In one of the first reviews of 21, Rolling Stone magazine writes, ""Odds are you're going to like this lively spin on the true story of six MIT mathletes who broke the Vegas bank in the 1990s." At the center of the film is Jeff Ma. Needing money for med school, he leads a rogue blackjack team to Vegas. They have the time of their young lives, count cards (which, by the way, is not illegal), and walk away with millions. It's the stuff modern myths are made of. A baby-faced card-counting team possessed with impressive mathematical skills, Ma and his engineering and math students used a system so successful, it took nearly two years before the casinos began to catch on. Their success eventually raised the formidable ire of casino owners and launched them into the seedy underworld of corporate Vegas with its private investigators and other violent heavies. "There was nothing we did that was against the law," Ma says. "We just had a system that worked, and that's not what the casinos are about. For a while there, we were the kings of this place."

Putting his innovative theories into practice, Jeff Ma co-founded ProTrade.com, the popular sports fantasy website that allows users to trade players like stocks. (Think of Billy Beane's Moneyball-style of talent management.) Partnering with Sports Illustrated, Major League Baseball and ESPN, Ma and ProTrade have revolutionized the way we think about the true worth and value of athletes and teams—transforming the experience of sports-watching for millions of people. Ma is also a much-requested campus speaker, talking about his unique college experiences, but also discussing the universal themes his story touches on—using your given talents, regardless of what they may be, to find your way in a post-college world.

Very few undergraduates at MIT—or anywhere—would ever dream that their future includes having drinks with NBA stars, dating LA Rams cheerleaders and enjoying the Vegas highlife on a seemingly unlimited budget. Or that they'd be the subject of a bestselling book and a major movie. And yet, Jeff Ma achieved all of this. At a crucial time in his life, he decided to use his intrinsic talents to bring down the house of Vegas. Ma realized that there is no one path to happiness. Instead of going to Medical school, as he had always planned to do, he became the leader of the smartest team of card-counters Vegas had ever seen. His story of creativity, trust and talent is both amazing and inspiring—after hearing from him, you will see that life is less a linear path than a multiplicity of possibilities.

 

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