The Royal Flushes talk blackjack

CINDY: The very first game I ever played in a casino was blackjack. This was at Resorts in Atlantic City. It was also my first time in a casino and I was so excited. I had no idea of the true strategy for blackjack. I just played by my gut. It was a five-dollar game and the table was full.

I got a lot of blackjacks that morning and I thought the game was so easy. You put your money in the betting circle and every few hands you get a blackjack. The other players at the table knew I was new to the game and they kept cheering me on. I thought to myself, “Wow, this game will make me a fortune! And everyone is so friendly. I wonder why they don’t get as many blackjacks as I do?”

I kept thinking if I can get up enough money I will increase my bets and go up from there. I had a lot to learn. But that day, as a five-dollar bettor, I won $120! That’s an amazing win if you play the game. An amazing win!

ABBY: I found blackjack on about my fourth visit to the casinos. Cindy and I were together and she said, “Why don’t you give blackjack a shot?” I told her I have no idea how the game is played or what I was to do with my hands. She really didn’t know that much about the game at that time but she said confidently, “Oh, don’t worry, I’ll help you. My first two times I got really lucky. You will too.”

Word of caution here: Never trust your sister!

CINDY: Well, I thought I knew what I was doing. The two times I played I did get lucky after all.

ABBY: Up to that time I was just playing quarter slots. The table games kind of scared me. What scared me most was that I didn’t want to make a fool of myself in front of experienced players. At slots no one really bothers you. Everyone is in their own worlds. You could be sitting next to another player and never exchange a word or even look at each other. At table games people interact with you. What if I were screwing up my hands? I didn’t want someone to turn to me and say, “Lady, you’re an idiot.”

CINDY: I knew we’d be fine. I just knew it. We’d be a team; two sisters destroying the casinos. There’d be books written about us and movies and television shows – the Lucky Sisters of Blackjack!

ABBY: It was a disaster. We had to play at a $10 table and I cashed in for $100 – and I think I lost the first seven hands. Cindy had me hit a 14 against a dealer’s two up card! I even hit a 17 against the dealer 10 up card. I thought that was okay but after a while I could see on the faces of the other players pained looks. I was a miserable player; just miserable and I began to realize that if I were to ever play this game again I’d better learn the proper hitting, standing, splitting and doubling down strategies. I couldn’t take those pained looks on the faces of the other players. And I knew Cindy had to get her act together too.

CINDY: I think a lot of new blackjack players make the mistakes I was making. My biggest problem – and this will sound crazy – was the fact that I had been lucky the first two times I played the game. Both Abby and I bought some books after that day in the casino and let me tell the truth, that day was one of the most miserable we ever had playing blackjack.

ABBY: We devoured the books. The best one – and I’m not currying favor here – was by Frank [Scoblete] who laid the game out plainly. It took us a while to memorize basic strategy but we did and the next time we hit the blackjack tables we knew what we were doing.

CINDY: Now, the best thing to do is also to bring a strategy card with you to the casino to help on the more difficult hands. The casino actually helps you if you know about the strategy cards. You can have a pretty close game if you play your hands correctly.

ABBY: Blackjack is a great game if you play it correctly.

CINDY: Or have tremendous luck, as I did my first two times!