There are times blackjack can seem routine. You hit, you stand, you win, you lose and the game goes on, whether it's online blackjack or in a live casino.
But there always seems to be something odd, unusual or otherwise memorable in other sessions. It might be a run of cards that seem to defy the odds. It might be some funny antics by someone at the table, or just some good advice that sticks with you.
Regardless of the situation, players come away with Tales from the Front, stories they enjoy retelling, such as these from readers who have been there.
The Accidental Card Counter
I once was in on a hand where everybody had low cards. Several players had hands of four or more cards — I think one player strung out a seven-card 20. The dealer had to go five cards before making a standing hand.
One player expressed amazement and started counting. "All low cards! One, two, three, four ..."
The dealer at my table didn't banter with the player. He called out to the pit, "We have a card counter here!"
It was all in fun. No one really thought that was an advantage play, but the whole table enjoyed the exchange.
One Hand, Seven Losses
I had a hand for the ages last week, and not in a good way. It involved both splitting pairs and doubling down. I played it by the book, but it was an unmitigated disaster. We know that happens.
I played it right, but I lost SEVEN BETS.
It’s one of my favorite hands that a lot of people miss. You turn the probability from loss if you hit or stand to a small profit if you split.
I bet $25 and I split my original 2-2. On hand No. 1 was dealt another 2 and resplit.
Back to hand No. 1. Next card was a 9. I doubled and was dealt a 5 for 16.
On hand No. 2, I drew a 4, then a 5, then a 3, for 14. The basic strategy play is to hit 14 against 7, as you know. I did what I must, drew an 8 and busted.
On hand No. 3, ANOTHER 2 came up. I split those, and another $25 was on the line. I drew an 8. Time to double down again. This time I drew a 7, so I had 17.
Finally, I drew another 8 on the last 2, doubled down again, and drew a 3.
I could hope for a dealer bust, and if she turned up 10 for 17, I’d at least salvage a push on one double.
No such luck, but at least it was quick. The dealer had an Ace down, so she had 18 and beat all my hands. So the final outcome: I lost two $25 bets on the first double down; one $25 bet on the bust hand; two $25 bets on the double down that was a 17; and two $25 bets on the double down that was a 13.
That’s a $175 loss on what started as one $25 bet. This isn’t my first go-round and we’ve all seen those swings before. But man, it’s still exasperating.
A Mistake to Learn By
I'll admit I was a really bad player when I started. I was the kind who didn't differentiate between hard and soft hands and that led to all kinds of mistakes.
Once, I had Ace-4 and the dealer had 10. I signaled to stand and the whole table jumped on me. One guy shouted, "You can't stand on that hand!" Another calmly tried to explain that nothing I could draw would hurt the hand. If I drew, I might improve to a winning hand, but I couldn't bust. I insisted I couldn't risk hitting my 15.
Unfortunately, it got worse. The dealer had a 6 down for 16. He then drew a 5. It would have given me 21, but it gave him 21 instead, and the whole table lost. Everybody was unhappy, and one guy stormed away in disgust.
I should have taken the advice then, but I'm better now. At least no one storms away from the table anymore.
Some Great Advice
When I was a blackjack beginner, I got advice at the table that started me learning basic strategy. I had an Ace and a 5, and the dealer had a 6. I signaled to stand on my 16.
The dealer hesitated, other players made noises like that was a mistake, but one player took the time to explain.
"You know you can't hurt that hand by hitting. You have a hand that can't win unless the dealer busts. If you hit, the worst you can wind up with is another hand that needs a dealer bust to win, but you could get something much better."
I asked what he'd do. He looked at the dealer and pit supervisor and when they didn't object, he said, "I'd double down. But if you can't bring yourself to double, at least hit."
I hit, won the hand, then went to the books after I left. I play better today because that player took the time to explain, made sense, and prompted me to look up strategy.
Fatigue-Induced Error
Some mistakes I've made when tired have been doozies. Here's one that really sticks out. I had a pair of 4s, the dealer showed a Queen. A sane person hits and hopes for the best. He certainly doesn't split and risk twice as much money on bad hands.
So much for sanity. I was in such a daze that I read the 4s as Aces. If all you can see is the card corners, it's not that hard to misread 4s as A's. But these were face up on the table. You could see all of both cards. The four spots should have been a giveaway, but uh-uh.
It shocked the dealer. He called to the supervisor, "Splitting 4s vs. 10," and the supervisor came over to watch.
I should have said, wait, I don't want to do that, but I didn't. I took my double loss as a sign it was break time.
Magic at the Table
I was having one of THOSE blackjack sessions. Every time I had blackjack, so did the dealer. If I had 20, the dealer had 21. If I had 11 against 6 and doubled, I'd draw a 5 and the dealer would make a hand.
It was working that way for the whole table. No big stacks of chips in front of anyone. You were rich if you had two chips to rub together.
When it was time for a new shoe, the cutter said, "It's time to put some magic in this table," which drew a chorus of "amens" and "I'm with you, brother." He waved his hand over the cards and said, "Protego!" before he cut.
One of the other players asked, "Protego?" and the cutter said, "It's the Harry Potter shield charm. I'm shielding us from dealer blackjacks."
A couple of people laughed. A supervisor said, "Hey, I'm not sure the state allows magic," and then she laughed.
I know it was just coincidence, but that shoe was great. The third hand into it, I got a blackjack and actually won. I won all my blackjacks in the shoe, and I think everyone else did, too. A couple of hands later, I had 8-3 and the dealer had 10. I doubled, got a 10 for 21 and the dealer had a 7 down for 17. I think everyone won or pushed that hand.
By the end of the shoe, every player's stack had grown. I was back in the black, ahead a couple of hundred.
I don't know how it went from there. My bit of magic was managing to disappear with a profit.
