Las Vegas resident Andy Bloch currently enjoys a status as one of the most dangerous players in poker, but it's his history as a member of the legendary Massachusetts Institute of Technology blackjack team — as spotlighted in the recently released movie “21” — that remains his calling card. The movie is an adaptation of the best-seller “Bringing Down the House.” This week, in an exclusive with 210SA, Bloch gives a behind-the-scenes look at the M.I.T team's casino-busting ways to Chuck Blount.
 

It's well known that you used to be a member of the M.I.T. blackjack team, so how do you still get into casinos?

Even though I don't play any blackjack, I still get problems from time to time. I'm usually able to sort them out. Most recently, I had a problem over in Europe. I went to a casino to register for a poker tournament, and they wouldn't give me a membership to the casino. Thankfully, the tournament director was standing right there when the problem arose, and he was able to vouch for me that I was there for poker instead of blackjack.

How did you get involved with the team at M.I.T.?

They ended up finding me. I had heard of them, though, and I found a way to beat a game called Hickock Mixed-Card Poker. I was looking to build a team for that game, and I was quickly swallowed into the blackjack part of it.

In the book, it mentions costumes that the players wore to disguise their presence in the casinos. How did that all come to be?

We tried them with mixed success. One player dressed up as a woman, but they caught him. The idea is glorified in the movie, but it's important to remember that it's very hard to wear a disguise in hopes to fool somebody that's three feet away from you in a blackjack pit.

But obviously you had to try something to disguise yourself?

One time, I did hire a makeup artist and had them work me up several hours before I planned to play blackjack. I had a fake scar and everything. Then I went to the hotel room where the rest of the team was staying, and I knocked on the door. The guy that opened it up said, “hey, Andy.” It ended up not being worth it. The truth is, the best costumes are the simplest to produce. Add a hat, maybe some sunglasses or a new hairstyle. That's all you need.

What was the most dramatic alteration from reality in the movie?

The beatings and the interrogations issued from the casino employees never happened.

Card-counting is not illegal, even the Supreme Court has said so. You don't have to go to a table and declare that you are a card-counter. It's strictly a practice that rewards your knowledge. Unfortunately, the casino does always reserve the right to determine whether or not they want your business. If they don't, there's not much you can do about it.

Is card-counting as a team really as foolproof as it's portrayed?

It's very lucrative. You start to expect the profits because the card-counting system leaves a very small window to be incorrect. What is inaccurate, though, is how easy they try to portray the system. It's not easy, and it requires lots of practice. To be the best in blackjack requires more practice than anybody can imagine.

Chuck Blount | 210SA contributor