Luck be a lady tonight
2 May 2005
By Mark Pilarski
Dear Mark,
I have a question that perhaps you have
answered, and if you have, I apologize for
asking again. Our local casino has on the
blackjack felt "Lucky Ladies". This is a side
bet where you are hoping for a natural 20 on the
first two cards. If you get it, you get a 4-1
payback; the paybacks go up depending on whether
the cards are suited or not (9-1 if they are)
all the way up to 125-1 if you get two Queens of
Hearts. Knowing that casinos are NOT ATM
machines, this bet is clearly to the house's
favor. My question is, just how MUCH in the
house's favor are these bets? And yes, I was
actually dealt the elusive Queens of Hearts, as
was my fiancée, but no; we did not have any
money on that bet. David T.
Lucky Ladies is an optional proposition bet
found on the game of Blackjack. The basic
proposition is whether or not the player's first
two cards total twenty. Additional bonuses are
paid if the player's first two cards equaling
twenty are also suited (e.g. Ace of Hearts and
Nine of Hearts), or matched, (e.g. two identical
cards such as two Jacks of Spades). There is
also a special bonus if the player's first two
cards are both the Queen of Hearts; the "Lucky
Ladies." A top prize is awarded if the player's
Queen of Hearts pair occurs at the same time
that the dealer has a blackjack.
I generally, David, give every wager the casino
offers a whirl, once, even if the house edge is
excessive. I deem it a professional service to
future questions like yours. Soooo, one night a
while back I decided to throw down a buck on the
Lucky Ladies. First card out; the Queen of
Hearts. And my second card…? Wouldn't you know
it, the dealer pitches me a second Queen of
Hearts! I just won $125 on a dollar bet that I
really shouldn't be making in the first place.
But it gets better. The dealer's up card was an
Ace. Still following me, David? If the dealer
has a ten, Jack, Queen or King in the hole, I
win $1,000.
BANG! The Greek goddess of war, Athena, the
Queen of Spades appeared, arm-in-arm with Gorpus,
the patron saint of left-handed married men,
giving me a thousand dollar payday.
The casino advantage on the Lucky Ladies
proposition wager is depends on the number of
decks are used and the paytable, which varies
from casino to casino. It can be anywhere from
16.73% to over 38%. The game I played on had six
decks and paid the following for each
combination:
Queen of Hearts pair w/dealer blackjack: 1000 to
1
Queen of Hearts pair: 125 to 1
Matched 20: 19 to 1
Suited 20: 9 to 1
Any 20: 4 to 1
The casino advantage with six decks and this
paytable was 24.71%, but, thanks to the only
armed Queen in the deck, along with her
unreliable pal, I'm $1,000 to the plus side on a
wager that it's tough for me to bad mouth. I
still shall, but in a whisper.
Dear Mark,
What does the expression mean: "Don't tap on the
aquarium?" John R.
"Don't tap on the aquarium" is catchphrase,
spoken by one player to another, meaning do not
give lessons or advice that would enlighten the
fish. And the fish, John, are terrible players
who tend to give away lots and lots of money.
Fish make the game profitable for the other
players at the table. For those of us who play,
nothing, but nothing beats playing in a
fishpond. There is an old poker adage though,
which holds that if you can't spot the fish at
your table, you're probably it.
Gambling quote of the week: "No use gambling if
you can't lose your head once in awhile." Larry
Merchant, The National Football Lottery (1973)
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