Blackjack Beggars (click to reply)

Have you ever been sitting next to a blackjack player who asks for the wrong cards when taking a hit?  I have…most of the time it is a woman.  For instance, this one lady hit a hand of fourteen against the dealer’s ten:

“Gimme a five,” she requested.

“Why don’t you ask for a seven?”  I pondered.

“I don’t want to be greedy.”

Here is superstition truly gone amok.  People like this are actually afraid to beg for the right card.  If you’re going to engage in wishful thinking, why not wish for the best hand possible?  Sometimes the player will really low ball the begging progress.

“Okay, dealer, [hitting a twelve], I want a five or a six.”

When this happens at the table, I get miffed. I’ll start begging for the wrong cards on purpose.  If I’m holding a sixteen against a face card, I’ll say loudly, “Give me a ten!”  Or, if I split aces, I’ll demand, “I want a four on this ace, and a two on this one.”  Or, if I get a blackjack, I’ll moan, “Why? Why did you give me that hand?  Damn you—I wanted a hard six.  The agony!”  I’ll go to great lengths to show beggars how goofy they really are.