Actually, if I'm not mistaken, they did not set up the counting system per se, they just used someone else's system (there are many, but they're all basically the same conceptually), and simply worked as a team in the casinos.
A few guys sit at a few different tables, and as soon as a favorable count develops at one of them, they signal the "Big Player" (BP), who sits down and starts making the actual money-making bets.
What's so interesting and attractive about Blackjack is that it's the only "table game" in the casino that's not a game of independent probability (with the automatic percentage edge for the house built in). As the composition of the cards to be played changes, the odds can shift to favor the player.
I'm surprised that a probability and stats guy like you hasn't caught the gambling bug. Altho you're probably better off for it. I am a successful gambler today (on a relatively small scale), but it took me many, many years, and more money than I'll be able to win back in this lifetime, to learn what I know now.
