williams may capture and beat him, because Williams has past grievances against him. Williams proceeds to hold Micky hostage and subject him to beatings. In exchange, Williams allows Ben to play for one more night in Las Vegas, enjoying immunity from capture. However, as Ben is leaving with his earnings, Williams betrays him and takes the bag of chips at gunpoint. Ben protests, and Williams explains that he needs retirement funds, whereas intelligent people like Ben will always find a way to succeed. However, Ben's long-time friends (with whom he has reconciled) Miles and Cam also turn out to be quite good at card-counting while working with Choi and Kianna during Micky's capture and as such, the now 6-man team make a lot of money despite Williams's robbery of Ben and Micky's chips. The film ends with Ben recounting the entire tale to the dazzled and dumbfounded scholarship director.

Cast[edit]

• Jim Sturgess as Ben Campbell
• Kate Bosworth as Jill
• Kevin Spacey as Micky Rosa
• Aaron Yoo as Choi
• Liza Lapira as Kianna
• Jacob Pitts as Fisher
• Laurence Fishburne as Cole Williams
• Jack McGee as Terry
• Josh Gad as Miles
• Sam Golzari as Cam
• Helen Carey as Ellen Campbell
• Jack Gilpin as Bob Phillips

Production[edit]

The filming of 21 began in March 2007. Principal filming of the Las Vegas scenes took place at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, the Red Rock Casino, and the Hard Rock Casino in Las Vegas. Filming also took place at Harvard Medical School, Chinatown, in Cambridge, and the Christian Science Center in Boston, Massachusetts. As Massachusetts Institute of Technology did not allow filming on campus, the MIT school and dorm interiors, the gymnasium, and the alumni reception were all shot at Boston University.

Reception[edit]

Critical response[edit]

Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 36% of 169 critics gave the film a positive review, for an average rating of 5.17/10. The site's critical consensus reads: '21 could have been a fascinating study had it not supplanted the true story on which it is based with mundane melodrama.'^[1]Metacritic gave the film an average score of 48 out of 100, based on 29 critics, indicating 'mixed or average reviews'.^[2] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of 'B+' on an A+ to F scale.^[3]

Box office[edit]

In its opening weekend, the film grossed $24,105,943 in 2,648 theaters in the United States and Canada, averaging $9,103 per venue and ranking first at the box office.^[4] The film was also the number one film in its second weekend of release, losing 36% of its audience, grossing $15,337,418, expanding to 2,653 theaters, and averaging $5,781 per venue. The film dropped to third place in its third weekend, losing 32% of its audience, grossing $10,470,173, expanding to 2,736 theaters, and averaging $3,827 per venue. By the fourth weekend it fell to sixth place, losing 47% of its audience, grossing $5,520,362 expanding to 2,903 theaters, and averaging $1,902 per venue.

By the end of its theatrical run, the film grossed a total of $157,802,470 worldwide—$81,159,365 in the United States and Canada and $76,643,105 in other territories, against a budget estimated at $35 million.^[5]

Casting controversy[edit]

A race-based controversy arose over the decision to make the majority of the characters white Americans, even though the main players in the book Bringing Down the House, upon which the film 21 is based, were mainly Asian-Americans.^[6] The lead role was given to London-born Jim Sturgess, who required a dialect coach to speak with an American accent.^[7]

Jeff Ma, who was the real-life inspiration for the character Ben Campbell and served as a consultant on the film, was attacked as being a 'race traitor' on several blogs for not insisting that his character be Asian-American. In response, Ma said, 'I'm not sure they understand how little control I had in the movie-making process; I didn't get to cast it.'^[8] Ma said that the controversy was 'overblown' and that the important aspect is that a talented actor would portray him.^[9] Ma, who is Chinese American, told USA Today, 'I would have been a lot more insulted if they had chosen someone who was Japanese or Korean, just to have an Asian playing me.'^[10]

Nick Rogers of The Enterprise wrote, 'The real-life students mostly were Asian-Americans, but 21whitewashes its cast and disappointingly lumps its only Asian-American actors (Aaron Yoo and Liza Lapira) into one-note designations as the team's kleptomaniac and a slot-playing 'loser.'^[11]

The Media Action Network for Asian Americans (MANAA) reported on their web site: 'After the 'white-washing' issue was raised on Entertainment Weekly's web site, [21] producer Dana Brunetti wrote: 'Believe me, I would have LOVED to cast Asians in the lead roles, but the truth is, we didn't have access to any bankable Asian-American actors that we wanted.'^[12]

Home media[edit]

21 was released on DVD and Blu-ray in Region 1 on July 21, 2008.^[13]

Reaction from casinos[edit]

In pre-production, the producers and the book's original writers predicted that the Vegas casinos would be unhelpful, as a film that told viewers the basics of card counting might hurt their bottom line. A featurette included with the DVD completely and accurately describes the 'Hi-Lo' system used by the MIT Blackjack Club and by Rosa's team in the film.

In fact, the writers were surprised when told by the producers that MGM Studios would finance the film, though all 'MGM' casinos (including one used by the real MIT Blackjack Team) are owned by MGM Resorts International and are no longer related to MGM Studios. In reality, as another DVD featurette reveals, the casinos (including MGM Resorts) saw the film as an attention-getter; people who saw it would be encouraged to go to Vegas and play: some just for fun and some attempting to count cards but failing to learn or memorize the entire strategy or making too many mistakes. The film withheld critical strategy details (such as the conversion from the 'running count' to a 'true count'), and most beginning card counters underestimate the number and value of the mistakes they make.

Soundtrack[edit]

The soundtrack was released at the same time as the film.^[14]

1. The Rolling Stones—'You Can't Always Get What You Want' (Remixed by Soulwax) (6:07)
2. MGMT—'Time to Pretend' (Super Clean Version) (4:20)
3. LCD Soundsystem—'Big Ideas' (5:41)
4. D. Sardy featuring Liela Moss—'Giant' (3:42)
5. Amon Tobin—'Always' (3:38)
6. Peter Bjorn and John—'Young Folks' (4:37)
7. Shook One —'Soul Position' (4:16)
8. Get Shakes—'Sister Self Doubt' (4:22)
9. The Aliens—'I Am The Unknown' (5:27)
10. Rihanna—'Shut Up and Drive' (3:34)
11. Knivez Out—'Alright' (3:31)
12. Domino—'Tropical Moonlight' (3:28)
13. Unkle—'Hold My Hand' (4:58)
14. Mark Ronson featuring Kasabian—'L.S.F. (Lost Souls Forever)' (3:32)
15. Broadcast—'Tender Buttons' (2:51)

Other tracks

• Although it is not included in the soundtrack, Moby's 'Slippin' Away' (Axwell Vocal Remix) plays in the scene when Ben is passing through airport security.
• The song 'Everybody Get Dangerous' by Weezer was also featured in the film, but not included on the soundtrack since it was not yet released. It would later be released on Weezer's 2008 record, The Red Album. It is played on a distant radio when the team is in a poker club.
• The songs 'I Want You to Want Me' by Cheap Trick and 'Music is Happiness' by The Octopus Project were also featured in the film but not on the soundtrack album.
• The song 'Magnificent' by Estelle (feat. Kardinal Offishall) was also featured in the film but not on the soundtrack album. It's played approximately 58 minutes in, after the Weezer song, in the scene where Ben buys Jill a beer. It's subtle, and has a reggae beat.
• In the promotional trailers, 'Break on Through (To the Other Side)' by The Doors was used.
• During the restaurant scene where the team explains to Ben how they work, 'Home' by Great Northern can be heard playing in the background.
• The song 'Again with the Subtitles' by Texas artist Yppah is another uncredited song in the film.
• The track played as the team makes off at the end of the film is 'Rito a Los Angeles' by Giuseppe De Luca, which features part of the main riff of 'In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida'. This track is also used in Ocean's Twelve, the first sequel to the caper film Ocean's Eleven, about actually robbing casinos in Vegas.
• My Mathematical Mind by Spoon was featured in the trailers.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

1. ^'21 Movie Reviews, Pictures - Rotten Tomatoes'. Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on 22 November 2009. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
2. ^'21 (2008): Reviews'. Metacritic. Archived from the original on 2 April 2008. Retrieved 2008-04-02.
3. ^'Find CinemaScore'(Type '21**' in the search box). CinemaScore. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
4. ^'21 (2008) - Weekend Box Office Results'. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2008-04-06.
5. ^'21 (2008)'. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2008-04-28.
6. ^'Real MIT Blackjack Team - 21 Movie True Story'. chasingthefrog.com. Retrieved March 31, 2013.
7. ^Janusonis, Michael. 'Movies: 21 star Jim Sturgess got a crash course in card counting'. projo.com. Archived from the original on April 11, 2008. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
8. ^Justin Berton (2008-03-27). 'Hollywood deals Jeff Ma a good hand with '21''. San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on 29 March 2008. Retrieved 2008-03-29.
9. ^Berry, Jillian A. (March 14, 2008). 'INTERVIEW MIT, Vegas, Hollywood'. The Tech. Retrieved March 31, 2013.
10. ^Bowles, Scott (2008-03-26). 'New film '21' counts on the real deal for inspiration'. USA Today. Retrieved 2010-04-23.
11. ^Nick Rogers (2008-03-26). 'When the stakes are high, '21' folds'. The Enterprise. Archived from the original on 2008-04-01. Retrieved 2008-03-29.
12. ^'CONTROVERSY STILL SURROUNDS DVD RELEASE OF MOVIE '21''. manaa.org. Archived from the original on 2013-10-04. Retrieved March 31, 2013.
13. ^'21 (Single-Disc Edition) (2008)'. Amazon.com. Retrieved March 31, 2013.
14. ^ ^abBrown, Marisa. '21 [Original Soundtrack]'. AllMusic. Retrieved 2008-04-02.

External links[edit]

• 21 on IMDb
• 21 at Rotten Tomatoes
• 21 at Metacritic
• 21 at Box Office Mojo
• 21 at AllMovie
• Photos of the filming of 21 near the campus of MIT: 123456
• Official world wide release dates with links to different national sites

Catch 21 is an American game show broadcast by Game Show Network (GSN). Created by Merrill Heatter (who also produced the show's predecessor Gambit), the series follows three contestants as they play a card game centered on blackjack and trivia. The show is based on a popular online game from GSN's website and aired for four seasons from 2008 to 2011. It was hosted by Alfonso Ribeiro, with actress Mikki Padilla serving as the card dealer.

21 Blackjack Wikipedia Rules

The show received positive critical reception as a whole, the series itself was hailed as 'a fun game with a solid concept' while Ribeiro was praised as 'hands-down, one of the best game show hosts out there.' Additionally, the series was acquired by Bounce TV in 2013, with the network hopeful it could 'add fuel' to the channel's growing momentum. GSN revived the series on October 14, 2019, with Ribeiro returning to host and Witney Carson as the card dealer.

Gameplay[edit]

Main game[edit]

2008 version[edit]

Three contestants are each given a card to start a blackjack hand from a standard 52-card deck shuffled prior to taping. The host reads questions and the first contestant to answer correctly is dealt a card. The contestant who answers correctly can freeze their hand, preventing them from receiving additional cards or reveal the next card from the top of the deck.^[1]

After revealing the card, the contestant can either accept it for themselves or pass it to one of their opponents who has not yet frozen. If keeping a card, the contestant in control is given another chance to freeze. However, once a contestant has frozen, the remaining contestants must freeze at a score higher than that contestant, ties are not permitted. A contestant is eliminated from the round if their hand exceeds 21.^[2]

The process is repeated with additional questions and cards until two contestants have frozen or busted. A contestant whose score reaches 21 exactly instantly wins the round. Beginning in season two of the original series, a bonus prize is given to the contestant regardless of the outcome of the game.^[3] If two contestants bust, the remaining contestant automatically wins the round. If only one contestant has not yet frozen or busted, no additional questions are asked; the remaining contestant continues drawing cards until either beating the highest frozen hand or busting. The winner of the round receives a power chip to use in the bonus round, assuming that contestant gets that far. The original series used point scores in the first two rounds, with 100 points awarded for a correct answer, and 500 points for winning the hand. After two rounds, the contestant with the lowest score is eliminated.^[2]

21 Blackjack Wikipedia Shqip

If there is a tie for the lowest score, the players involved participate in a high-card draw. Each player is given the choice of taking the first or second card off the top of the deck, without being able to see either card before making their selection. The player who draws the higher card advances.

The two remaining contestants play one more round involving the same toss-up question format, but point scores are not kept. The contestant who wins the round receives $1,000 and two additional power chips (originally one),^[4] then moves on to the bonus round.^[2]

2019 revival[edit]

The 2019 revival changed several rules:

• Other than the cards, there is no point scoring in any round.
• There is no longer a bonus prize for the first 21.
• If two different players win the first two hands, those two players play the third round, and the third player is eliminated. If the same player wins the first two hands, a tiebreaker is played between the other two players.
• In the tiebreaker ('High Card Playoff'), an additional trivia question is played. The player who answers correctly is shown the top card from the deck and chooses whether to take that card or pass it to their opponent and take the next card from the deck. The other player is given the second card; the higher card wins. (If there is a tie, an additional question is played.)
• Winning the final round gives the player their required number of power chips based on the hand or hands they have won. On some episodes, the player is given an additional chip for winning the match.

Bonus round[edit]

The winner now controls three separate hands, each staked with one card. A new deck of 52 cards that has been shuffled and cut is used. Cards are drawn for the contestant, one at a time and the contestant then chooses a hand in which to place each card. The contestant can use a power chip to dispose of an unwanted card.^[1] If the contestant is in danger of busting on any hand, the contestant can end the round after successfully placing a card; a contestant cannot stop immediately after playing a power chip.^[2] Getting 21 in one hand wins $1,000, in two hands wins $5,000, and if 21 is scored on all three hands, the contestant wins the grand prize of $25,000.^[2] If the contestant busts on any one of the three hands, they will lose everything except the $1,000 that the winner received earlier. On some episodes in season two, the top prize was increased to $50,000 with the other payouts remaining the same.^[5]

The 2019 revival has altered the payout structure to a 21 on one hand awarding $2,500, $5,000 for two, and $25,000 for all three.

21 Blackjack Wikipedia Wiki

Online game[edit]

The television version of the game was based on a popular online version from GSN's website.^[1] In this version, the online player has five minutes to make as many hands of 21 as they can using four columns. The player can play a card in any of their columns as long as the subsequent total is 21 or less. If the card cannot be played in any column, it must be discarded. Each hand of 21 earns the player 50 points. Playing exactly five cards in a column earns the player a 50 point bonus (called a '5-Card Charlie'), making that column worth a total of 100 points. Additionally, the jacks of spades and clubs allow any column to be cleared immediately for 75 points (called a 'Blackjack Attack').^[6]

Production[edit]

The series featured executive producers Scott Sternberg and Merrill Heatter,^[1] and premiered on July 21, 2008.^[2][7] The first season consisted of 40 half-hour episodes.^[8][9] Prior to the show's premiere, a 30-minute documentary The Making of a Game Show: Catch 21 aired on GSN, featuring exclusive footage and interviews with production staff and Ribeiro.^[10] The name of the show is inspired by Catch-22, a phrase describing a paradox that cannot be avoided due to limits or a rules contradiction.^[11]

21 Blackjack Wikipedia Free

On February 18, 2009, GSN renewed the series for a 65-episode second season on April 6, 2009, which featured the addition of an extra power chip in the bonus round in order to increase contestant's chances of winning the top prize.^[1][4] A third season, which was announced on September 16, 2009, debuted on October 12, 2009, with some episodes featuring celebrities with a common bond (such as three The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air cast members or three former child stars) playing for charity.^[12] The show's fourth and final season debuted on August 16, 2010.^[13]

On March 21, 2019, Adweek reported that GSN would revive Catch 21, producing new episodes for the first time in nearly a decade. Ribeiro was chosen to return as host; Padilla, however, would not return and would be replaced with dancer Witney Carson.^[14] The change reunited Ribeiro and Carson, who had previously been partners—and champions—on season nineteen of Dancing with the Stars.^[15] Contestants cast for the revival were all current Las Vegas residents, which is where the show is filmed.^[15] The revival filmed its episodes in July and August,^[16] and premiered on GSN on October 14, 2019.^[17]

Reception[edit]

Critical reception for Catch 21 was generally positive. Carrie Grosvenor of About Entertainment argued that the series was 'a fun game with a solid concept. It's definitely worth checking out.'^[2]Hollywood Junket also praised Ribeiro, calling him 'hands-down, one of the best game show hosts out there... the fun, brother/sister type chemistry between himself and (Padilla) is rare and benefits the show greatly.'^[5] Additionally, Bounce TV expressed excitement when announcing their acquisition of the series in 2013, citing the series' popularity among GSN viewers and consistent ratings growth during its original run.^[18] The network's chief operating officer Jonathan Katz commented, 'We are very confident that the broadcast premieres of The American Bible Challenge and Catch 21 will add fuel to Bounce TV's skyrocketing growth.'^[18] The revival's October 14, 2019 premiere earned 459,000 total viewers with a 0.04 rating in the 18–49 demographic.^[19]

References[edit]

1. ^ ^abcde'Catch 21 Fact Sheet'. GSN Corporate. Archived from the original on July 24, 2016. Retrieved July 24, 2016.
2. ^ ^abcdefgGrosvenor, Carrie. 'Catch 21 Explained'. ThoughtCo. Dotdash. Archived from the original on April 1, 2019. Retrieved February 8, 2015.
3. ^Catch 21. Season 2. Episode 1. April 6, 2009. Game Show Network.
4. ^ ^ab'GSN's Hit Series Catch 21 Hosted by Alfonso Ribeiro to Return for Second Season Premiering April 6, Airing Weekdays at 6:30PM/5:30PM C' (Press release). GSN Corporate. February 18, 2009. Archived from the original on November 26, 2009. Retrieved November 1, 2014.
5. ^ ^ab'Catch-21!: Some Riveting Games For Season Two!'. Hollywood Junket. Archived from the original on April 19, 2014. Retrieved July 24, 2016.
6. ^'Play Catch 21 – GSN Games'. GSN.com. Game Show Network, LLC. Retrieved July 24, 2016.
7. ^Stelter, Brian (July 7, 2008). 'Blackjack Makes a Move From the Web to Television'. The New York Times. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
8. ^Dempsey, John (July 7, 2008). 'GSN shuffles Catch 21'. Variety. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
9. ^'Catch 21 situation for GSN'. The Hollywood Reporter. Associated Press. April 6, 2008. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
10. ^Reynolds, Mike (July 7, 2008). 'GSN Looks To Hit Big With Catch 21'. Multichannel News. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
11. ^Hill, Michael P. (October 7, 2019). 'Game Show Network keeps host, shuffles its look for new Catch 21'. NewscastStudio.com. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
12. ^'GSN Announces the Return of Hit Series The Newlywed Game and Catch 21, Premiering October 12' (Press release). GSN Corporate. September 16, 2009. Archived from the original on August 17, 2016. Retrieved November 1, 2014.
13. ^'Baggage and Catch 21 Both Return on August 16' (Press release). GSN Corporate. July 26, 2010. Archived from the original on August 17, 2016. Retrieved November 1, 2014.
14. ^Lynch, Jason (March 21, 2019). 'Game Show Network Builds Audiences By Going Back to Basics—and Its Previous Name'. Adweek. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
15. ^ ^abLawrence, Christopher (October 11, 2019). 'Las Vegas a perfect match for Catch 21 game show'. Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
16. ^Moyer, Phillip (May 28, 2019). 'Game Show Catch 21 Searching for Vegas Contestants with Blackjack Skills'. KSNV. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
17. ^Maloney, Michael (September 23, 2019). 'Witney Carson Thinks Kel Mitchell Can Go All the Way on 'Dancing With the Stars''. TV Insider. Retrieved October 20, 2019. I'm doing Catch 21, a game show with Alfonso, which is premiering on GSN on October 14.
18. ^ ^ab'Bounce TV Acquires Broadcast Network Rights to The American Bible Challenge and Catch 21' (Press release). Bounce TV. June 24, 2013. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
19. ^Metcalf, Mitch (October 15, 2019). 'Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Monday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 10.14.2019'. ShowBuzzDaily. Retrieved October 20, 2019.

External links[edit]

• Catch 21 on IMDb
• Catch 21 at TV.com