From time to time, readers send me stories about unusual things that have happened to them in casinos. I always find them fun to read, and I hope you will, too.
Gordon: My dad always splits 10s if the dealer has a 6 up. You know and I know he has a bigger edge if he just plays his 20, but he’s my 75-year-old dad and I’m never going to be able to convince him of that.
One day we were playing, and he split his 10s against a 6 and wound up with a 14 and 15. The dealer made 18, so dad lost both hands. A little later, he did it again. This time he managed an 18 and a 20, but the dealer pulled 21.
This one guy down the table was giving him the eye, but didn’t say anything. Finally, I got the 20 against a dealer 6, and I signaled to stand. The guy down the table said, “You’re his son, right?” I nodded. He said, “And you’re not going to split?” I said no, I wasn’t. And he finally said to my dad, “Hey old block, you ought to learn something from Chip here.”
Our whole family has been calling dad “old block” ever since.
Eileen: I love craps, and I’m not shy at all. There have been lots of times when I was the only woman at the table. Mostly the guys are great about it.
This one time, though, the shooter went point-7, no winners, and it was my turn. I put my pass bet down, and the guy who’d sevened out said, “Don’t be nervous, honey, easy does it.”
I told him I’d played this game before, and wasn’t at all nervous. I rolled a 7, and all the pass bettors won. Again, this guy tells me not to be nervous. I just shrugged it off, and then the numbers started coming.
All through this, I keep hearing, “Just relax, you’re doing good.”
I finally snapped. “Is that relax method what you used?”
A little churlish, I suppose, but the whole table laughed, he turned beet red and left me to it.
