Posted by Dr Fro 10:54 AM

I was telling this story recently and figured it was blogworthy....

Five years ago, I was playing blackjack in Spain. As usual, my dealer and I didn't get along due to an irreconcilable difference: I was a jackass, and she didn't like jackassery.

I was pounding scotch and waters and betting entirely too much. I had a couple thousand Euros in front of me and decided to make a 500 Euro bet. I was dealt 11 to the dealer's face card. Easy decision for me.

"Double down."

I don't recall how exactly it played out after that, except that I lost and I would have won had I just hit.

"You should have just hit" she said. It is not all that common for dealers to rub salt in the wounds of gamblers, but I seem to get this treatment more often than most. Well, not everyday-me, just scotch-and-water-me.

If you know me (and especially if you know scotch-and-water-me), you can envision with crystal clarity just how condescendingly I spoke when I said, "Actually, I should have doubled down. I have been playing this game for a long time, Sugar, and I don't need you to tell me how to play."

"You should have just hit," she said, unfazed.

"Well, evidently, you don't understand basic strategy...Look here," I said as I pull the business card sized summary of basic strategy that was purchased at the Rio in 1994. "See where it says Dealer has ten and player has 11? Yup, it says to double. So, don't tell me how to play blackjack, just shut up and deal."

She couldn't read the card from where she was, yet she said, "You must have a card for basic strategy against an 8-deck shoe where dealer peaks at hole cards when dealt a face. This is an 8-deck shoe where the dealer does not peak. Basic strategy here differs in 4 different scenarios, and your 11 against dealer's ten is one of them. The others are 8-8 vs a ten, 8-8 versus an ace and A-A versus an Ace."

I looked at my card, and sure enough, she was completely right.

"Waitress!"

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