Andrew W. Scott
Encyclopedia
Andrew W Scott is an Australia
n-born writer
and successful high stakes gambler. He has been gambling since 1986, but in recent years has concentrated more on his writing activities.
in Australia
in 1969. He then moved to Brisbane
and Auckland
before settling in Hobart
, Tasmania
, Australia
in 1979. He moved to Melbourne
in 1993.
s in December 1986. In December 1987 he changed to a different Chartered Accounting firm and remained there working as an accountant full-time until June 1992. During this time he attended the University of Tasmania
, graduating with a Bachelor of Commerce
in 1994. Although Scott no longer practices as an accountant, he does have an investment company, Awston Holdings, through which he manages his investments. Scott founded Awston Holdings in 1993.
in 1986. He was immediately drawn to the game of Blackjack
. However, in his early career he had no knowledge of techniques to hide his abilities, and was quickly identified by casino
owners as a skilled player. Since then, casinos have accused him of advantage play and many casinos, including but not limited to all Australian casinos, have frustrated his efforts to win at the game.
Despite these measures by the casinos, it is rumored that Scott has won over $15 million playing Blackjack in over 100 casinos around the world.
, Vanuatu
and New Caledonia
, Scott appeared on a number of Australian national TV shows, exposing his treatment by the casinos (see above). These included Four Corners, A Current Affair, Today Tonight
, The Midday Show
and the Today
show. He has also been the subject of numerous newspaper, magazine and internet articles.
He continues to appear in the Australian media from time to time to comment on gambling-related matters.
. He operated the school until early 2006, when he handed effective control of the school to one of his Blackjack protégés, Chris S Martin. He remains a consultant to the school. Many of his greatest protégés have gone on to enter into Blackjack profit sharing arrangements with Scott.
Scott has written for (now defunct) Bluff Australasia, MSNBC
and is the Gambling Correspondent for Crikey
. He also writes for gambling websites Smartgambler and Punting Ace.
tournaments. His most notable achievement to date was finishing second to Nam Le in the 2008 Asian Pacific Poker Tour Macau High Rollers event, collecting HKD 2.1 million. This result was discussed on the Bluff Australasia Radio Show on Melbourne's SEN radio here.
He is currently fourth on the poker winnings All Time Money List for China. He peaked at third on this list.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n-born writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
and successful high stakes gambler. He has been gambling since 1986, but in recent years has concentrated more on his writing activities.
Early life
He was born in Mackay, QueenslandMackay, Queensland
Mackay is a city on the eastern coast of Queensland, Australia, about north of Brisbane, on the Pioneer River. Mackay is nicknamed the sugar capital of Australia because its region produces more than a third of Australia's cane sugar....
in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in 1969. He then moved to Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
and Auckland
Auckland City
Auckland City was the city and local authority covering the Auckland isthmus and most of the islands of the Hauraki Gulf, in the North Island of New Zealand. On 1 November 2010 it was amalgamated into the wider Auckland Region under the authority of the new Auckland Council...
before settling in Hobart
Hobart
Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony,Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2009, the city had a greater area population of approximately 212,019. A resident of Hobart is known as...
, Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in 1979. He moved to Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
in 1993.
Accounting career
His first profession was accounting. After completing his schooling in 1986 he joined a firm of Chartered AccountantChartered Accountant
Chartered Accountants were the first accountants to form a professional body, initially established in Britain in 1854. The Edinburgh Society of Accountants , the Glasgow Institute of Accountants and Actuaries and the Aberdeen Society of Accountants were each granted a royal charter almost from...
s in December 1986. In December 1987 he changed to a different Chartered Accounting firm and remained there working as an accountant full-time until June 1992. During this time he attended the University of Tasmania
University of Tasmania
The University of Tasmania is a medium-sized public Australian university based in Tasmania, Australia. Officially founded on 1 January 1890, it was the fourth university to be established in nineteenth-century Australia...
, graduating with a Bachelor of Commerce
Bachelor of Commerce
A Bachelor of Commerce is an undergraduate degree in commerce and related subjects. The degree is also known as the Bachelor of Commerce and Administration, or BCA...
in 1994. Although Scott no longer practices as an accountant, he does have an investment company, Awston Holdings, through which he manages his investments. Scott founded Awston Holdings in 1993.
Gambling activities
Scott first attended Wrest Point Hotel CasinoWrest Point Hotel Casino
The Wrest Point Hotel Casino was Australia's first legal casino, opening in the suburb of Sandy Bay in Hobart, Tasmania, on 10 February 1973.-History:...
in 1986. He was immediately drawn to the game of Blackjack
Blackjack
Blackjack, also known as Twenty-one or Vingt-et-un , is the most widely played casino banking game in the world...
. However, in his early career he had no knowledge of techniques to hide his abilities, and was quickly identified by casino
Casino
In modern English, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions...
owners as a skilled player. Since then, casinos have accused him of advantage play and many casinos, including but not limited to all Australian casinos, have frustrated his efforts to win at the game.
Despite these measures by the casinos, it is rumored that Scott has won over $15 million playing Blackjack in over 100 casinos around the world.
Media appearances
From 1993 onwards, frustrated by what he described as his harassment by casinos in AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Vanuatu
Vanuatu
Vanuatu , officially the Republic of Vanuatu , is an island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is some east of northern Australia, northeast of New Caledonia, west of Fiji, and southeast of the Solomon Islands, near New Guinea.Vanuatu was...
and New Caledonia
New Caledonia
New Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...
, Scott appeared on a number of Australian national TV shows, exposing his treatment by the casinos (see above). These included Four Corners, A Current Affair, Today Tonight
Today Tonight
Today Tonight is a controversial Australian News and Current Affairs program, produced by the Seven Network and shown weeknightly at in direct competition with rival Nine Network program A Current Affair....
, The Midday Show
Midday
Midday is a television show that aired on Australia's Nine Network from 1985-1998. The show aired, like its title suggests, at noon on every weekday and was a 90 minute variety programme with international and local guests. It featured interviews, musical performances and comedy spots...
and the Today
Today (Australian TV program)
Today and Weekend Today are Australian breakfast television programmes, the show is often referred to as The Today Show. The show has been broadcast live by the Nine Network each morning since 1982...
show. He has also been the subject of numerous newspaper, magazine and internet articles.
He continues to appear in the Australian media from time to time to comment on gambling-related matters.
BlackJack teaching career
In 1993 Scott founded Blackjack Masters, an Australian based private school teaching techniques for winning at BlackjackBlackjack
Blackjack, also known as Twenty-one or Vingt-et-un , is the most widely played casino banking game in the world...
. He operated the school until early 2006, when he handed effective control of the school to one of his Blackjack protégés, Chris S Martin. He remains a consultant to the school. Many of his greatest protégés have gone on to enter into Blackjack profit sharing arrangements with Scott.
Writings
In the late 1990s Scott began writing articles, mostly on gambling related topics. In recent years, his scope has widened to poker, business, and social commentary.Scott has written for (now defunct) Bluff Australasia, MSNBC
MSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
and is the Gambling Correspondent for Crikey
Crikey
Crikey is an independent Australian electronic magazine comprising an open access website and an email newsletter available to subscribers. Well known in Australian political, media and business circles, Crikey was described by former Federal Opposition Leader Mark Latham as the "most popular...
. He also writes for gambling websites Smartgambler and Punting Ace.
Publishing
In 2009, Scott founded World Gaming Magazine, and is currently its CEO. Based in Macau, World Gaming magazine is Macau's biggest print-run magazine, and is Asia's only gaming magazine for consumers covering all forms of betting such as casinos, poker and sports betting.Poker
In 2007 Scott began playing in pokerPoker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
tournaments. His most notable achievement to date was finishing second to Nam Le in the 2008 Asian Pacific Poker Tour Macau High Rollers event, collecting HKD 2.1 million. This result was discussed on the Bluff Australasia Radio Show on Melbourne's SEN radio here.
He is currently fourth on the poker winnings All Time Money List for China. He peaked at third on this list.