Charming story -- but there's plenty of controversy that comes with it. Some Canadian mathematicians ran their own analysis in 2014 and published it in Chance magazine, arguing that Johnson's winning prospects weren't nearly good enough under the terms described for him to have been likely to have achieved such scores. The full article is behind a $48 paywall, but here's a link to the start of it: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09332480.2014.890...
Meanwhile, Elliot Jacobson, a guy with his own academic pedigree (U of Arizona Ph.D. in math; former Ohio University asst/assocmath professor) has published a defense of Johnson's claims and a counter-rebuttal to the Canadians. Jacobson now runs a gambling-consulting firm. His rebuttal is here:
http://apheat.net/2014/03/25/fact-checking-an-article-on-don...
Jacobson's rebuttal is perhaps more fascinating than the Atlantic article, though I think the context of the article is necessary. Details such as: Johnson would coax two or three dealer errors per day in play, valued at +$200,000 per day; or that the Canadian mathematicians took some strange shortcuts in modelling or running simulations.
Johnson was very aggressive and belligerent at the table. He made the dealers and pit nervous and agitated. For example, he would sometimes half-way signal his intention and if the result was not to his liking, dispute that he had asked for a hit card. He would pound the table and shout. And the casinos were willing to give him the benefit of the doubt because he was such a high-roller.
Fascinating! Echoes of Phil Ivey arranging to play baccarat with a deck and dealer of his own choosing ... and the casino agreeing to it until learning that Ivey thus had a bigger edge than expected.
Meanwhile, Elliot Jacobson, a guy with his own academic pedigree (U of Arizona Ph.D. in math; former Ohio University asst/assocmath professor) has published a defense of Johnson's claims and a counter-rebuttal to the Canadians. Jacobson now runs a gambling-consulting firm. His rebuttal is here: http://apheat.net/2014/03/25/fact-checking-an-article-on-don...
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