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Blackjack in music

Monday, January 30th, 2012

The casino game of blackjack is so popular that it’s been the inspiration for several songs and even band names.

Here are a few we like…

Girls Aloud
The biggest girl group of the noughties (some say) recorded a track named Black Jacks for their 2007 album Tangled Up. The record was their fourth studio album (fifth overall) and very electronic in style, while the song itself was said to recall the psychedelic style of the 1960s.

Dave Matthews Band
DMB debuted a song named Black Jack at the Citi Field concert in Flushing, New York, in 2010. Its main theme was taking a chance on a new love and it featured an acoustic guitar, violin and vocals before concluding with a rock riff.

The Hives
Black Jack by Swedish rock band The Hives was part of their 1997 album Barely Legal, before they found mainstream success with songs such as Main Offender and Hate To Say I Told You So in the early 2000s. Typical of the group’s abrupt style, Black Jack is only 2 minutes and 45 seconds long and takes the form of an ode to a dark lifestyle in Las Vegas.

Blackjack
Did you know that US singer-songwriter Michael Bolton – lord of soft rock glory – was once in a band? Well, he was – and it was called Blackjack. It was active for just two years, releasing albums in 1979 and 1980 and touring America before breaking up. Another member was guitarist Bruce Kulick of Kiss fame.

2NE1
Legendary South Korean hip-hop girl group 2NE1 formed in 2009. What’s that? You’ve never heard of them? Actually, no – neither have we. But they do sound quite interesting, even if only in genre terms. The concept of their name is the combination of phrases ’21st century’ and ‘new evolution’ (apparently) and pronounced ‘To Anyone’ – which is also the name of their debut album. Blackjack is the name of their official fan club. It is not clear why.

However, you don’t have to listen to any of these just because they pay homage to your favourite game. One of the benefits of an online casino is that you can listen to whatever music you like while playing in the comfort of your own home.

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If you like Blackjack…

Tuesday, December 13th, 2011

However much you love Blackjack, there are lots of other games that you might enjoy from time to time that are very easy to access in the same casinos, either online or in a more traditional capacity.

Casino games come in three main forms: table games, electronic gaming machines and random number games.

Today we’re going to focus on table games, as that’s the category that blackjack falls into – so you’ll probably find them more suited to you than other types of games.

Historically – and still today, in bricks-and-mortar casinos – table games are operated by a real-life dealer or croupier and are played on a table. Funny that, isn’t it?!

Blackjack is part of the card game category of table games, along with baccarat and poker. There are many different versions of the latter, including Asia Poker, Caribbean Stud Poker and Texas Hold ‘Em.

Another category of table games is known as ‘dice and tiles’ and includes games such as craps, sic bo, pai gow and chuck-a-luck.

Finally, there are random number table games such as roulette, big six wheel and chase beezy.

Online roulette has become very popular in recent years, as have online poker and online blackjack.

There is usually no real dealer when playing online, but the player can still derive plenty of satisfaction and excitement from the experience. When playing poker online, it is possible to play against other online gamers and test your skills against theirs.

Roulette is more unpredictable, but like blackjack, mathematical skills can be used to judge chances and possible outcomes.

So, why not give something new a try? You might enjoy it. And even if you don’t, you’ll appreciate blackjack all the more when you return to it!

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Blackjack in the movies

Tuesday, November 29th, 2011

It’s not just us who think blackjack is a great game. It’s even been featured in films! In fact, it’s been the central theme of a few – either by title or storyline.

Today we’re looking at a few notable examples.

21
(2008)
The most recent successful feature film to be named after the game of blackjack is 21, a crime drama about six stellar pupils from the Massachusetts Institute Of Technology who conspire to make millions from Las Vegas casinos by card counting during games of blackjack. Directed by Robert Luketic, it stars Jim Sturgess, Kate Bosworth and Kevin Spacey. Intriguingly, it is based on a true story.

Blackjack
(1998)
This action thriller, directed by John Woo, stars Swedish martial arts icon Dolph Lundgren as a US Marshal assigned to protect high-profile public figures. However, he is afraid of the colour white.

Croupier
(1998)
Apparently a popular year for blackjack films, 1998 also saw the release of Croupier, which follows the life of a man who becomes a blackjack dealer. Clive Owen stars.

Licence To Kill
(1989)
Made in the Timothy Dalton era of James Bond films, Licence To Kill shows the famous hero playing blackjack at a casino. Several Bond movies feature casinos – perhaps most prominently Casino Royale, which was made in 2006 starring Daniel Craig after being inspired by a satirical film in 1967.

Rain Man
(1988)
Rain Main is the touching story of Charlie (Tom Cruise), who discovers his autistic older brother Raymond (Dustin Hoffman) and needs to drive him home across America. Raymond helps Charlie to win money at a casino by using his incredible maths skills to count blackjack cards.

Black Jack
(1950)
Julien Duvivier directed this adventure film, which features a criminal who tries to go straight after many years of using his yacht to smuggle drugs.

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Blackjack in UK cities: Manchester

Tuesday, November 22nd, 2011

Here at Blackjack Tables, we love to play Blackjack both online and offline. There are many, many venues across the UK in which you can play blackjack – but of course it’s always most enjoyable when you choose the best.

From time to time we like to think about great places to play blackjack in major UK city centres. Today we’ve chosen one of our favourite north west haunts, Manchester.

Manchester235
This casino is one of Manchester’s newest but has made quite a name for itself with contemporary styling and popular restaurants Linen and Ocean Treasure. Housed in the city’s Great Northern development, it is close to Manchester’s Hilton hotel on Deansgate and a popular choice for both Manchester residents and tourists. Blackjack is available on the tables with a minimum bet of £2 and a maximum of £1,000. The venue also offers fun packages for beginners who want to learn to play blackjack.

Grosvenor Casinos
There are two Grosvenor Casinos in Manchester city centre – on George Street, in Chinatown; and on Whitworth Street, near Oxford Street. George Street describes itself as ‘Manchester’s friendliest casino’ and has a large menu of English and Chinese food to choose from. Whitworth Street prides itself on its traditional decor – complementing the thrill of a traditional blackjack game.

Circus Casino
Circus Casino is on Portland Street and offers a mix of table and electronic games. The minimum and maximum stakes on its five blackjack tables are £2 and £500 respectively – and in between games, you can visit the striking 110 Restaurant, which is open every day from 5:30pm to 11pm and offers deals combining set menus and bets.

Visiting Manchester
If you decide to visit Manchester for a casino trip, there are several options for accommodation. The city boasts a wide range of hotels, from one-star budget choices to five-star luxury. You might also want to take a look at serviced apartments in Manchester, which can be a handy option for sharing with friends.

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Vegas Top 3

Sunday, October 16th, 2011

My Vegas Top 3 places to play Black Jack.

That’s right – I thought I’d throw together a little advice for those of you lucky enough to be headed over to the lovely lady that is Las Vegas soon. After all you don’t want to get dropped off outside the Bellagio just to be played by some hustler telling you he knows the best tables around, providing you part with some of your fresh American dollars. They see tourists with pockets full of cash raring to gamble and think ‘Kerching’, but a Vegas vacation doesn’t have to leave you feeling robbed. There are plenty of places to enjoy a good game of cards – believe me, I’ve done it. So pay attention cowboys, and let the good times roll.

These three Casinos are in Downtown Las Vegas and are three of the few Casinos still offering true Single-Deck BlackJack with full pay 3-2. These are hard to come across these days, but makes it all the more worth it when you do stumble upon the beauty.

El Cortez is one of the best joints around – it’s also a Hotel so when it’s getting late or if you find a pretty lady, there’s no need to call a cab. Fine dining and entertainment are as standard as they say. And when you have found that pretty lady there’s a tastey steakhouse with whacking great steaks the size of a small baby – I know ’cause I’ve tried one!

Next on my list is Four Queens – the croupiers here have some major talent; shuffling worth remembering. I swear I saw one throw a whole pack in the air, only to catch half the pack in his mouth and the other half fell behind his two ears – it was madness.

And finally – Binion’s Gamling Hall. This hall, founded by one of my greatest heros Benny Binion has changed a lot since his day, but I love the way his memory lives on through the gaming. It’s a must visit for any die hard casino lover.

Now get those tickets booked and head over to Nevada. I know I wanna!

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A Black Jack Discovery

Monday, September 26th, 2011

Well bless ma soul they’ve done it again. Just when I thought I’d experienced all that’s great and good about this darn world – someone comes along and slaps me right in the chops. This time though, the remarkable experience was not given to me by some long legged beautiful lady, or even a sommelier at some top dollar joint, this was sweetness in its purest form. Now I feel my eyes have been opened to a whole new meaning of Blackjack.

To you and me Blackjack is a game of strategy and skill. A thrilling game with endless possibilities but to a ten year old kid it has a whole other meaning. Blackjack means goodness, possibly bitterness and a certain competitor to the Fruit Salad. Some of you may not believe this but until the little kid who lives next door came a knocking last week I’d never even heard of the darn things. The little tyke came over with what he called a ‘peace offering’. He’s always kicking those darned soccer balls into my back yard. Anyway – he came over and said ‘hey mister, I’m sorry about all them balls, I heard you like Blackjack and cos me and my sister are only into Fruit Salads I thought I’d bring them round’.

Those sweets were the nicest thing anyone had ever done for me, and not only that but once I tried one I’d fallen in love. They took me right back to throwing back flaming Sambuca’s with the Sicilian’s while we played a mean old game of cards. Why anyone would want those Fruit Salads is beyond me.

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21

Thursday, September 15th, 2011

Oh to be 21 again yeeha. I used to take girls out to the movie theatre every weekend – a different girl each weekend that is. I haven’t done that in years, the last time I went to the movie theatre was to see a film called 21, and those old picture houses have changed a lot since my day. I didn’t like it much, the smell, the noise, but I liked the film so I watched it again from a rental place this weekend.

It’s no wonder I liked it – it’s about blackjack and based on a true story. I’m not sure what ‘based on’ means though – either it is true or not, I wish they’d shoot straight from the hip about that one. But anyway, I hope it is true because it’s quite the story. These young lads, intelligent lads, train up real good for months and they train not to play Classic Blackjack but to count cards, a fools game in my opinion and so the movie proves.

Predictably they go to Vegas and raid it for all it’s got. They hit the big bucks and seem unstoppable winning at every table, they buy sweet new suits and boots and the main guy, Ben, wins enough to get him through med school. But the silly young’ens forgot one thing, greed lives in all of us and no matter how much you win, or how often, you’ll never win more than the casino. So of course they came to blows when casino security cracked on to what they were gettin’ up to.

At the beginning of the film I envied the youngster’s (Ben’s) intelligence and integrity, but as it went on I figured even the good can go bad when that greedy little money bug strikes.

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Set ‘em up Joe

Tuesday, September 6th, 2011

Last night I took my Blackjack skills back on the road and oh boy I’m good. These online tables have been good to an old timer and now I’m someone to be reckoned with. With sarsaparillas all round we played some good games. It was heating up and I was clutching my holster getting ready for someone to blow but after a few whiskeys to wet the old pallet we were getting on like a house on fire.

That’s another difference between playing online and playing less virtually – if someone’s got a problem with the cut of your jib it’s more than just keyboards and mice that get slammed. Me and the old gang had a right old time though – harry was there, he’s a very good friend of a friend of mine, and quite the player too. By the end of the night we were all sailing Liverpool‘s Mersey and recounting our days back on the Blackjack scene in the windy city.

We’d play till the early hours surrounded by ladies with the longest legs you’d ever seen in smart feather dresses – they don’t make ‘em like that anymore. Then the next day we’d wake up and do it all over again. We had no cares in the world. Things aren’t all bad now though – yea the ladies turned into wives but Blackjack went online. Playing a game from the comfort of your own home, that’s the ticket. I don’t think I could handle those legs anymore anyway. It’s good to know I can get back on the old horse though and play a good game with ma pals.

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Trouble, trouble, trouble

Friday, August 12th, 2011

So everyone’s got their feathers all ruffled by these riotin’ kids in the city. I watched a little of it on the old telly-box and I must say I was thoroughly underwhelmed. Them crazy cats ain’t nothing to worry about, they’ll run right outta steam just as soon as they realise that lootin and jackassery won’t get them nowhere as fast as gamblin will.

They think they’re having a hard time? What about a 2 week losing streak! They reckon as benefit cuts is the scariest thing they gotta deal with? What about the awful 16..

Just saying its name sends shivers down this old man’s spine. The terrible 16, the worst hand in Blackjack. 70% chance o’ losing no matter what you do. And this star-crossed hapless blackjack man had the misfortune to get one but mere days ago.

So, what do you do? How do you change Lady Luck’s mind when she’s arm-in-arm cavorting with the dealer? Well I racked my brains. I thought back to my very first blackjack learnin’ and it struck me outta nowhere. ‘Boy,’ I said ‘You got three options: hit, stand or surrender. And surrender’s not an option.’

As I could recall, hittin gave me a better chance than standin so hit I did. Plucked up my last reserves of courage and hit away.

I lost.

And those kids think they got problems.

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Blackjack games

Monday, July 11th, 2011

“Poor yourself an old red river spoonful, Kojack, it’s time to play some blackjack games.” – Yvette Fielding

You know, the older I get, the more I seem to get behind and even in-live with the cosmos. Yeah, those lucky stars way up in the sky seem to talk a little clear into my third ear. I feel like I know when good tiems are heading my way, and also when the clouds are gathering for some kind of losing storm. And right now the weather report says ‘A-OK’.

Sometimes when things go your way you can’t help but wanna play a few more games of blackjack. After all, that’s the reason you’re feeling so good, blue. But what you’ve gotta be careful of is spitting too many times into the old Mississippi wind. Hey, ain’t nothing worse than a faceful of your own cocky gob…

What I’m saying to you blackjack players is not to get too confident when you play. Sure, you can have a good time with the cards for a little while, but don’t you forget that those cards will just as soon slap you on the face than pat your head and clal you pretty. Ain’t no doubt it’s plain to see…

This summer when I hit the card table – in both life and cards – I’ll be saying a little mantra to myself to keep me down on this old Earth. It’s real simple but it’s for me and me alone. I’d hate to share my secret with you, dear readers, but secrets are called secrets because they are secrets. And sometimes things real are that simple.

So slip on your old crocodile shoes and head to the river for a barney, because gosh darn it you’re going to need to listening to the flow of Old Father Water as the find your own little head-saying.

Hey, you should listen when your head talks to you. That’s what it’s there for…

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