Imaginary Engineer - Yale SOM '08

Industrial Engineer dreaming of an MBA

Tuesday, January 17, 2006

Vegas owns me

I flew out to Vegas over MLK weekend to celebrate my buddy's bday and going away party. As with most Vegas trips, this was truly memorable because a) I ate my first escargot (sp?) and b) experienced my worst blackjack beat ever.

I'm sure those who've played blackjack have experienced this before, but this one stung because I had bet a large sum of money. I was dealt 5,6 (11) and the dealer showed a very weak 5. I barely had enough money to cover the double down but this is one of those situations all gamblers dream about. After doubling down (essentially going all in) I was dealt a 9 which gave me a solid 20. The dealer flipped over a 7 which gave him a 12. The next card he flipped over was a 3 which gave him 15. At this point, my 20 against his 15 is awesome because I have a 92% chance of winning/not losing. Also, keep in mind a 10/face hadn't shown up in ages. However, the one card that I didn't want to see (6) showed up and his 21 beat my 20 and I lost my gambling money. For those who count cards, the count was already at +11 (the reason why I bet soo much money) and it just happened to be one of those weird streaks where very few face cards come out after many hands.

After the shock of what happened wore off, I realized how truly excited I am about going to Yale (maybe Sloan or Wharton) because I wasn't really that sad. In the big picture, part of me knew I was going to lose the money I set aside to gamble and I had such a fun experience going out and drinking to the point of having one long constant buzz for 2 days. Hopefully if I get into MIT, I can meet members of the infamous crew from Bringing Down the House so they can share their secrets on how to actually win in Vegas.

Anyone else experience a bad beat in Vegas?

4 Comments:

  • At 9:04 AM, Blogger Marina said…

    Ouch. I don't gamble (I am too much of a control freak to handle the pressure of uncertainty), but I LOVE watching my friends do it and I have definitely witnessed a few painful situations.

    What did the escargot taste like? I imagine them to be chewy.

     
  • At 9:47 PM, Blogger FooBarMe said…

    Oh I suck at gambling and I do agree with your logic behind your bet. I would have thought that the 20 would be sure shot.

     
  • At 2:24 AM, Blogger KV said…

    Hey there just saw your blog today. I’m also a Cal grad (class of 2001) from So Cal. Good luck with your application process and congrats on Yale.

     
  • At 12:41 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

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