Ep. 22: Mike Aponte Interview with Michael Covel on Trend Following Radio
Michael Covel talks to Mike Aponte, professional blackjack player and a former member of the MIT Blackjack Team. Aponte was featured in the bestselling book "Bringing Down The House" as the player Jason Fisher, which was adapted into the movie "21". Covel makes this point about Aponte: Due to his systematic approach, he's definitely not a gambler; he's an investor. The similarities between successfully playing blackjack and trend trading are off the charts, including two of the key linchpins between them: Ed Thorp and the Kelly criteria. Aponte never really played blackjack before the MIT team, but when he learned to approach card counting as a science, he was hooked. Covel and Aponte go in depth about Aponte's beginnings; the similarities between systematic card counting and trend trading; the psychology behind the two; and how even some of the more advanced mathematicians at MIT didn't have the risk-taking constitution it took to make the cut. Aponte tells some revealing anecdotes along the way, including a run in with casino security that ended with them actually asking for his autograph. A must listen for any investor--blackjack player or not.