is it true that the cat in real life is asian but in the movie 21 hes played by a white guy?
Sort of. The character Spacey plays isn't real, but the guy he could most closely be associated with is Asian in real life.
Almost right.
Spacey's character was in the book, and is real. He was the former math teacher that organized the gang. He got the anonymous investors to give the money, taught the blackjack boot camp, and organized the trips. The difference was in the movie, he was a current teacher, while IRL he used to be a teacher. They were both named Mickey Rosa, though.
And yes, the main character in the movie is white, but he was asian fo' real. The real dude was named
Jeff Ma, but renamed Kevin for the book and movie.
There's a show about the book and real-life adventures on the History channel (I think).. I have it set up to Tivo this week. Called Breaking Vegas I think.