Kaplan had read a book about card counting and believed he. But in the 1990s the mit blackjack team proved the punter didnt have to be the loser. The mit blackjack team has become famous worldwide for their success at beating the game of blackjack in the casinos of las vegas. Card counting gig nets students millions mit the tech. Thorps beat the dealer and successfully implemented its card counting techniques to.
Bringing down the house is a story of six mit students who won millions of dollars at the casinos in vegas. Lewis was recruited by two of the teams top players, jason fisher and andre martinez. Their exploits were chronicled in the bestselling book bringing down the house and are now the subject of the movie, 21, which opens friday. A group of students at mit taught themselves a cardcounting technique and went to atlantic city to try it out. In the midst of the gogo eighties and nineties, a group of overachieving, anarchistic mit students joined a decadesold underground blackjack club dedicated to counting cards and beating the system at major casinos around the world.
Read this exciting story of how a group of smart college students became the most feared blackjack players on the strip. Professional blackjack had been written by one of the most famous members of the mit team, stanford wong. Oct 25, 2002 he described his interaction with this covert team of gamblers. Fomer mit blackjack team member talks about breaking the bank. Kaplan had read a book about card counting and believed he could use a mathematical. The mit blackjack team a group of college students who banded together, took on the casinos by applying an ingenius spin on card counting, and won. They quickly learned that the guys who make the most money arent in blackjack anymore.
Meet the real mit blackjack team and learn the 21 movies true story. Bringing down the house describes a collection of math whizzes from m. Even people who are unfamiliar with blackjack and gambling know the story of the mit students, thanks in large part to the popular movie 21. The original book the inside story of six mit students who took vegas for millions by counting cards at the blackjack tables was juicy. Bringing down the house by ben mezrich, a book that describes how a team of mit students won millions playing blackjack, has sparked a lot of interest from the general public in blackjack and henry tamburin is the editor and publisher of the blackjack insider newsletter and author of the bestselling blackjack. Students who took vegas for millions, discussed his newest book and held a book signing at coffeehouse last night. This site would not be complete if we didnt write a little bit about them and what the true story was behind the famous blockbuster 21 movie. We were a group of mit students that used mathematics to legally beat the house at blackjack for millions. The book, with additional reporting by zach pereles, scott ratcliffe, and scott german, will take you. A few months later, kaplan launched a new team with a few of these players based on the structure, strategies, training methods, and management processes he had honed in starting and running his vegasbased team.
Students who took vegas for millions, on which the movie 21 is based. This book should be in every serious blackjack players collection. The mit team was different in that it employed a method of communication between seemingly unrelated players. In fact, the mit blackjack team wasnt born at mit at all. Mar 06, 2017 theres a lot more to counting cards in blackjack than meets the eye. How to start a blackjack team blackjack apprenticeship. Sep 30, 2005 that book, which remained on the new york times bestseller list for 59 weeks, revealed the story of another blackjack team from mit that made millions. That book, which remained on the new york times bestseller list for 59 weeks, revealed the story of another blackjack team from mit that made millions. Amazingly, a group of six students, known as the mit blackjack team, executed this heist. How the mit students beat the casinos at blackjack. The mit blackjack team, formed in the eighties, comprised six old students of massachusetts institute of technology mit, who shared a keen interest in card games and wanted to use their knowledge, skills, and expertise to win in millions. Mike aponte world series of blackjack champion mit.
Afterward, he cofounded the blackjack institute with david irvine. May 26, 2014 but in the 1990s the mit blackjack team proved the punter didnt have to be the loser. This method seeded the idea of the mit blackjack team in the early 1990s, events chronicled in the new york times bestseller bringing down the house and the subsequent movie 21. The mit blackjack team was started in 1980 by a harvard business school graduate, bill kaplan, who had run a successful vegasbased team for the prior three years. We will get into some practical things you can do to start or join a team, but first you have to consider why you want to start a team. If youve read the bestselling book, bringing down the house, you may know me as jason fisher, one of the leaders of the mit blackjack team. The mit blackjack team consisted of mit students that came together to form one of the longest running and most successful blackjack card counting teams in the world. The adventures of the mit blackjack team recap of the events. The books main character is kevin lewis, an mit graduate who was invited to join the mit blackjack team in 1993.
For the mit team, kaplan made some slight changes to francescos team methods. This book was represented as non fiction by mezrich ad free press though it contains fictional elements. It is the inside story of the mit students who had made millions in vegas casinos. Mit blackjack team was a group of students from mit, harvard university that revolutionized the way blackjack had been played. How the mit students beat the casinos at blackjack by henry tamburin bringing down the house by ben mezrich, a book the describes how a team of mit students won millions playing blackjack, has sparked a lot of interest from the general public in blackjack and in particular card counting. As bill kaplan the leader of the mit blackjack team and a 1980 harvard mba graduate explains in his interview to boston magazine, mit was the only team who really won year over year, because we ran it like a business.
The best and brightest students are recruited by an eccentric former teacher with teeth like a picket fence of spades, diamonds, clubs and hearts to practice in a college backroom as the mit blackjack team before. Bringing down the house is the true story of the legendary mit blackjack team which beat the las vegas casinos for millions of dollars. Oct 03, 2018 an early member of al francescos teams, ken uston was the first to write about blackjack team play. Thus he changed the old method of counting to a high low counting system from edward thorps book. The team and its successors operated successfully from 1979. Tilton was in awe of the idea that a group of mit students was able to beat vegas for millions. During the 1990s they are rumored to have made millions using various card counting techniques and advanced playing strategies. This article has been reproduced in a new format and may be missing content or contain faulty links. Nov 07, 2019 afterward, he cofounded the blackjack institute with david irvine.
The backspotter counts cards without playing and signals teammates when high cards are imminent. Mike aponte was one of the leaders of the mit card counting team, a group of college students that defied the odds and legally won millions at the game of 21. The students at mit just happened to be exceptionally intelligent students with a gift for mathematics and science. Mit alumnus and busting vegas author describe experience of. However, as youll see the true story fell victim to the hollywood machine, as it was severely altered to fit the taste of the general public. Card counting techniques used by mit blackjack team. The methods dukach and his team of three other students used. Mit alumnus and busting vegas author describe experience.
The story of these students is mindblowing and has gone on to inspire the writing of books. Expanding on the hilo cardcounting techniques popularized by edward thorp in his 1962 book, beat the dealer, the mit groups more advanced team. By henry tamburin bringing down the house by ben mezrich, a book the describes how a team of mit students won millions playing blackjack, has sparked a lot of interest from the general public in blackjack and in particular card counting. The last casino, which was released in 2004, is about a professor and his three students who count cards in various casinos in canada. I got to know them socially when we were in college. Blackjack card counting training dvd created by the mit students featured in the book bringing down the house host is former mit student mike aponte, the 2004 world series of blackjack champion dukach, semyon blackjack science counting and betting techniques with semyon dukach the first dvd from semyon dukach using live footage from the. The film is based on the true story of a group of mit students who use their math skills to beat the house at blackjack in the las vegas casinos. Jan 06, 2006 how mit students broke the bank in vegas. Three former mit students lead the blackjack team at various points in the team s history.
Apr 16, 2020 official mit blackjack team kaplan shaped the team by making drastic changes among the group. Mit students count cards to pay tuition mit blackjack team. Mezrichs bringing down the house chronicles mit card. If found to be incorrect please contact us for immediate correction. Edward thorp explained the concept of card counting to all average players in 1962 when published his book beat the dealer. Training, extensive training, checkout procedures, two hours of perfect play, leaving the table right away. Mike aponte mit mike aponte was one of the members of the mit blackjack team, a group of mit students that took las vegas by storm in the late 1990s, extracting millions of dollars in profits from casinos using very successful team play strategies.
Mit blackjack team the last casino full movie howtowinatblackjack. Mike aponte, former member of the infamous mit blackjack team, takes us through the complicated process of counting cards. The mit blackjack team was a group of students and exstudents from massachusetts institute of technology, harvard business school, harvard university, and other leading colleges who used card counting techniques and more sophisticated strategies to beat casinos at blackjack worldwide. I recommend it highly for beginning to intermediate counters.
Kaplan ran the mit blackjack team through the mid1980s until just about all the players became too wellknown to play. Official mit blackjack team kaplan shaped the team by making drastic changes among the group. The story is based on members of the mit blackjack team which used the card counting techniques to make profits. Read how the mit students beat the casinos at blackjack now. In addition to presenting a variety of strategies for success at blackjack, it also includes thorps basic strategy chart. Mezrich described four basic roles for a team of the blackjack players. Mit blackjack team college students who brought down the. The best and brightest students are recruited by an eccentric former teacher with teeth like a picket fence of spades, diamonds, clubs and hearts to practice in a college backroom as the mit blackjack team before invading the strip. Kevin lewis is the main character in the book, he is an mit graduate and was invited to join the mit blackjack team in 1993. The group of students from mit and other leading colleges in the area played blackjack using the card counting techniques along with various other advanced techniques to take the casinos in us by storm.
The mit blackjack team mit black jack team in the media. Incidentally, mezrichs bringing down the house is now being turned into a feature film by kevin spacey, who will play the mit professor who trained the blackjack team described in that book. The book was a ny times bestseller and it was made into a movie 21. Arguably, the most notable is bill kaplan, a harvard business school graduate who had also done his undergraduate studies at harvard.
The methods dukach and his team of three other students used, though, were more advanced, invented from within, and shared with fewer than a. Nathaniel tilton was a regular guy with a regular job when he read the book bringing down the house. However, one group of nerdy 90s students from mit in boston found a way to beat the casino at blackjack. Mike also consults on professional blackjack and the mathematics of gambling, writes for the blog and works as chief research assistant for peerless analytics. Mit students were a blackjack team, counting cards in las vegas casinos based on edward o. Applying an ingenious spin on the mathematics of blackjack, continued. Shortly before the founding of the first mit team, uston published his book, million dollar blackjack. Renowned mit card counters return to vegas this time as. December 2019 american casino guide newsletter american. Mike aponte speaking events true story of the mit card. While studying at mit, bloch became part of the mit blackjack team, featured in the book bringing down the house. Through the years, a group of math students at the worldfamous massachusetts institute of technology has focused their considerable brain power on a very extracurricular activity. As a college senior in the early 1990s, mike aponte was invited to join the mit blackjack team. Over a few years in the 1990s, mit students earned several million dollars by playing blackjack in las vegas casinos on weekends while taking on the lives of normal college students during the week.
Robert luketic legally blonde directed the peter steinfeld and allan loeb adaptation of ben mezrichs bestselling book bringing down the house. The hit hollywood movie 21 was based on ben mezrichs book, bringing down the house, which chronicled the resurgence of the mit blackjack team in the 1990s. Kaplan met a few mit undergrads including jp massar, who had been trying to win at the game with little success for months. Card counting gig nets students millions the tech mit.
The mit blackjack team was comprised of a group of students and exstudents from the massachusetts institute of technology who set out to beat major casinos using advanced cardcounting techniques and privately funded bankrolls. Nathaniel tilton, a student of former mit team captains mike. Mar 26, 2008 hirschtick was a member of the famous team of mit students who incorporated a cardcounting system to win huge sums of money playing blackjack in las vegas. Blackjack expert henry tamburin explains howthe mit blackjack team was able to make millions of dollars playing blackjack. The inside story of six mit students who took vegas for millions ben mezrich. One authors big break ben mezrich had been a struggling author, without a regular job and kneedeep in debt. Many went on to run hedge funds or build a dotcom startup or contribute to booming companies like microsoft, chang said. The book follows the real characters and true story in only parts. The mit blackjack team has been a source of entertainment for decades now, with many books and movies being inspired by their story. Massar, who was not only an active player, but also the manager of the. Buy the book used by the real mit blackjack team this book is featured in the movie 21. The mit blackjack team is probably the most famous group of professional players in the game of blackjack and the sport of card counting. He described his interaction with this covert team of gamblers.
Though the book is classified as nonfiction, the boston globe alleges that the book contains significant fictional elements, that many of the key events. Stanford wong had been the inventor of the now famous wonging technique which is very widely used by players today. Learn how to use the chart to make decisions when playing blackjack. With jim sturgess, kate bosworth, kevin spacey, aaron yoo. Bringing down the house had been written by ben mezrich. Renowned mit card counters return to vegas this time as gaming panelists. Bringing down the house is the true story of how six mit students turned gambling into speculation to fleece las vegas for millions. This book is written by ben mezrich on a group of mit card counters known as the mit blackjack team. Ben mezrichs websiteben mezrich is a man of many talents. They learned the value of playing blackjack long after leaving the team. Bringing down the house describes a collection of math. In the 1980s a group of college students from mit and harvard decided to try their hand at playing team blackjack. Mezrich wrote a followup book, busting vegas, which took even greater.
The team and its successors operated successfully from 1979 through the beginning of the 21st century. Jun 29, 2012 based on the books by ben mezrich that cover the legendary mit blackjack teams. Mit blackjack team bringing down the house and breaking vegas the mit blackjack team story. The inside story of six mit students who took vegas for millions is a book by ben mezrich about a group of mit card counters commonly known as the mit blackjack team. See how the mit blackjack team rose to the top before letting their carelessness get the best of them. How a bunch of nerds beat the house at blackjack nerds. Typically there are 3 legitimate reasons for people to play on a team. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. Mit blackjack in wikipedia disclaimer the players in this article have not authorized the material on this website. Since my senior year in college, blackjack and mathematics have been a focal point of my life in one form or another. In las vegas, the house always wins unless youre a math whiz from mit. May 29, 20 sounds glamorous, but the mit pros will tell you. He is the author of the bestselling bringing down the house, about the mit blackjack team who took the vegas casinos for millions, and busting vegas, the story of semyon dukach, one of the mit bunch that warranted a book on his own.
The mit blackjack team s origins arent traced back to mit at all, but to harvard, where bill kaplan had been working with friends on creating blackjack teams for a number of years. The 21 true story reveals that the real mit blackjack team was led by three individuals, none of whom were professors. Blackjack expert explains how card counting works wired. Over its long and storied history, the team had developed sophisticated strategies for gaining an. Some even claim that he was killed by the mafia or perhaps even disgruntled card counters who were affected by the publication of his book.
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