Johnny Chang, blackjack player extraordinaire, was elected to the Blackjack Hall of Fame in January 2007. Chang was one of the original members of the MIT Blackjack Team — the card-counting blackjack team that ruled the casinos in the 1970s and 80s — thus cementing his place in blackjack history as one of the all-time greats.

Johnny Chang helped form the original MIT Blackjack Team in 1979 and joined the team as a player in 1981. He underwent the same rigorous training that fellow players went through and followed the strict rules of behavior that were imposed on the team. As a result, he became a master in the art of blackjack card counting and blackjack team play. In the early 1990s, after over a decade of playing professional blackjack, Chang formed a company called Strategic Investments, which backed a new blackjack team to the tune of a million dollars.

At first the new team kept winning (estimates range from 4 to 10 million dollars of profits), but history repeats itself and the casinos started catching on to the SI team as they did to other teams in the past. Players were photographed and started being banned from blackjack casinos. This didn't deter the SI management and new players with unknown faces were recruited, trained, and let loose in the casinos. But the casinos' doggedness finally paid off and the SI team was disbanded after a few years. Former SI members have formed subsequent teams, though none have been as heavily bankrolled as Chang's 1991 super-team.

When Chang joined the MIT Blackjack Team in 1981 as a university student, it was more as a lark and a way to make some pocket money than as a true calling. He attended MIT at the time and when he was recruited to the Team he was a blackjack novice. He went through the training process and admits to "learning on the job," after his skills were put to their first test and found somewhat lacking. Chang played during the MIT Team's heyday when the concept of Big Players was put to good, lucrative use.

With a number of partners, Johnny Chang has recently founded the Blackjack Institute. He consistently keeps a low profile and continues to be an impressive foe for frustrated blackjack casino owners. With his long history of blackjack successes he remains a shining star in the illustrious blackjack pantheon of legendary players.