If you ever wonder about how one blackjack player wins so often, there may be clues they are paying attention to that you should if you want to win. Blackjack is not only a game of chance but also skill. There are known methods when put in to practice have yielded great results for players. Edward Thorp, considered the father of card counting, wrote the first book titled Beat The Dealer. Since then there have been several movies that center around the team of students from MIT known as the the MIT Blackjack Team, who used card counting as their successful strategy.
The MIT, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Blackjack Team was a group of students who not only learned the art of card counting, but also played it out in real casinos. They won so much money from casinos, they eventually got banned and the group split into various branches. But for over 10 years this group had its way at many Atlantic City and Las Vegas blackjack tables. The team initially was six students who counted cards and then traveled to Atlantic City during spring break to play. They later offered a course at the school and were able to bring in more members.
At a restaurant in Cambridge, one of the members, overheard Bill Kaplan talking about blackjack. Bill Kaplan was himself a professional gambler and student, who earned a Harvard BA and waited to go for his MBA . During this period , he went to Las Vegas, formed a card counting team that returned 35 times the original investment . As he entered Harvard Business School, he ran his blackjack team as a successful side venture till many players moved on. He was asked by a member to guide the MIT team .
One of the things he noticed was each player used individual strategies that were too complex and resulted in errors. But he stated he would support the MIT Team if it was more focused with a formal protocol. The formal protocol included one counting and betting system for the entire team, training and approval procedure and detailed casino play. Detailed casino play included cash in, and cash out totals, blackjack card counting strategy used, betting limits and time period. This new focused and trained group was ready for the casinos. The strategy used was based on Ken Uston. The initial $89,000 investment doubled in less than three months.
This group and subsequent members of the MIT trained group continued with successful outcomes till the early 1990s. Casinos became wise to card counters and started banning most of them. When a player wins they must disclose their address and many of these winners had addresses in the Cambridge, Mass. area. This is location of MIT and Harvard. With top players banned from most casinos, the MIT Blackjack Team dissolved its partnership officially in 1993.
At the dissolution, the group split into two groups, one the Amphibians and the Reptiles. Success continued for these branches of the original group till 2000 when players moved on. One top blackjack player, Andy Bloch, also become a top poker player with over $4,000,000 in tournament prizes won.
In summary, card counting is an effective blackjack gambling strategy and way to beat the house average in a casino when done right. Even with a small advantage, a structured team of players can make enough to pay their way through school and other living expenses or might find the lifestyle appealing and turn being an advantage player into a career option. An advantage player is known as a professional gambler. And as noted, when the MIT Blackjack Team became more focused, it then became more successful.
