Blackjack Bullies

As I mentioned in a previous post, I went to Lumiere Place with some friends on Saturday night and played some blackjack. I am not a big gambler and neither is Bruce, but we do enjoy going to the casinos. We have our (usually $40) limit, and if we use it all, then we are done. Compared to many people, $40 is nothing to spend at a casino. I have enjoyed playing blackjack for the past few years. At first, I was kind of nervous about it but now I am OK sitting down at a table and playing.

With my spending limit being as low as it is, I usually try to find a $5 table and stay there. But typically on a weekend night, the minimum betting table that one can find is $10. This was the case Saturday night. I walked around for a little while looking for a $5 table with no luck and then opted to sit down at a $10 table. I cashed in $50 (yes, more than my usual limit) and bet $10 on the first hand. Someone asked me if I was going to wait for a new chute and I said "no."

On my first hand, I was dealt an ace and a 7. The dealer was showing a 5. I had either 8 or 18 (not a bad blackjack hand) and we are supposed to believe the dealer is going to bust because they are holding a "bust" card. Well, anyway, I chose to stand. Some middle-aged white woman at the other end of the table (I was sitting in the spot right next to "3rd base" (one spot from the last player)) starts saying something like "double down on that!" and I just looked at her and said "no." FYI.....I almost always double down on 11 and sometimes on 10 if the dealer is showing something lower than 10. I never double down on anything else. This is my own personal choice and I make it mostly because I don't have that much $$$ to lose. I realize that doubling down might win me twice as much money, but it could also lose me that money. And I am not comfortable doing so on anything other than the 2 aforementioned situations. Well, immediately, this woman starts ranting about how that was a stupid decision and that she is now going to sit out the next hand because she's not going to play when someone who can't make the right decisions is at the table.

OK, whatever, lady. So I keep playing. And I lose a couple hands and then start winning. I double down when I feel comfortable with it. I hit on 16 and anything lower when the dealer is showing anything higher, and I begin winning. I think she then saw that yes, I really do kind of know what I am doing. She only sat out about 2 hands and then got back in. So we keep playing. A man comes to the table and begins playing. The woman at 3rd base keeps playing. And finally, 2 barely 21-year old college girls come to play. They only have $20 each and are helping each other and encouraging each other, and sharing money. They are doing fine. I now have my original $50 in chips (which I stuck into my purse and did not touch again, so that I knew I would at least break even on the night) and about $35 more on the table. I tell myself that if I lose that $35, I am done. We play some more hands.

Eventually, during one of the rounds, one of the college girls cannot decide whether to stay or hit. The two people on the left side of her who still have to play are myself and the woman at 3rd base. The girl looks at me and says "if I hit, will that mess you up?" I look back at her and say (in a very nice voice) something like "I don't care what you do; I'm not going to get mad at you for anything you chose to do at this table. It's your money." And I LOOK DIRECTLY INTO THE EYES OF THE %ITCH ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THEM as I am saying this. Well, we finish that hand and then the %itch looks at me and says "what is your name?" I tell her. She then says "Beth, I owe you an apology." I said "thank you" as sternly yet nicely as I could. I wanted to get the point across to her that yes, I certainly thought she acted out of turn.

I just don't get people who get all worked up at what decisions other people make at a blackjack table. Seriously, do you really think that my not hitting on one hand can mess up the entire chute? Get real! And worry about your own money. Maybe I am missing something. Maybe that being a math teacher, I should realize more about the cards than I do. I don't know. I do know though that I absolutely hate it when someone tries to influence the decisions of others who have not asked for their opinion. People are not going to learn unless they make mistakes. That's how I learned (and also by playing on my phone). So don't worry about them. Worry about you. If you really can't stand it anymore, get up and move to a different table quietly, without belittling anyone else. Gees people, get a life!