Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduates Mike Aponte and David Irvine recounted the rise and fall of their careers as world-famous, card-counting blackjack players at their alma mater last night, as a movie based on their experiences is set to premiere.
The upcoming movie, 21, was filmed last year on Boston university’s campus. The movie and a future HBO series are based on Ben Mezrich’s best-selling book, Bringing Down the House, whose characters are based on some of the MIT students involved in the team of card counters. Card counting allows players to determine their odds against those of the house depending on the cards that have already been dealt, and to bet big when cards turn in their favor.
After the real-life MIT team won millions, casinos began to suspect the team was counting cards. Aponte and Irvine said disguising themselves became more difficult once casino authorities started recognizing their faces. The team was winning too much money for it to pass as merely luck, they said.
“Ultimately, we were victims of our own success,” Aponte said. “All we were doing was just looking at the cards. This is information that’s available to every player.”
Despite the legality of card counting, casinos look down upon the practice and often kick out known card counters. Aponte said he was a member of the original MIT card-counting team, which called itself Strategic Investments and operated behind closed doors. The team disbanded after a member told casino authorities the names and information of all the other team members.
The setback did not stop the young men from continuing with their gambling. Ten devoted members made a new, more selective team shortly after that and employed tougher and stricter training for its members.
“There was a big difference in philosophy between Strategic Investments and the newer team, which involved a lot more working together as a team and less individual work,” Irvine said.
The new team employed a complicated system of body signals that allowed two members to communicate while at the casinos. Sharing the work made the process less suspicious, Irvine said. The men used this system on a large scale.
“When we were in Vegas, time was money,” Aponte said. “We considered ourselves businessmen. This meant getting in as much gambling as possible.”
Aponte said he most regrets not fully enjoying the spoils of their success.
“It would’ve been nice to enjoy some more of that lifestyle instead of focusing on the business aspect,” he said.
Though the saga of MIT’s professional blackjack players is still alive, the men said they are not aware of any trace of the team that still exists. Aponte and Irvine have started a business called the Blackjack Institute, where they charge clients $5,000 for home visits to teach their blackjack tricks.
Irvine said Atlantic City casinos now have signs banning “mid-shoe entry,” meaning gamblers may not step into a game unless the cards are being shuffled, a rule put in place as an effort to prevent future card counters from using a strategy similar to theirs.
At MIT, the famous blackjack team is on its way to becoming a legend.
“It seems like everyone here has heard about them and what they did,” said MIT senior Hollie Rachall. “I’m just excited for the movie.”
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