Gambling never looked this geeky. Robert Luketic, of the Legally Blond fame, takes on the story of a brilliant MIT student who uses his talent with numbers to win insane amounts of money at Las Vegas casinos.

Ben Campbell (Sturgess) can crunch numbers faster than you can blink. He designs robotic wheels and hangs out at MIT with his two nerdy friends who, unlike him, actually look like nerds in the movie. Prettyboy Ben harbours a strong desire to be a doctor, but sadly cannot afford the fees at Harvard Medical School. In flies the caustic, no-nonsense Micky Rosa (Kevin Spacey), his Maths professor, to the rescue.

Having noticed Ben’s prowess at probability, Micky recruits him into his secret Blackjack team and teaches him all he needs to know about ‘card counting’.

“You’re only as good as the money you make me,” Micky tells him, and by that standard, Ben soon proves to be priceless.

The team flies to Vegas on weekends, and through a combination of gestures and genius wins thousands of dollars, every night. Of course life isn’t all aces and Ben is soon dealt a bad hand, with nary a friend or penny in sight.

Said to be based on a true story, the movie takes several ‘creative liberties’. Like having Caucasians play the lead, instead of Asians. But if you aren’t fussy about facts, and are willing to trade realism for a little bit of glamour, what’s to complain?

Witty, fast-paced and rivetting, 21 is a good case on what makes Blackjack the world’s most popular card game.