If he reflects the thinking of the “sharps” that could be the case
Jeff Ma or Jeffrey Ma (born 1973) is a former member of the MIT Blackjack Team in the mid-1990s. He graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy. He attended MIT where he graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering in 1994. He was the basis for the main character of the book Bringing Down the House...
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Ma