The MIT Blackjack Team Story

The MIT Blackjack Team Story

What's the first thing that enters your mind when you think of MIT, the world-renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology: engineering genius, mathematical wizard, visionary, geek, hacker? If you chose any one of those, you would be correct. Mix them all together, add some smoke and mirrors, big-time anonymous investors, a dash of anarchy for good measure, and you get one of the best scams of all times-the MIT Blackjack Team-the ultimate in high stakes, genius-backed hacking! Infamy is nothing new to MIT. Some of the world's wiliest hackers hailed from the hallowed halls of MIT; but when one gifted math professor and six gifted students banded together, they propelled organized hacking to dizzying heights and snookered organized gambling to the tune of millions! That was sweet music to the ears of millions who have left behind small fortunes in their quest to beat the casinos.

After school club

The MIT Blackjack team began as an after-school club held in campus classrooms where students assembled to apply their genius to card games, unwind (at least, by MIT standards), and have fun. The club eventually evolved into serious business. The team set up a complete underground system of casino mock-ups spanning apartments, warehouses, and classrooms scattered across Boston where they worked diligently to perfect their scheme. Before advancing to live play in the casino, each player had to pass a rigorous battery of tests encompassing all of the roles under simulated casino conditions, including distraction and harassment. Still, they were not ready for the big league until further honing their skills in Boston's Chinatown before heading to Las Vegas.

Card Counting

Card counting, the heart of their system, is a proven winning technique. Blackjack odds offer the one opportunity for those with skill, dogged determination, and discipline to consistently beat the house. The casinos know that Blackjack is vulnerable (that smart, disciplined players actually have a fighting chance of winning), and that is why they ban the big winners and harass and threaten potential big winners.

Casino management further understands that it takes only one or two mistakes to turn a player's winning system into a house win, and that is the only reason that they tolerate card counting-until it turns against them. They rely on human frailties, such as lack of discipline and distraction, to return the advantage to the house.

The MIT team used card counting as the foundation of their system; it was only one among a number of tools in their magical tool box, and even then, it wasn't traditional card counting. It added a high-low system, based on the statistical probability of receiving high or low cards, and they added an additional technique for cutting the cards that further skewed the odds in their favor.

Team members traveled together, seemingly as total strangers. Each assumed one of a number of well-crafted fake identities, the teams included several types of players, each member playing a well-defined role. Anonymous investors provided the stake and expected a return on their investment. One such outing netted a 154% ROI after expenses. Transporting huge amounts of cash back and forth was another obstacle they overcame with ingenuity. Cash traveled in every conceivable manner: strapped to bodies, on "mules," in hollow crutches, just to name a few.

High Tech vs Low Tech

Their reign spanned a good part of the 1990s when they traveled the casino circuit with total abandon. Their $400,000 winning weekend in Las Vegas is legendary. Casino technology was not yet at a stage where it could match wits with MIT genius. At least, it had not made its way to practical application in Las Vegas, Ironically, it would be low-tech sloppiness that brought the team down in the end.

The casinos had learned to deal with the card counters long before the MIT pikers hit the scene. When they identified a card counter, they would ensure that his play at the tables was a living nightmare, and should the card counter take the house for a large sum, they would immediately ban him. Technology in the 1990s had matured to a point where bad news traveled fast. When the card counter was detected at one casino, it became nearly impossible to escape detection at any other casino.

Profiled MIT Blackjack Team

Las Vegas casino bosses relied on a long-established profile of the Blackjack card counter, but since the MIT team ran counter to the profile, that also worked in their favor, helping them to escape detection. The profile assumed one lone card counter. The team's nonchalant, seemingly random style of play also ran counter to the profile. But they were crazy like foxes-until they were no more.

Finally, sloppiness brought them to their knees. Eventually, they lost their discipline and their cool; the well-oiled machine built with the precision of a Swiss watch began to fall apart. They began to fraternize, and not just with the usual Las Vegas temptations, but with each other-in public. A total chance spotting of the teams relaxing and playing at a Las Vegas pool blew their cover. The tale of their unraveling wound its way back to the back streets of Boston before they finally disbanded. The odds had finally turned against them, and the stakes were far too high for even the geniuses from MIT.

The last remaining team player was escorted from the table with the parting words, "You can't play here. You're too good for us."

Blackjack Team in the News

The tale of the MIT Blackjack Team doesn't end with its demise. ABC, CNN, History Channel, and CBS's 60 Minutes all picked up the story. Bringing Down the House : The Inside Story of Six MIT Students Who Took Vegas for Millions (Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group, 2002), by Ben Mezrich, chronicles the escapades of the team from its inception to the end of the line through the eyes of team member, Kevin Lewis (not his real name). One enterprising former member currently offers seminars based on the system.

The final irony has yet to play itself out. Kevin Spacey is producing the movie version of the book, due to be released by MGM sometime in 2006. One has to wonder if the movie will help MGM recover its losses to the MIT Blackjack Team.

Want to learn more about Blackjack Strategy and other types of casino games? Casino Gambling Watchdogs is a collection of free articles related to online casino gambling.

---

Tournament Blackjack and the Art of Sabotage

I was recently invited to play in the Daily Invitational... Read More

Blackjack Strategy: How To Avoid Unnecessary Losses By Avoiding Emotion

Most blackjack articles seem to be written by people who... Read More

Want to Know the Roulette Bet With the Best Odds?

Play on European Tables OnlyRoulette wheels can divided into 37... Read More

Gambling Legality Basics

The gambling scene in America can be traced back to... Read More

The Healthy Gambler

In our day and age gambling is very popular. The... Read More

The Eternal Allure of Gambling

I just spent three days in the land of milk... Read More

Slot Machines - Does Location Make a Difference?

Books have been written on this subject and the debates... Read More

Why Gamble on Sports?

Its really not that big of a stretch of the... Read More

Texas Holdem Poker Tournament Strategy - Online Poker Tells

Are You Using These? Are They Being Used Against You?Let's... Read More

Gambling History of United States

Against the popular belief, gambling did not originate in the... Read More

Three Ways to Play Free Online Poker

Getting to play poker online for free is the holy... Read More

2005 NFC South Football Preview

OVERVIEW: NFC SouthIn the NFC South look for Tampa Bay... Read More

Discover YOUR Online Poker Room

As all the poker sites on the internet call themselves... Read More

College Football Betting - Trends and Rivalry Games

In college they have trends and in the pros they... Read More

Greyhound Racing Basics

In Egypt the greyhounds were mummified and buried with their... Read More

The Secrets of Laying the Four and Ten

Pssst...! Wanna know a secret?How about the secrets of laying... Read More

How to Play Video Poker Slot Machines

Video Poker is a game that requires some skill to... Read More

2005 World Series of Poker -- Mid Tournament Report

The 2005 World Series of Poker started its 36th year... Read More

Playing Ace-King in Texas Holdem

Everyone who plays Texas Holdem knows that Ace-King is one... Read More

The Secret of Field/Place Betting

Pssst... Wanna know a secret?How about the secret of profiting... Read More

Building Your Bankroll

The first thing one needs to do before they even... Read More

Casino Business Opportunity

There are really two main options to owning a casino... Read More

Video Poker: Why People Lose More Than They Should

Ask any casino executive and they'll tell you that video... Read More

Buying A Thoroughbred: Is It For You?

Buying a thoroughbred can transform a man. Horseracing is the... Read More

Roulette System: 4 Most Important Factors To Beat Roulette at Online/Offline Casino

In this article, you are going to learn about the... Read More

Gambling Interesting Facts

SoccerbettingIs there such thing as "kangtao" or surewin tips?I have... Read More

The Art Of Bluffing In Poker

In poker it is mandatory to bluff, but you also... Read More

As Poker Goes Hollywood Hansen is Seen as Icon

In People magazine's December 2004 issue, Gus Hansen was voted... Read More

You Can Make Poker Less Painful (or--A Pain in the Arse can be Removed ...without Surgery)

As you will read in this article, the removal of... Read More

4 Tips to Improve Your Online Poker Game

Online Poker has increased in popularity exponentially over the past... Read More

Just The Best Online Gambling, Casinos, Poker, Sports Book

BlackJack, Slots, Roulette, Video Poker, Bonus Slots, Stud Poker, Texas... Read More

Becoming a Consistent Winner at Online Low-Limit Texas Hold Em

Start with LIMIT Texas Hold 'EmBoth limit and no-limit Texas... Read More

Mobile Gaming Leads the Way

The state of online gambling may have just found another... Read More