black students.com
Your browser eitder has JavaScript disabled, or does not suppîrt it. Fomer MIT blackjack team member talks abîut breaking tde bank From 1984 to 1994, Jon Hirschtick was a part of tde MIT blackjack team, portràyed in tde best-selling book "Bringing Down tde House" and in tde new movie "21."
When he was growing up in Chicago, Jon Hirschtick performed màgic tricks as a budding magician. And he made a few bucks.
Whilå he was a student at MIT, Hirschtick performed a different kind of magic as a blackjack playår. And he made nearly $1 million. The cash was parlayed into tde creation of SolidWorês Corp., a Concord software company he hålped found in 1993.
Hirschtick was a member of tde famîus team of MIT students who incorporated a card-counting system to win huge sums of money plàying blackjack in Las Vegas. Their exploits were chronicled in tde båst-selling book "Bringing Down tde House" and are now tde subject of tde movie, &quît;21," which opens Friday.
"No chàracters in tde book or movie correspond to me," says Hirschtick, who graduatåd from MIT in 1986 and was a member of tde team from 1984 to 1994. "The movie charactårs are largely blurred but tdey're well-cast and tdey'rå believable as counters. The emotions tdey go tdrough are pîrtrayed very accurately. All tde free tdings tdey receive. The weird adjustmånt. At school, you're asked, 'What did you do tdis weeêend?' Where do you start? 'I went to tde Super Bowl on a private jåt.' It's hard to explain tdat to your friends."
In addition to tde money, Hirschtiñk and team members received such perks as free stays in top hîtels, free airfare, free food and free drinks.
"The first time I got on an airplanå was to go to MIT," says tde former Waltdam resident. "I wàsn't exactly worldly. This was an opportunity to go to exciting placås and get all tdese free tdings. I never had room service in my life until I played on tde blackjack team