I finally got to see an honest too goodness grownup film this weekend – 21. It is about a MIT team of students who learned to count cards and tried to cheat the system in Las Vegas. Actually, this movie is based in part on a true story you might find interesting.
If you don’t know, the game of 21 (also known as blackjack) is played between you and the dealer, even if other people are sitting at the table. You are dealt two cards each and can get more – the person who comes closest to 21 without going over wins. Sounds simple, but imagine how much easier it would be if you kind of knew which card was coming next by keeping count of what had already been played. Now, I myself could never be a card counter. I have trouble figuring out change when I go to the store. Me and math just AREN’T compatible, so it fascinates me that there are people who can just do stuff like this in their heads.
The origins of the MIT Blackjack team can be traced back to a mini-course taught there in 1979 called “How to Gamble if You Must.” By late 1979, a team set out for Atlantic City with an investment of $5,000. At first, they lost, but then J.P. Massar teamed up with Bill Kaplan, a Harvard grad who had been running a blackjack team based in Las Vegas for a few years. Kaplan’s original team was burned out, so he took Massar and several of his friends under his wing. The team officially started on August 1, 1980 and their profits were originally estimated at $162.50 per hour, with the team members and investors splitting the profit 50/50. The team continued to play through the 80s, with as many as 35 players some times. By 1990, player exhaustion and casino conditions cause the group to stop playing. It is estimated that they won over six million dollars with their card counting system.
Card counting is not illegal, but if you are caught doing it in a casino, you are labeled as a card counter and could be banned from the casino. Unlike in the 70s when the MIT team originally started, casinos have much more sophisticated ways of catching card counters including computerized scanners that can identify counting systems when used, surveillance staff watching players, and facial recognition technology that keeps you out once you have been banned.
The movie only loosely follows the real MIT blackjack team story, but it was interesting and is rated PG-13 (the only violence was when the guy got caught counting and was beat up by casino security).