Being a semi-professional gambler it’s always hard going through periods of cold play. My first week of 2008 was a cold one — and it pretty much started with a hand I never expected to lose…. I’ll run you through it:
3 players at the table, I’m playing 3 boxes — all in front. Two other playes both play a single box — one is behind me on one of the boxes.
Cards come out — I’ve got:
- A/A
- 7/3
- 6/6
Dealer’s upcard is a 6.
Yay — that’s excellent news! I split the aces — and in the casino I’m playing that means ONE card extra only — no blackjacks. I get a 7 (18) and a 9 (20). Not awesome — but good enough against a six.
Second box is an obvious double down. I get a ten. 20.
Last box isn’t too tricky — i split my sixes. First card: 5. I double down on 11 and get a 3. 14. Second split six gets a 4. I double down on ten and get a 10. 20.
At this point, there’s a good deal of money on the table due to all the double downs and the splits.
Dealer goes:
6-10-5.
I’ve seen this happen before (it still hurts but oh well), but that seemed to be the start of a cold run for me. I went on to lose more than I wanted to that night — and have decided to take the second week of January off from playing blackjack and play some low-stakes poker… Let’s turn the tide!
The interview about Mike, a former MIT Blackjack team member, a bunch of geniuses counting cards in Vegas…
