Internet Blackjack

Anyone who knows anything about blackjack is familiar with the famous (or rather, infamous as far as casinos are concerned!) MIT Blackjack Team.  Having accomplished an extraordinary caper through the use of their card counting skills, this legendary team single handedly motivated countless blackjack players to try the same, infused the game with popularity, and inspired a plethora of media hits.

MIT Blackjack Team History

The MIT blackjack team has roots from 1962 when Professor Edward Thorp published Beat the Dealer. Thorp unveiled years of research through his book and proffered a sophisticated but easy to learn card counting strategy that could be used to beat the game of 21 (blackjack).  It was not until 1980 that Thorp’s theories were successfully put to the test, and it was not until 1994 that the MIT Blackjack Team became a nation-wide hit.

It was through the early 1980’s that the MIT Blackjack Team counted cards and obtained earnings successfully in casinos throughout the United States. While the team never consisted of more than thirty players at any given time, by the late 80’s members were being recognized by casino officials and the play began to diminish until new territory evolved.

When Connecticut’s Foxwood casino opened in 1992, a new team known as Strategic Investments was formed with the assistance of legendary blackjack player John Chang. Nearly eighty players were bankrolled and ran profitable card counting rings until 1993 when main members were banned from casinos, and others disbanded to invest and take advantage of the booming real estate market.

In 1994 some remaining members of Strategic Investments formed the Reptiles. This group of soon-to-be-famous MIT students combined their knowledge, learned methods, successful theories, and card-counting prowess and put it to use in the Las Vegas casinos. Their hard work and dedication paid off (literally), as they accumulated millions of dollars over the span of eight years. By 2002 the team disbanded, but not before having earned and been labeled with the official “MIT Blackjack Team” title.  A few of the more popular members ensured through additional means that they would not be soon forgotten.

Today’s MIT Blackjack Team leaders and standouts from the 1994 Reptiles escapade remain active in the blackjack circuit as the Blackjack Institute. As such, they host seminars, speak at events, sell books, supplies and merchandise, and provide training.  These legendary blackjack players are:

Mike Aponte – Mike began playing blackjack at MIT in 1992. He is popularly known as Jason Fisher in Bringing Down the House (best selling novel by Ben Mezrich, of which the 2008 film 21 is based on), and won the first World Series of Blackjack.

Dave Irvine – An undergraduate student of MIT, Dave was invited to join the MIT Blackjack team by Mike and has since accumulated earnings from casinos around the country.

“Johnny C” (John Chang) – Originally making his debut in 1982, Johnny is an esteemed blackjack player known throughout the world as being one of the most talented at advanced strategy.  He established the 1994 MIT Blackjack Team that is portrayed in Bringing Down the House.

The blackjack escapades of Strategic Investments and the Reptiles has been talked about and referenced in books, filmed documentaries, game shows, talk shows, and films.  More importantly, these unprecedented groups introduced a fame and love affair with blackjack that may not have otherwise existed.