Chapters 17, 18, 19, and 20 Summary and Analysis

Chapter 17 is set in Boston on Halloween, 1995. The team of gamblers assembles at Micky Rosa's apartment to discuss the future. Lewis gawks at scantily-clad Halloween revelers on the way to the meeting. When the team members are assembled Fisher confronts Rosa and informs him that the students are splitting off from Rosa's organization—they will be pursuing card counting on their own. The decision appears unanimous and Rosa receives the news with a surprising amount of amicable advice. He does warn, however, that the lucrative period of success will not last forever. Indeed, Rosa's warning proves prescient as will be discussed beginning in Chapter 20.

Chapter 18 is set in Boston during November, 1995. Lewis decides to file all of his winnings as income with the IRS; other team members, notably Jill and Dylan, do the same. Lewis invests $250,000 with the...