educated_at mike aponte
Mike Aponte , also known as MIT Mike , is a professional blackjack player and a former member of the MIT Blackjack Team . Aponte was one of the leaders of a team of MIT students that legally won millions at blackjack tables around the world by counting cards . He is one of the main characters , `` Jason Fisher , '' in the best selling book , Bringing Down the House , by Ben Mezrich . The bestselling book inspired the major motion picture , 21 . Ben Mezrich ( born February 7 , 1969 ) is an American author from ___MASK15___ , New Jersey , United States . The ___MASK73___ ( MIT ) is a private research university in Cambridge , Massachusetts . Founded in 1861 in response to the increasing industrialization of the United States , MIT adopted a European polytechnic university model and stressed laboratory instruction in applied science and engineering . Researchers worked on computers , radar , and inertial guidance during World War II and the Cold War . Post - war defense research contributed to the rapid expansion of the faculty and campus under James Killian . The current campus opened in 1916 and extends over along the northern bank of the Charles River basin . The MIT Blackjack Team was a group of students and ex - students from ___MASK73___ , Harvard Business School , Harvard University , and other leading colleges who used card counting techniques and more sophisticated strategies to beat casinos at blackjack worldwide . The team and its successors operated successfully from 1979 through the beginning of the 21st century . Many other blackjack teams have been formed around the world with the goal of beating the casinos . ___MASK64___ ___MASK11___ ( HBS ) is the graduate ___MASK11___ of ___MASK64___ University in Boston , Massachusetts , United States . The school offers a large full - time MBA program , doctoral programs , HBX and many executive education programs . ___MASK15___ is a municipality with a borough form of government in Mercer County , New Jersey , United States , that was established in its current form on January 1 , 2013 , through the consolidation of the Borough of ___MASK15___ and ___MASK15___ Township . As of the 2010 United States Census , the municipality ' s population was 28 , 572 , reflecting the former township ' s population of 16 , 265 , along with the 12 , 307 in the former borough . ___MASK77___ is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge , Massachusetts , established in 1636 , whose history , influence , and wealth have made it one of the world ' s most prestigious universities .