Bringing Down the House

The book's main character is Kevin Lewis, an MIT graduate who was invited to join the MIT Blackjack Team in 1993. Lewis was recruited by two of the team's top players, Jason Fisher and Andre Martinez. The team was financed by a colorful character named Micky Rosa, who had organized at least one other team to play the Vegas strip. This new team was the most profitable yet. Personality conflicts and card counting deterrent efforts at the casinos eventually ended this incarnation of the MIT Blackjack Team.

Characters

Kevin Lewis

Although not revealed in the book, Kevin Lewis's real name is Jeff Ma, an MIT student who graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1994. Jeff has since gone on to found a fantasy sports company called ProTrade (a stock market simulation game).

Mezrich acknowledges that Lewis is the sole major character based on a single, real-life individual; other characters are composites. Nonetheless, Lewis does things in the book that Ma himself says did not occur.

Jason Fisher

One of the leaders of the team, Jason Fisher, is modeled in part after Mike Aponte. After his professional card counting career, Mike went on to win the 2004 World Series of Blackjack, and started a company called the Blackjack Institute, which offers instructional products and services.

Micky Rosa

The team's principal leader, Micky Rosa (also known as MR. M), is based very loosely on Bill Kaplan from Plattsburgh NY, the founder and leader of the team, JP Massar, an initial MIT player on the team who went on to co-manage the team with Kaplan, and John Chang, a player trained by Kaplan and Massar (neither of whom were MIT professors, as Rosa is). Chang has questioned the book's veracity, telling The Boston Globe, "I don't even know if you want to call the things in there exaggerations, because they're so exaggerated they're basically untrue."