Keith Taft: Was he a skilled blackjack player? No. Did he earn a great deal of money by playing blackjack? No, not really. 2004 was the year he was inducted into the Blackjack Hall of Fame. The solution is straightforward.

Taft created a number of innovative computers that made card counting simpler.
Even Ken Uston’s blackjack team utilized some of these devices. Please continue reading this comprehensive biography to learn more about Taft’s revolutionary inventions.

Early Years

In 1930, Keith Taft was born in Cut Bank, Montana. Taft possessed a lifelong passion for innovation. He made a three-wheeled vehicle out of an old exhaust pipe, invented numerous novel pyrotechnics in chemistry class, and discovered how to startle his instructors by hotwiring their doorknobs. If Taft envisioned a device, he usually found a means to create it.

He brought his enthusiasm for innovation to college, where he majored in both physics and general music. After graduating, he taught music for five years and physics for three years before returning to school to obtain a master’s degree in physics. Although he relished teaching, he was aware that it was not what he wanted to do for the remainder of his life.

Dorothy was Taft’s high school fiancée whom he married during his studies. Eventually, the couple would have four children, two males and two daughters.
Taft transferred his family to Sunnyvale, California when his children were still small so he could work as a semiconductor engineer for Raytheon.

Initial Visit to a Casino

Taft’s new position required him to work lengthy hours, making it difficult for him to spend time alone with his wife. Taft and his wife, in critical need of a vacation, decided to leave their children with their elders for the weekend. They traveled to Reno in order to see the Harrah’s Auto Museum. They did not recognize it at the time, but the museum was running a special promotion. Everyone who visited the museum received fortunate dollars redeemable at Harrah’s casino resort.

Taft was initially reluctant to visit the casino because it was against his childhood religion, but his wife persuaded him that they would have a good time.
They began by playing slot machines before transitioning to table games. They played roulette and poker unsuccessfully. They made their way to the baccarat tables just as their fortunate dollars were about to run out.
They were finally able to win some money.

Taft decided to research baccarat strategy upon his return home. He discovered the book Beat the Dealer by Edward O. Thorp in this manner. Through perusing this book, he learned how to count playing cards. This made him anxious to return to the casino; he wanted to determine whether he could make a respectable amount of money through card counting. Unfortunately, he did not succeed. Simply put, he was incapable of card counting in his mind.