MWRT – 2025 – Day one in St. Louis

The trip to St. Louis from Wyandotte Ok included a stop along old Route 66. The Uranus Fudge Factory was a wild blast from the past! Brought back memories of some childhood roadtrips with all the gimmicky side show road stops my parents indulged us kids with. The staff were loaded double entendres regarding the solar systems third largest planet. I had to get some chocolate peanut butter fudge with the clerk behind the counter asked if I would like some fudge from Uranus, brrmp, bmp!

My hotel was located on the Route 66 site of the 50’s styled motor court with a renovated neon sign out front.

I played blackjack with some elderly folks (older than me J), and it was excruciatingly slow while they played the 3 Card extreme side bet.  And they were winning it over and over, with a $5 bet paying $450!  I was staying about even, maybe up a couple hundred when they all left for dinner and I had the dealer to myself.  He was a very young newbie.  He got a big talking to by the PB when I had to buy in again.  I was betting max bet of $300 on two spots.  I felt bad because I just pulled a wad of cash out of my pocket and it was like $461, a really odd amount. When he was laying it out, he was really screwing it up so the eye in the sky would never know what he had done.  The Pit Boss told him about it and said start again to which he argued resulting in a loud scolding!  Never saw that before. 

Late that evening I went back to the casino.  The only open blackjack table was full so I waited awhile before approaching, hoping a player would leave.  Finally approached and stood behind an empty chair at first base.  There was one spot open in the center with people playing either side and the dealer offered it up, so the people volunteered to move around so that I would have room to play at first base.  The people playing were clueless but having a good time. 

The table eventually opened up a little.   The Pit Boss got a phone call and came over and told the dealer to save two spots at first base.  In a few minutes, a couple of gentlemen dressed in golfing gear joined the table, one of them must have been a high roller since the PB greeted him and invited him to sit down at the saved positions. He bought in for 3 hundred and bet it all.  He won so he continued playing with lower bets until he ran out of chips and bought in again.  He bet it all each time he bought in but lost his wager consecutively several times in a row, probably losing a couple thousand in the process.  Some people really depend on pure luck and have no idea of how much variance you face playing this game.  You could easily win 10 bets in a row, or lose 10 in a row.  This is a game which requires you to grind it out over the long run with a lot of ups and downs.

 Those guys left, and the table was joined by some young local guys who had no idea how to play blackjack.  The one at first base would refuse the dealers prompt to decide how to play his hand.  He would be scanning the table, looking at my two spots and claim he was reading the table.  He apparently thought he was playing poker.  The dealer either didn’t pick up on it or just didn’t care because she just offered no help whatsoever.  She would even let him hit a hard 17 against any dealer card.  Very sad.  I so wanted to help them but knew I just needed to keep my mouth shut and keep playing.  

The night was wearing on with little happening on the good or bad luck side when boom!,  I was dealt a pair of ten value cards against a dealer 6 and I decided it was time to try splitting tens again.  My turn came, the dealer expected me to waive my hand.  Instead I pushed in $300 more and indicated split!  The dealer asked, are you splitting those, with a real skeptical look on her face.  I said “yea let’s go”!  The dealer called “splitting tens” and dealt another card, a ten.  I split again, two more times and now I had $1,200 on 4 hands at my first spot with a 9 against a dealer 6 on spot two.  I was dealt 10s on two of the hands for twenty, a 9 and a 6 on the other two for 19 and 16.    On my second spot, of course I doubled down on my hand of a 9 against the dealer bust card of 6.   I was dealt a 9 for 18 total.  $1,800 on the felt.  The dealer drew a 10, now 16.  I saw bust coming!  Then out came a 4.  Oh no Twenty,  Crap!  Lost 4 hands and pushed 2 for a loss of $1200.  Really ugly.

The River City casino has not been very good to me so far, but we will see what tomorrow may bring.  Got stay positive about the long run.