User Reviews

I thought this documentary, directed by Bryan Storkel, was quite unique. It follows the actions of the blackjack card counting Church Team, from the years 2006-2009. It travels along two separate tracts.

The first tract illustrates how the Church Team became reality, co-founded by Ben and Colin. Convinced that the methodology of blackjack card counting was solid, they decided to make it a serious business. However, they felt most comfortable with only those members who were Christian, had some affiliations with the Church, and had a sincere interest in the enterprise.

There seems to be much rationalization of their endeavors not being contrary to the spirit or doctrine of their religion. Apparently, they feel it's not really gambling since, if applied correctly, the percentages of winning will always be in their favor in the long run. Some members of the team eventually could not reconcile the two and dropped out while others continued on.

One aspect of the film that bothered me was the constant showing of huge wads of hundred dollar bills. Some team members seemed to wallow in the money and foolishly, it seemed to me, even disclosing how much they had hidden in home safes. Others talked about mortgaging their homes and putting every penny they had in the card counting enterprise.

The other tract in the movie was the continual "dance" that goes on between the card counters and the casinos. Although, card counting is not illegal, apparently when spotted by casino management, they have the right to tell the player that they do not want their action anymore. This is called a back-off. The player is asked to leave, but if there is any hassle they may take the player into a back room for some intimidation or on rare occasions an arrest. Apparently, the card counters regard this as part of their job and it happens very frequently. I imagine I could get into a long rant about casino practices and how they want everything all the time in their favor, but I'll save that for another day.

Overall, I found the film to be interesting and unique, and felt it was a decent watch.

"You may say to yourself "my power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me," but remember The Lord, your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers as it is today" Deuteronomy 8: 17-18 as read by Dusty, a card counter, from his iPhone

When I think of Christians, I often think of the man who used to come in when I was waiting tables and talk to me for hours on end about Christ and The Bible. He would take up one of my tables and when he would leave I wouldn't find a cash tip. Instead I would find pamphlets about churches in the area and why Jesus Christ should be my lord and savior. Now, I know that not all religious folk are like that, but man, did it leave a bad taste in my mouth.

I am not a religious person whatsoever. I believe that if you want to follow religion closely then that is your right as a human being. HOLY ROLLERS gave me a look at the type of Christians who don't unintentionally rob you of a day's tips to inform you about why you should save yourself while there's still time. Instead, these Christians take millions of dollars from casinos. Tatted up, beer-drinking, pipe-smoking gamblers. The Church Team is what they call themselves and they are spearheaded by Ben Crawford and Colin Jones. Word spreads quickly in a Christian community, so Ben and Colin had no trouble finding a group of people who were happy to aid the cause by learning how to count cards and take money from casinos.

See, it's not just playing cards. I had no idea just how deep this kind of thing got. In a professional card counting group there are the people who fund the group with investments, the bosses of the group – Ben and Colin – and then the worker bees. They take the money invested in them and go to casinos hoping that they aren't promptly asked to leave, as card counting is naturally something that a casino watches for carefully. Once they break bankroll – make over $100,000 – everyone gets paid.

There are several things wrong with this picture. These Christians – church planners, pastors, and ministers – are gambling. Don't get me wrong, I play the scratch off tickets and I was disappointed once again this morning when I didn't hit the Mega Millions Lotto, but they are doing something that I'm fairly certain is illegal. And the rationalization is that the lord told them to provide for their loved ones. I guess they think casinos deserved to have their money taken anyway. If the lord says it's fine, then they believe it's fine.

My knee jerk reaction is to call bullshit. Why is it okay for these people to do this, but everyone else who sins is condemned to hell, eh? Because the holy spirit speaks to them? I guess when you put all of your faith in something or someone, it becomes consuming. The thing that annoyed me was the fact that not one of them thought they had a problem. The only time there was doubt was when the cashflow slowed down and it wasn't fun anymore. The days of dressing up in costumes to avoid being noticed at certain casinos were over and the days of coming to an understanding of what it is that you're doing with your life becomes a concern.

I mean, I guess it works. The proof is in the pudding. Or, in this case, the stacks of hundred-dollar bills that these people keep. Even director Bryan Storkel invested in the team and his investment came out in his favor. About 130% in his favor.

I guess what it all boils down to for me is the fact that because they are Christian, The Church Team believed that what they were doing was acceptable in the lord's eyes. I just really feel that a harsh judgement would be passed upon people who might do the same thing and who are not Christian.

Regardless of my own personal thoughts and feelings on the matter, HOLY ROLLERS is a great film. Incredibly intriguing and a real eye-opener into a world that I had no idea even existed. This is definitely one to see.

An abysmally produced and edited, stultifyingly boring documentary about a dismal group of "Christian" hypocrites who make their money counting cards at the blackjack tables of casinos — and frequently get tossed out on their ignoble behinds. Don't be fooled by the glowing ten-star reviews by one-review critics who clearly have a stake in the success of the film — this is as bad as it gets. The interviews with these miscreants — who essentially avoid having to do real work by spending their lives gambling in casinos — are endless and repetitive. They keep blathering the same self-serving excuses for their loutishness ad infinitum. The only few seconds approaching drama comes toward the end when one of the hypocrites is exposed as a thief, siphoning off the profits. What did they expect! Isn't it Psalms 337 that says "Lay thyself down with dogs and get thyself fleas"? Suffice it to say, if you re-edited this and threw all the interviews up in the air and edited them into the film wherever they fell, there would be no difference in the end product. And like most gamblers, the card-counting holy men are about the most snooze-inducing flat-affect zeroes you will ever encounter in film or real life. Who cares what they think or what their excuses are? They're nothing but garden variety hypocrites whose belief systems can encompass any aberration so long as there's something it it for them. Nothing to see here, folks. Move along.