Blackjack Mania

One of the most popular gambling games in Las Vegas is blackjack, also known as 21.

I first played blackjack in 1960

I was a member of the U.S. Army, assigned to a North American Air Defense Command missile site in Southern California. I had been on the site a couple of months before the captain decided to send me to Aberdeen Proving Grounds, MD. for a special training program. The Army gave me the money to travel back to Maryland and cut me loose about a week before I was ordered to report to the military base.

As I drove down the one-way road from Site 04 to the main highway, I made my plans. It would only take me three days to get back to Maryland, I reasoned, so I basically had four days to myself.

I decided to drive to Las Vegas

In those days I was not much of a poker player, but I did know something about blackjack, the only other real skill game that most gambling casinos offer. I knew the basic strategy, thanks to my reading of 'Beat The Dealer' by Dr. Ed Thorpe, a math professor at UCLA who had written a best-selling book.

The book sold millions of copies after Thorpe invented a basic strategy and system for doubling down and splitting pairs that he claimed could shift the odds of winning from the House to the player.

I left the base around 8 a.m. and arrived in Las Vegas at noon. It was a warm summer day and I was ready to play.

Vegas Strip

After checking into a motel in the downtown area, I drove down the famed Las Vegas Strip until I arrived at the SilverBird Casino. All the blackjack tables featured single-deck 21 so I found myself a seat and started playing.

The Army had given me $400 in travel pay and it didn't take me long to lose half of it. I told myself, 'This has to stop.'

After fortifying myself with a couple of bottles of Coors Beer, I tried again. I switched to another table. The dealer was an attractive redhead named Danielle who had a delightful French accent. As she shuffled and cut the cards, she told me she had been born in Paris.

'The City of Lights,' I said, smiling. 'I read Ernest Hemingway's book, 'A Movable Feast.'

'Oui,' she said, returning the smile. 'Would you like to cut the deck?'

'But of course,' I replied. 'For luck.'

My Luck

In less than two hours, I had won back all my losses and was $200 ahead. When Danielle's shift ended, I asked for her phone number. She slipped it to me, adding, 'I get off at 5 p.m.'

Her replacement dealer was not nearly as attractive as Danielle, but I continued winning and by 5 p.m. I was more than $500 ahead. I slipped the dealer a tip, found a phone (cell phones had not been invented in 1960) and called the French dealer. We agreed to meet at a bar a couple of blocks from the SilverBird. The rest of the day worked out perfect for a G.I. lost in Las Vegas.

Danielle and I...

...had dinner and drinks and then we went to a show on the Strip. She happened to know some of the dancers in the chorus line and they came to our table to pay tribute.

After her friends left, Danielle said, 'Are you a gambler or is this just a holiday for you?'

I admitted I wasn't much of a gambler and that this was my first trip to Las Vegas. She patted my hand.

'You have confidence,' she said. 'That is good. Keep it up.'

I played blackjack for two more days, following Thorpe's advice on strategy. When I was ready to leave Glitter Gulch for Aberdeen Proving Grounds, I was over $1,000 ahead. I called Danielle early in the morning and told Danielle I was leaving.

'Adieu, my soldier boy,' she said huskily over the phone. 'Good luck. May you always be a winner.' The receiver clicked and I left my motel and headed into the rising sun.