21 Master

So I'm back and the vacation was fantastic! So great in fact, that the reality of my house being a complete disaster, and there is not a drop of edible food in the fridge and the kid's laundry is in a mountain-like pile in the laundry room, and that the Christmas trees is not up yet does not phase me in the least. I've got other things on my mind. Other important and pressing matters of the mind....I'm dreaming of and missing like crazy my nightly Blackjack game. Yeah, gambling has a way of doing that to you.

I was never a Blackjack player before this trip. I would stand behind the game and watch My Guy play and clap and cheer and get excited when he won, just happy to be there. He taught me to play Caribbean Stud last year when we were in Vegas and I enjoyed that game and the fact that $100.00 got me a few hours at a table (just like a grown-up) and maybe a few, cheap, earnings for the time spent gambling. It was fun and we played a little Caribbean Stud on this trip also, but the REAL fun came when on our first night there, when My Guy was winning at a $25 Blackjack table, he asked me to sit down next to him and play (with his money-of course).

I was really nervous at first and declined his offer, citing my complete inexperience at this fast paced game. (I was also worried because thanks to my Wicked Witch of the West third grade teacher, I still can't add, subtract, multiply or divide, on demand in my head, quickly. A prerequisite for the game of Blackjack) But My Guy assured me that he was right there next to me and would help me along every step of the way. OK, I reluctantly agreed and figured this to be a reasonably safe foray into the game of Blackjack.

As a casual observer, there were a few rules of Blackjack that already knew, just from watching the game like:

• the dealer must stand on 17
• double your bet or "press" when you are hot
• always split aces

So I sat and played with My Guy coaching me along. And I played, and I played, and I played and before I knew it I was HOT and doing quite well on my own. Blackjacker's are funny people- and as I played I learned about the "real" rules of their game.

• They hate newbies-(like me)-who tend to "stay" on a fifteen while the dealer is showing a ten and they will yell at you and blame you for "f*cking up the whole shoe". (for the record-no one yelled at me- but that's just because I had My Guy coaching me) and if you do screw up they will never let you forget it.
• ALWAYS hit on 16 if the dealer has over an 8. I ended up HATING 16.
• NEVER hit on a 12, 13 and so on if the dealer is showing a 2, 3, 4or a"bust" card as it's called.
• Double up on anything over an 8 and under a 10 if the dealer is showing a bust card.
• Double up on an 11 only if the dealer is showing under a ten.
  
• Never buy insurance on the dealer's possible Blackjack. (although I saw plenty of people do it, the consensus is that it's a fool's bet).
• Splitting pairs increases your chances and is usually a good bet, especially when you draw two eights-thereby ridding yourself of the dreaded sixteen.

We ended up winning big on our first night there; real big, with both of us playing. So it became our nightly fun. After dinner out we would return to our hotel and spend the next few hours in the Casino playing Blackjack. After two nights of coaching, I was able to sit alone at a table and play well (the tables were busy that night and we couldn't find two seats together). Besides that, I wouldn't play at more than a $10 minimum table. I am, at most, a cautious gambler.

I am also a chip hoarder. This is a VERY good thing. I told you I played at only the $10 tables, so every time I got a $25 chip, I would throw it into my purse and forget about it. Every time My Guy would get a $100 chip I would take it and do the same thing. He would protest, of course, but at the end of the night, after the drinks and chips were spent, we always had plenty to cash out and My Guy was grateful for my frugality.

I returned home no longer a "newbie", but a somewhat seasoned Blackjacker, happy for time spent at the tables and grateful for the many things I learned. Blackjack is a great game that can turn fortunes one way or the other in an instant. Some days you win big and some days you loose big but it's never boring. We enjoyed some good conversations, great casino comps and a fun relaxing time, thanks to, interestingly enough, neither his or my Blackjack skills. I would say it was mostly due to my master chip hoarding skills.