Darryl Purpose – Master Card Counter and Famous Musician

Darryl Purpose, a member of Ken Uston’s blackjack team, has traveled the globe as a card counter, been banned from several casinos, and used a shuffle monitoring system called “Thor” to obtain an advantage over the house.
From the outside peering in, Darryl’s life appeared to be perfect as he amassed millions of dollars through baccarat play.

Even though the money was alluring, Darryl still felt that something was lacking in his life; he still needed to discover his calling. We discover that his mission is to share his musical talents with the entire world. Throughout this biography, we will examine Darryl’s colorful past and gain insight into who he is currently.

Early Finding of His “Purpose”

Darryl Purpose was the type of student whom his peers coveted. Not only was he exceptionally intelligent, particularly in mathematics, but he was also an accomplished guitarist. In the hopes that he would devote more time to mathematics, Darryl’s mother gave him a copy of Beat the Dealer by Edward Thorp for Christmas when he was sixteen. She was unaware of the long-term impact this would have on him.

As he frequently played cards in his spare time, Darryl was interested in reading the book and was astonished at how quickly he grasped the concepts Thorp discussed.
Although he was intrigued as to whether the strategies in the book would actually work in a casino, he was aware that he would not be able to test them out until he turned twenty-one.

The book remained in the back of his consciousness, but he decided to devote his final two years of high school to improving his guitar talents. As his lifelong ambition was to become a musician, he enrolled in the classical guitar program at California State College, Northridge, following graduation. Initially, things were going well for him; his professors recognized his abilities, and his grades were outstanding.

One evening while exercising the instrument, his left hand began to ache; he hoped the discomfort would subside the following day. Darryl made an appointment with the Doctors to have everything looked out after suffering from persistent pain for several weeks. They forced him to wear a wrist brace, which severely hindered his ability to play the instrument.
Despite his discouragement, learning fingerpicking enabled him to persevere.

Within a few months, his right hand began to experience the same problems as his left. He would eventually be required to wear two prostheses, making college dropout inevitable. He departed school with only a few personal items, his 1962 Chevrolet, and $50 to spare. He was on his way to Las Vegas in the hopes of applying what he had learned from Beat the Dealer and becoming a professional blackjack player.

How to Make a Living in Las Vegas

Darryl needed to find a position that would allow him to reside in Las Vegas while he built up his savings. His first employment was selling ballpoint pens over the phone to a variety of international companies. It was a commission-based position, so he sometimes earned $20 per week and other times as much as $200. A co-worker offered him a vacant bedroom after he had been homeless for several weeks.