Editor’s note:
In 1992, Mike Aponte was recruited to play on the MIT Blackjack Team, and quickly developed into one of the team’s top “Big Players” and money winners. Within several years, he also became one of the team’s managers, contributing significantly to the team’s incredible success. In the summer of 1993, “MIT Mike” recruited his good friend, David Irvine (a.k.a “Mister J”) to join the team. Together, they were part of a hand-picked group of MIT students that took casinos by storm using a new training approach. The team would go on to win millions and take blackjack to extraordinary heights, as chronicled in the best selling book, Bringing Down the House.
Dave and I were playing blackjack in a high stakes pit in Atlantic City when a lady dressed in a business suit walked in and preceded to watch our table. A fairly attractive brunette with glasses, she stood slightly behind us off to the right. She appeared oddly indifferent to our presence, but stared intently at the cards as they were dealt.
During and after each round she would jot something down on a note pad. Dave and I exchanged knowing smiles. She wasn’t wearing a name tag, and we had never seen her before, but we knew why she was there — she was a card counter catcher. When the count started to rise, I turned to her and asked, “Who do you like in the big fight tomorrow night?” She ignored me, barely shooting me a glance. Dave jumped in and asked, “What restaurant do you recommend here?” Once again, no answer. Her focus remained squarely on the cards. Undeterred, we continued to talk to her until eventually she had no choice but to respond. During the course of our conversation, Dave and I kept track of the count and placed our bets accordingly.
For our new friend however, it was a different story. Distracted, she struggled to follow the count, and after several rounds she called it quits. Flustered at having been so easily befuddled, she shook her head, put her notepad away and walked off. Dave chuckled. “How rude. She didn’t even say goodbye.”
Thanks in large part to the training we had received as members of the MIT Blackjack Team, Dave and I were able to get the best of the card counter catcher. In order to become a high stakes, professional blackjack player, you need not only mathematical aptitude, but also good casino presence, keen awareness, and tenacity. Card counting is a unique occupation that requires the wearing of many hats. One moment you’re calculating the correct bet, the next you’re schmoozing with the floorperson and fellow players. All the while you must keep an accurate count and stay cognizant of your surroundings. You have to be light on your feet because in an instant a teammate may have a “hot” shoe or the pit boss may suddenly become suspicious of your play and alert surveillance. The ability to remain calm and multi- task under fire is invaluable. In addition to sound technical skills, a card counter must possess resilience, street smarts and moxie. Most people overestimate the mathematical component of card counting and underestimate the importance of discipline, poise, and perseverance.
When recruits sign on to the team, they begin a comprehensive training program — the key to our success. The beauty of blackjack is that for every hand, there is one, and only one, correct play, and for every bet there is one, and only one, optimal bet. The sheer simplicity of the game makes card counting a skill that most people can acquire given the correct knowledge and proper training. Gamblers play according to hunches and superstitions. A properly trained, professional never relies upon gut feelings or guesswork, but instead makes the correct decisions based on mathematically proven strategy and information gained from the cards that have been dealt.
Most of the players we recruit have never sat down at a blackjack table. Regardless of a recruit’s playing experience, he or she must start with a clean slate and discard any preconceived notions about how the game should be played. Candidates who mistakenly believe they already have blackjack all figured out are quickly dropped from consideration.
The team’s training program uses a straightforward, step-by-step approach. Every player must complete a a series of checkouts based on the role he or she will play. Checkouts are blackjack-skills tests that ensure a player’s skill level, and serve as the foundation of the team’s training. The first checkout tests basic strategy — the correct way to play your hand versus the dealer’s up-card. The second checkout is the spotter checkout, which requires you to play basic strategy and keep track of the count. The role of a spotter is to count down blackjack tables and signal the big player (BP) when the remaining cards are advantageous for the player.
The BP is the bread winner who wagers the big money during the hot shoes. The most difficult and the highest level checkout is the BP checkout. To pass the BP checkout you must play basic strategy, keep the running count and calculate the correct bet according to the count and the number of decks remaining. In addition, you have to watch your payoffs. If you are ever underpaid or ripped off, it is automatic failure. To top it off, during the last two shoes, team members harass you by forcing you to talk with them. The purpose of the harassment is to simulate some of the many casino distractions a BP has to contend with. After the BP checkout, the final phase of training begins.
A player must pass a casino checkout in order to become a full- fledged big player. The initial BP checkout was designed to simulate casino conditions, but there’s no substitute for the real thing. A BP is watched for as many hours as it takes, playing at small and then medium stakes tables. When a BP proves he has a strong technical game and the casino savvy necessary to lead a crew of teammates, he becomes a made man — promoted to full stakes BP.
The experience gained during the casino checkout period is crucial to learning how to operate naturally and effectively in the casino environment. Not only will such seasoning yield greater wins at the blackjack tables, but will also reduce the likelihood of getting made and “burned out” by casinos.
Over the years we have had a number of players who passed the BP checkout with flying colors, but buckled under the pressure of the casino checkout. One such player, “Harry,” earned four degrees from MIT in five years. Harry had a brilliant mind, but in the end, he simply didn’t have the nerve to put out the big money. Unable to execute the optimal betting strategy when watched at medium stakes, how could he have ever stomached betting thousands of dollars on his own as a full stakes BP?
The biggest challenges a professional blackjack team faces are recruiting good people, training them the right way, and maintaining high standards. Recruits must not only have a unique cross section of qualities and skills to complete our training program, but also the complete trust of fellow teammates, both personally and professionally.
Our team started as a close-knit group of friends who shared the common goal of becoming the best blackjack players we could be. Unfortunately, the team culture that was so instrumental to our success began to erode in the late 1990s. Sidetracked by the many perks of the Vegas lifestyle, the new players were not as dedicated and focused as the original members. As a result, the number of players who developed the skills necessary to become a full stakes BP sharply fell.
The team has since rebounded and although not as large and active as in the 1990s, the MIT Blackjack Team is still alive and well. High stakes, professional blackjack is not for everyone, but you don’t have to wager thousands of dollars to have an enjoyable and profitable experience at the blackjack tables. Regardless of who you are, preparation and training is paramount to the bottom line – winning.
- Mike Aponte and Dave Irvine have co-founded the Blackjack Institute (www.BlackjackInstitute.com) to make the team’s winning training system available to the public.
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