21 Nights Entertainment
New York, NY
(212) 726-1549
(718) 529-1139

The Right Thing's the Right Thing.
by Shawn Tinling

I was at Harrah's in Atlantic City recently and as is usually the case, I headed straight for the blackjack tables. When I took my seat, things looked good from the very beginning. I started off with two blackjacks, and then get some pat 19's and 20's as well as some good double down conversions.

I've been a progression player for years, so after a nice little streak at this $25 table, before long I was betting $100 a hand. Soon I was betting $200 a hand and was still winning. My lead was $600 on my initial $1000 bankroll, and without even blinking I raised my bet to $300.

My first card was an ace; all there was to think about was a ten for a $450 payoff! The dealer's upcard was a five - no worries. My second card was another ace. I let out a pretty big groan because admittedly my gut didn't really like the hand. I put down another $300 and split the aces. In AC, aces only get one card, so I got a 5 and a 3 giving me totals of 16 and 14, which were both as good as nothing. The other players at the table gasped and leaned in toward my spot in anticipation - or, more likely, worry - since the dealer had to break for me to win.

Normally with bets that large I get the attention of the players at my table, and random bystanders and floor personnel join in the fray as well. Usually I don't mind at all, but when the dealer showed his hole card - a five - I had a feeling that I wasn't going to like this bout of popularity. The next card out was a Jack and the dealer had twenty, decimating my big lead just like that. Everyone at the table was silent, and my spectators slowly and quietly walked away. I was back to dead-even and, a bit shaken, I got up and left the table. What an absolute heartbreaker of a hand!

As it turned out, I would play for several more hours and finish dead even for the night. When I got back to New York, I told the story about what happened at Harrah's to a friend of mine.

She was shocked at how I ended up getting burned with such a high bet (actually two high bets!) on the table. "I would've just died if that happened to me."

"I wasn't even angry or upset about it, believe it or not."

"Really?!"

The way I saw it was this - it was the right thing to do. I've had basic strategy so ingrained in my mind that my moves have become automatic over the last few years. From the moment I get my second card and I see the dealer's upcard, I know exactly what I have to do. Basic strategy states that you always split aces, so I did just that. It doesn't matter if $25 is on the table or $25,000 - splitting aces is the right play.

I nodded to my friend. "If I had it to do all over another 100 times, I would've done the exact same thing 100 times. We know there's always that chance that a power play won't work out, but how can I be mad knowing I did the right thing but it just didn't win? That's the way it goes sometimes."

"True."

Sure, no one likes losing, but if there's such a thing as a 'best way to lose,' I would imagine that is it.

Until next time, all the best to you at the tables and in life.

--ST