Blind Man's Bluff

There are many table games that don't require a lot of thought. For the most part these games can be played blind, without a player ever looking at their cards. Blackjack, however, is not one of those games.

One afternoon I was dealing a double-deck blackjack game. The cards were pitched to the players face down, requiring a player to pick their cards up look at them. I watched the players as they played hand after hand. After a little bit I noticed one player was not asking for hits at all and staying on some pretty unusual hands, including a 6. Not an Ace-5 that could be played as 16, but a 4-2. A 6, a whole 6, and nothing but a 6.

Keeping a slightly close eye on Mr 6 for the next few hands I noticed he wasn't bothering to look at his cards at all. He wasn't asking for hits because he had no clue what his hand was until I turned it over to compare with my own.

Honestly, I'd expect someone behaving like this to be reeking of the alcohol streaming out of their pores. Mr 6 though was drinking only water. Served in plastic bottles by the waitress so it couldn't be confused with one of the many clear, strong, hard liquors.

To my dying day I don't think I will understand why he played with that particular technique. Or how he managed to win doing it for that matter.