My father never gambled in his life yet he and my mother wanted to go to San Juan Puerto Rico for a one week vacation and gamble.
He said he wanted to learn how to play Black Jack. So from my own experience, I taught him one way he could play and not lose too much but increase his odds if he found a “losing dealer”. That is not to difficult to find if you look around the casino for a table which is quiet and shows no excitement.
Well, I told him once he found a ‘cold dealer’, “sit down quickly because others might be seeking the same exact situation”.
Well they went to the Americana Hotel in San Juan where they had reserved an air-hotel package for one week deal. On a Saturday night, they walked into the casino and found, what I had described, as a “cold” dealer.
He sat down with my mom standing behind him. He remembered to just use “hand signals” .. there was no need to talk just motion “Take a Card” or “Stay” with his hands.
On 11 or less, take a card. On 12 or more “STICK”! Easy to remember.
Well all the others played by the “book” and took cards at 12, 13 or 14 .. no matter what the dealer had showing.
My dad did exactly what we had rehearsed. It seemed he won about 15 of 17 hands and at one point, he was the only winner at the table … when his winnings piled up to $250.00, my mother, his ‘cashier’, decided that was “ENOUGH!” .. she said!
When he got up my mother told me, “THEY ALL APPLAUDED …. AND SAID, “YOUR HUSBAND IS THE VERY BEST BLACK JACK PLAYER WE HAVE EVER SEEN” ..
That was the first and LAST time, my father (and mother) had ever gambled at any casino in their lives!
Stay tuned to PART FIVE!