Amazingly, a group of six students, known as the mit blackjack team, executed this heist. But in the 1990s the mit blackjack team proved the punter didnt have. 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. This book tells the story of a group of students from mit who bet on blackjack games using a sophisticated card counting system, earning millions of dollars at casinos in las vegas and other gambling centers in the united states and the caribbean.
Blackjack expert explains how card counting works youtube. Written by ben mezrich, who gained the trust of a halfdozen mit students occupation. One authors big break ben mezrich had been a struggling author, without a regular job and kneedeep in debt. The movie with the same title does not compare, as it is completly rewritten for hollywood and changes just about everything. An exclusive blackjack club came up with a system to tak. Find out the real story of the mit students who learnt how to really win big at blackjack, and how they really brought down the house by winning lots and lots of money from las vegas casinos. Inside easy money blackjack, youll discover proven methods that work i know because ive tried and tested them, remember.
This book recounts the mit blackjack teams remarkable journey of beating the system through a unique cardcounting system and ultimately walking away with three million dollars from vegas casinos, all while balancing the responsibilities that come with being college students. An article from the friday, october 25, 2002 issue of the tech mits oldest. Blackjack for blood is one of the classic books written on the subject of blackjack. Buy the book used by the real mit blackjack team this book is featured in the movie 21. The entire book is an explanation of a worthless betting system. To retell this incredible story of how young students beat vegas, ben mezrich had to get to know the group of m. The movie 21 is the story of mit students who count cards to improve their probability of winning the card game blackjack at casinos. Meet the real mit blackjack team and learn the 21 movies true story. The whole experience in a lot of ways was surreal, remembers another mit student. Shy, geeky, amiable mit grad kevin lewis, was, mezrich learns at a party, living a double lifewinning huge sums of cash in las vegas casinos. Theres a lot more to counting cards in blackjack than meets the eye. With jim sturgess, kate bosworth, kevin spacey, aaron yoo. Thorp, another mit guy who wrote the famous book beat the dealer in the 60s, which detailed the hilo method of card counting for blackjack.
Ive done all of the hard work for you so you wont have to start from scratch, the way i did. The team and its successors operated successfully from 1979 through the beginning of the 21st century. Not surprisingly, this movie has a lot of mathematics in it. Columbiaeverett image caption the 2008 film 21 starring kevin spacey was inspired by the mit blackjack teams story in blackjack, or. How the mit students beat the casinos at blackjack. Blackjack expert henry tamburin explains howthe mit blackjack team was able to make millions of dollars playing blackjack. December 2019 american casino guide newsletter american. The students realized that blackjack was the only beatable game in casino gambling and beat it they did. This article has been reproduced in a new format and may be missing content or contain faulty links. He is also the lead instructor for the golden touch blackjack. Mezrichs bringing down the house chronicles mit card.
Most obvious is the counting of the cards, which is based on the techniques published in edward o. Official mit blackjack team kaplan shaped the team by making drastic changes among the group. Explosive laughter from alumni and students filled 10250 while an. The math professor who beat las vegas and wall street. By the 1990s, the team whose membership rotated over the years was making. Students who took vegas for millions, discussed his newest book and held a book signing at coffeehouse last night. Ben campbell is a young, highly intelligent, student at m. 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. This book was represented as non fiction by mezrich ad. In addition to presenting a variety of strategies for success at blackjack, it also includes thorps basic strategy chart. Kaplan had read a book about card counting and believed he could. And the casinos made money off this thinking they profited off those who thought it could be beaten but werent honestly capable of. The methods dukach and his team of three other students used, though, were more advanced, invented from within, and shared with fewer than a. 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.
Over a few years in the 1990s, mit students earned several million dollars by playing. In 1993 when lewis was 20 years old and feeling aimless, he was invited to join the mit blackjack team, organized by a former math instructor, who said, blackjack is beatable. Mit alumnus and busting vegas author describe experience. The griffin agency compiles a face book of card counters and prohibits them from betting. Bryce carlson is a recognized expert in the field of blackjack and card counting strategies. Folks heard it could be beaten from people like edward o. This book is written by ben mezrich on a group of mit card counters known as the mit blackjack team. While studying at mit, bloch became part of the mit blackjack team, featured in the book bringing down the house. Read how the mit students beat the casinos at blackjack now. Frank scoblete should be embarrassed for writing the forward.
Blackjack how the mit students beat the casinos at blackjack. The book bringing down the house by ben mezrich tells the story of a group of blackjack counters attending m. Mezrich wrote a followup book, busting vegas, which took even greater. Recently, i was at the unlv campus visiting the gaming research center that is on the third floor of the lied library. Mit students earned several million dollars by playing blackjack in las. Bringing down the house is a story of six mit students who won millions of dollars at the casinos in vegas. Nathaniel tilton was a regular guy with a regular job when he read the book bringing down the house. The mit blackjack card counting technique the first thing to make clear is that card counting is not actually illegal as long as you are counting in your head. May be the most fascinating book written on blackjack counting teams since the days of ken uston who died in 1987. If you are ready to take your blackjack game to the next level with serious card counting strategies, blackjack for blood is the book that will take you there.
I know of this guy who walked in, was recognized almost immediately, and kicked out before he could play at all, said a veteran blackjack player. 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. Students who took vegas for millions, on which the movie 21 is based. At blackjack, it can be marked cards, seconddealing, or a stacked deck. Jeff also cofounded citizen sports and made a fortune when yahoo. Bill kaplan founded and led the mit blackjack team in the 1980s and comanaged the team with massar and chang from 1992 to 1993, during. 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. Though the book is classified as nonfiction, the boston globe alleges that the book contains significant fictional elements, that many of the key events propelling the drama did not occur in real life. Tilton was in awe of the idea that a group of mit students was able to beat vegas for millions. The book follows the real characters and true story in only parts. Several mit students approached mezrich after the book signing and. Students who took vegas for millions by ben mezrich is a nonfiction work that takes a look at a group of mit graduates and dropouts who develop and perfect a card counting system, which they use to great effect.
It gets the mit freshmen picture book every year, mezrich said. Wanting a scholarship to transfer to harvard school of medicine with the desire to. The book, with additional reporting by zach pereles, scott ratcliffe, and scott german, will take you. Card counting gig nets students millions the tech mit. Mit alumnus and busting vegas author describe experience of.
This book rates right up there and was an exciting read. Once his mit blackjack team days were over, jeff founded a sports stock market website called protrade, which, unfortunately, is no longer active. Bringing down the house is the true story of how six mit students turned gambling into speculation to fleece las vegas for millions. The book is much better and details the life of the mit students who used their brains to beat the system. Playing the odds to win big in business, and is the ceo and founder of. Generally characterised as a work of nonfiction, it does include changed names, invented dialogue, composite characters, and altered descriptions of events for storytelling purposes. Mit card counting gig nets students millions blackjack. Expanding on the hilo cardcounting techniques popularized by edward thorp in his 1962 book, beat the dealer, the mit groups more advanced team strategies were. On wall street, it can be ponzi schemes and other frauds, such as insider trading, fake news, or stock price manipulation. He has authored eleven books, including the wildly successful bringing down the house. The original book the inside story of six mit students who took vegas for millions by counting cards at the blackjack tables was juicy. Ben mezrich, the author of bringing down the house.
Discover what its like to be a big winner at blackjack by real winners. The inside story of six mit students who took vegas for millions by ben mezrich. Based on the books by ben mezrich that cover the legendary mit blackjack teams. This book may also be interesting for those who saw or heard about the movie 21. Nathaniel tilton, a student of former mit team captains mike. Mike aponte, former member of the infamous mit blackjack team, takes us through the. 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. 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. The inside story of six mit students who took vegas for millions is.
Bringing down the house book by ben mezrich, 2002 bestselling book based on the experience of the mit blackjack team. Learn how to use the chart to make decisions when playing blackjack. The book was a ny times bestseller and it was made into a movie 21. The mit blackjack team has become famous worldwide for their success at beating the game of blackjack in the casinos of las vegas. Norman wattenberger has specifically shown that the system put forth is no better than basic strategy. Mezrich described four basic roles for a team of the blackjack players. He described his interaction with this covert team of gamblers.