“During the week, I was a normal college student,” said Mike Aponte.

Aponte, better known as the character “Jason Fisher”, in the book, “Bringing Down the House,” and the character “Ben” in the film, “21,” spoke to students at the University of Massachusetts Tuesday. “On the weekend I was a VIP.”

During his senior year at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Aponte joined the card counting blackjack team that would make approximately $10 million, an impressive feat considering he did not know what card counting was or many rules of the game when he joined. A feat that would inspire the Hollywood film “21.”

Aponte had switched his major three times over his college career and still had little idea of what he wanted to do with his life. At this point a friend approached him about joining the team, and he began to understand the appeal of the game.

“What makes blackjack different is it’s based on dependent events,” Aponte said, referring to how the cards that have been drawn can tell the player about what cards will be drawn next.

The goal of the game is to earn as close to 21 points as possible each hand without going over. This is done by combining two or more cards, when the number cards have the value of their number and jacks through aces are valued at 10 points each.

Aponte and his teammates used the high-low system to count cards. According to Aponte’s website, www.mikeaponte.com, two through six have a value of +1 in the system. These cards are good for the dealer. Seven through nine are neutral because they help neither the player nor the dealer. The high cards or face cards, have a value of -1 and are beneficial to the player. The number of high and low cards are equal. These numbers are tracked mentally. The higher the number, the better it is for the player as the majority of cards yet to be played are high cards.

“There is nothing illegal about counting cards,” Aponte said. However, “casinos have the right to bar players and evict them.”

This has happened to many of Aponte’s former team members. Aponte cannot even play blackjack anymore as he is one of the best known advantage players in blackjack. “Ironically, I do a lot of speaking at casinos,” Aponte said. “They only have a problem as soon as I sit down at a table.”

Aponte said, “the author took some artistic liberties … but the movie is very Hollywood,” in regards to his perceptions of the book by Ben Mezrich and the Hollywood movie made depicting his story.

One of the most memorable and graphic scenes in “21” when Ben, played by Jim Sturgess, is dragged to a casino basement, tied up and beaten, is a complete fabrication, according to Aponte.

The closest anyone ever came to that was trying to hold the team’s belongings ransom until the team paid for what had been understood to be a free hotel room and room service, after the they had made $200,000 in a single night, Aponte said. Determined not to pay, Aponte and a teammate used a credit card to get into the room and fled with their property.

One part of the film that was true was the team’s use of disguises. Some of Aponte’s disguises included wigs, colored contact lenses, false facial hair and what Aponte called “a fat man suit.” The most memorable disguise belonged to a team member named John, who was the inspiration for the professor played by Kevin Spacey. On one occasion, he dressed as a woman, though the disguise worked only for 10 minutes before he was caught.

There is also a few obvious differences Aponte pointed out between film and the reality he has lived.

“I’m not a thin white guy,” Aponte said, resulting in many laughs. During a post-speech meet and greet, Aponte said that his Korean-Puerto Rican heritage actually worked to his advantage. The security personnel usually looked for “smart-looking, white guys,” according to Aponte.

However, after six years most of the team was listed in Griffen Investigations, a corporation that keeps track of scam artists, advantage players – like the MIT team – and other people who find ways around the casino system. They were too well-known to continue playing successfully, and the team was dissolved.

Three of the teams’ members, including Aponte, went on to enjoy professional blackjack careers. Aponte won the 2004 World Series of Blackjack tournament. Now located in Los Angeles, Aponte has enjoyed working as a non-profit tutor for high school students, as well as offering blackjack coaching. Before Monday night’s speech ended, Aponte left the students with this advice: “First, its okay to be unsure of what you want to do. Always keep an open mind and be willing to take chances. Live a life of conscious intent. Set goals and make a plan. Change is a part of life, so be willing to adapt.”

From one blackjack player to another, he offered this writer some personal advice. “Never take insurance, it will end up costing you,” he said. “And always remember to split eights and aces. Good luck with your future card counting.”

Alissa Mesibov can be reached at [email protected]