MIT Blackjack Team One of the most thrilling tales of blackjack to come out in recent years concerns a group of MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) students who devised a system to win millions from casinos throughout the US. Although their methods were legal, the casinos response was to find, track and ban the group from every casino in the county. The MIT group grew from a simple blackjack experiment to a sophisticated and highly skilled group of students who managed to go undetected by every casino walking away with millions. This is how they did it. Their strategy was a combination of basic blackjack strategy, card counting and clever disguises and role playing to avoid detection by the casino. Many member of the team were people of color. It was believed that the casino would not be alarmed as easily if young people of color were betting and winning big. Members of the team played one of four different roles. First there was the Back-Spotter. They were often used when the casino was crowded. This person would count cards without sitting at the table. If the table became hot, meaning that the players had an advantage over the house, they would signal the big bettors to play and bet big. Next came the Spotter. This person would sit at the blackjack table and play always betting the minimum. Casinos detect card counters by watching dramatic changes in betting patterns. They would also count cards and when the time was right signal to their teammates that the table was hot. The team also employed a Gorilla. This person doesn’t count cards. They just bet big and bet big all the time. Often they play the role of a drunken millionaire. The spotters help to direct the Gorilla to tables where they are likely to win. Finally, there is the Big Player. This person plays the role of someone often seen in casinos. This is the big bettor who plays recreationally and is happy to slowly lose his bankroll through hours of skilled blackjack play. He is basically a Spotter with a big bankroll. This person not only counts cards but also tracks high cards as they are shuffled through the deck. The team sought out investors to bankroll their extensive training and trips to Vegas. Known as Strategic Investments, the team used their funding to set up and train in mock casinos in classrooms, warehouses and apartments throughout the Boston area. The team’s performance was so well executed that it took nearly two years for the casinos to catch on. The end of the team came when a team member apparently sold names and faces of various team members to the Griffin Agency for $25,000. The Griffin Agency maintains a book of names and faces of card counters for casinos around the world. The casino responded by implementing high tech surveillance technology like facial recognition software and things like continuous card shufflers to thwart card counters. Casinos also often employed outside agencies like the Griffin Agency to help identify and track card counters and other casino cheats. Today, the Griffin Agency gets the MIT freshman yearbook every year.

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