What type of card-counting system did the MIT blackjack team use?

Question

Did the MIT use the high-low system like in the movie 21 or did they use a more complex system? I've read on Wikipedia that they used advanced shuffle tracking and ace tracking techniques...what is this and how was it done?

Answer 1

They used a combination of strategies.... too many to list here.  High-low was involved, along with team play, shuffle tracking and others.  If you can find it, watch the History Channel's "Breaking Vegas" or the episode of GSNs "Anything To Win" covering the team... it has lots of information.  Don't kid yourself that you can pull this off though.  It's much more complex than you can imagine.

Answer 2

The MIT used Hi/lo as has been said. - I do the same.

They also shuffle-tracked - I do the same - I really do

They also ace-tracked - I really do that, too.

They were also said to do holecarding - I don't do that - That's cheating and I don't cheat. I'm a professional player and have made my living from blackjack but I never had to cheat to do it.

Look at MIT's  performance at large, up to 30 players playing simultaneously, over two years, won $3,000,000, on a $1,000,000 bankroll. I'm pleased for them that they won but it wouldn't set the world on fire - $50000 average/yr - anything left for the investors?  :)

Ken Euston, in Atlantic City 15 years earlier won $4,000,000 with a much smaller team, using a big player/gorilla team like MIT copied.

Answer 3

Hi/lo was their counting strategy for the most part, but alot of their advantage came from other shady technieques not to be discussed on forums which yeild much higher advantages.

The hi/lo count assigns values of

+1 for cards 2-6

0 for cards 7,8,and 9

and -1 for cards 10, jack, queen, king, and ace

You will find little public information on their advanced techniques, and if you do it will be vague.

For instance, one way to gain an advantage is to raise your bet when you are about to be dealt an ace, how it is done i cannot say but it is possible.

Shuffle tracking involves memorising the cards previously dealt and following them through the shuffle and raising your bet when you know favorable cards are about to come out.