Blackjack
I played Blackjack for the first time when I was very young with my family and I also play whenever I go to an event that has casino-related games. Despite frequently forgetting the rules, I have never forgotten the sensation and intrigue provided by the game. Indeed, before playing Blackjack for this critical play, I was excited by my fond memories of being incredibly excited to play the game. I played Blackjack online using the Washington Post (the intersection of newspapers and games is an interesting phenomenon to explore at another time). It was free to play on my own without other players, so in this blog post I will be discussing social interactions I have had while playing with others in person at past events.
Overall argument: Blackjack is a fun game because it distributes wins to keep players interested, heavily appeals to folks interested in probability (like myself), and fuels a sense of competition through trying to beat the idea of chance as pure randomness.
Strategy
As a TA for CS109, the probability CS class, you would think that I would have an insanely beautiful mathematical strategy for Blackjack, but alas I currently do not (or maybe I just can’t publish it here ;).
However, the Washington-Post version of the game guided me towards discovering a strategy. For example, at the beginning of the game, I had 2 cards that summed to 15 and I asked the dealer to hit me with a new card. However, a pop-up appeared and told me that experts suggested that I shouldn’t make this choice. Interestingly, because of my pride, I got annoyed that the Washington Post thought they knew more than me, so of course I ignored their advice and ended up losing. This initial loss on my first round was very disheartening and was the opposite of the theories discussed in the book chapter we read about how some games of chance (like slot machines) will help you win at the beginning of the game so that you get that initial dopamine hit. Thus, I think that the Washington Post wanted to lower my chances of losing on my first round, hence their invasion into my own strategy. Blackjack follows an interaction loop defined as follows:
- Learn: Players learn the rules of the game through reading or observation
- Feedback: Players get feedback through the sum of their cards changing based off of their choices
- Rules: Players observe more rules as other players and the dealer makes moves
- Action: Players choose to hit or pass
- Decide: Players decide whether or not to request a new card
This loop repeats very quickly and frequently, allowing players to get used to the game quickly. In Blackjack, there is not an overall narrative arc, but when playing with friends or enemies, players can be fueled by their own personal social dynamics. Thus, both the competitive and fellowship types of fun can occur in Blackjack.
Social aspect
I wasn’t playing with another person in this game, but in my memory of when I have previously played Blackjack, I always feel super competitive in the game and as a result of the mathy-ness and interest in probability, I try to count the cards and observe others behaviors. Overall, I always feel a hyper competitiveness while playing Blackjack and other cards of chance despite the fact that they are mostly games of chance. Because of the chance aspect of the game, it’s nearly impossible to be better at Blackjack than other players. However, I feel like I actually can be better because of my background in probability. Thus, that makes card games unique to me and other math people because I think that I can beat chance. People in this community especially experience a sense of competition within Blackjack.
Addiction
I totally understand how these games are addicting both for people interested in math and people who are not. Even without an interest in defying chance, the dopamine hits are insane when you win and Blackjack distributes little wins throughout the game, fueling desire to keep playing. Additionally, there is a deep interest amongst the mathematically-oriented to change games of chance into games of merit, which is an interesting idea that could be explored more amongst the game-interested community. Indeed, the math-obsessed community attempts to change Blackjack from a game of chance into a game that incorporates in a skill chain of counting cards and reading peoples expressions to know when to hit or to pass.
