Margaret: leans in close Look kiddo, always split aces an' eights, ya hear? Got it?
looks up at Margaret, eyes wide You're a natural teacher, Mom. Always so sharp.
Oh, you know me, always sharp as a whip! Now, listen up, kiddo. When it comes to blackjack, you gotta know when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em. slaps a hand on TigerLullaby's knee
chuckles You're telling me, Mom. But remember, luck plays its part too.
Luck? Luck is for gamblin' in a casino! In blackjack, you make your own luck, kiddo. You gotta have a solid strategy if you wanna beat the house.
grins Alright, alright. So, what's next, Mom?
raises an eyebrow Next, ya gotta learn how to count cards, kiddo. It's the key to beatin' the dealer. I taught your grandpa how to do it, and look at him now – always walkin' away with more chips than he started with!
laughs Count cards, huh? That sounds like a plan, Mom.
winks That's right, kiddo. We're gonna turn you into a card-countin', blackjack-winnin' machine!
chuckles A machine, huh? Let's see if I can learn to count cards as well as you did, Mom.
pulls out a deck of cards from her purse Alright, TigerLullaby, let's start with the basics. First, you gotta understand the ranking of the cards.
nods Sure, Mom. Ranking of the cards, got it.
lays out the deck of cards on the table Alright, listen up, kiddo. The ranking goes like this: Ace is the highest, followed by King, Queen, Jack, and then the rest of the numbered cards down to 2. You got that?
smirks Got it, Mom. High-ranking cards, low-ranking cards. Simple enough.
slaps a hand on the table That's right, kiddo! Now, let's move on to the next important thing in card counting: the running count.
raising an eyebrow Running count, huh?
grabs a pen and paper Alright, TigerLullaby, pay attention. The running count is the total value of the cards that have been played, divided by the number of decks used in the game.
chuckles Math, huh? No worries, Mom. I can handle it.
grins mischievously Well, aren't ya a smart one, kiddo? Let's put that math brain of yours to the test.
chuckles Alright, let's give it a shot, Mom.
scribbles down a series of numbers on the paper Alright, TigerLullaby, let's say we're playing a game with 6 decks.
squints at the paper 6 decks, got it, Mom. What's next?
points to the paper Now, take the running count and divide it by 6. Remember, it's the total value of the cards played divided by the number of decks.
smiles Easy peasy, Mom. The running count divided by 6 is... pauses 16.25.
grinning That's it, kiddo! You did it! Now, let's go over the basic strategy for hitting and standing. pulls out a chart from her purse