Top Blackjack Sites Online
‘Hollywood’ Dave Stann - Professional Blackjack Player
Dave Stann’s nickname, ‘Hollywood’, symbolizes his personality. A man of many talents, Stann is not only a great blackjack player and strategist, but also an actor and author. He ahs also started a theater company and is a member of Mensa.
‘Hollywood’ Dave Stann – Early Days
All legends have their own quirks, and Stann’s is that he does not disclose the year in which he was born, just the date, which is 12th November. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio, into a family with very high levels of intelligence.
Stann’s parents were members of Mensa, and took him to the organization for the first time when he was just 14 years old. In addition to his Mensa membership, he was also the president of the Speech and Debate clubs when he was at school. Stann was especially fascinated by theater in his early days, and was able to follow up on his passion for the subject at college, when he joined Kent State University for the bachelor’s degree program in Fine Arts. When at college, Stann also started a theater company, which he named Boygirl Productions.
‘Hollywood’ Dave Stann – Initiation into Blackjack
Stan first came into contact with the world of blackjack through a classmate in college at Kent State University. His roommate would go to Detroit to play blackjack and lose his money. His friend first told him about the existence of ‘some basic strategy’ to help lower the house odds. That influenced Stann to read up books on blackjack. He started with Ken Uston on Blackjack, by blackjack legend Ken Uston, and moved on to Professional Blackjack by another blackjack great, Stanford Wong.
He started playing soon enough, with a bankroll of $300, playing small initially. The results were good and he began to study the game further, learning more and more about it and improving his play as time went by. He spent two to three years playing cash games, before deciding to hit the tournament circuit some time in 2002. His emphasis on strategy grew after he read another book by Wong, titled Casino Tournament Strategy.
However, his first serious brush with the big money games at blackjack tournaments came some time in 2004, when he competed in the World Series of Blackjack. Till that time, though he did win a couple of tournaments and also made it to the finals of a few more, he was not too serious about making money through playing at these gigs. The second place finish at the 2004 World Series of Blackjack opened his eyes to the possibilities and he hasn’t looked back since.
‘Hollywood’ Dave Stann – Other Achievements
Hollywood Dave Stann has been an actor as well as an author. He has numerous appearances on the silver screen, both on television as well as the movies. His performance at the inaugural edition of the World Series of Blackjack meant the Game Show Network, which did the event, were interested enough to have him play a major role in Celebrity Blackjack, another series done by the same network. His acting skills and personality have made his entry into the world of Hollywood smooth and easy.
Stann has made an appearance, playing himself, in Skavengers, Celebrity Blackjack, The World Series of Blackjack, King of Vegas, and the Ultimate Blackjack Tour. He has also had roles in The First Rule of Seduction, Goth, The Greener Grass, Still Standing, and Huff. He has also done around 15 commercials. Besides playing blackjack and acting, Stann has also enjoyed success as an author. His books include Hollywood Blackjack and Hollywood Blackjack: ATS.
Despite his popularity, Stann has still had to go through all the issues that blackjack players have with casinos in the United States, including being prevented from playing at tournaments. Nowadays, he plays blackjack in casinos all over the world, and also spends a lot of time playing poker.
*Disclaimer - The players in our bios have not authorized the material on this website. The articles were written based on research. If any of the information you see on this site is incorrect please contact us at info@gamesblackjack.org and we will correct any errors immediately.
Professional Blackjack Players / Authors
|
|