Free Fortune's Son by Emery Lee

irresolution but then replied, “ Content .”
    The dealer proceeded to the next player who nodded. “Carte .”
    The card, a deuce, was dealt face upwards.
    â€œ Encore ,” spoke the player, and a nine appeared. “ Crevé ,” said the punter with a grimace, throwing his remaining cards face down in the middle of the table. The croupier swiftly swept the wager to the bank.
    â€œCrevé? ” she looked to Philip for explanation.
    â€œCrevé ,” Philip translated, “is burst. The object of the game is to achieve a perfect vingt-et-un, or twenty-one, without going over. The player erred by anticipating a low card but overdrew and broke.”
    The game proceeded with the next two players holding with the cards dealt them.
    â€œAt this point the dealer will reveal his own hand and may hold or draw as he sees fit.”
    â€œI see. It appears a simple enough game.”
    â€œThere is a certain strategy,” Philip explained. “The banker will generally draw if he holds anything below sixteen, but in this case three players have failed to draw additional cards, leading one to surmise that each holds at least sixteen. This could motivate the dealer to play more aggressively.”
    The dealer tuned over his own pair of nines.
    â€œEighteen,” she said. “The dealer will stand?”
    â€œHe must. Any sensible man would,” Philip said as the remaining players each showed their hands, revealing twenty, seventeen, and eighteen respectively.
    â€œTwenty wins, seventeen loses, and eighteen loses,” Philip said.
    â€œBut the last is a tie,” she exclaimed.
    â€œTies go to the dealer. There is nary a game that doesn’t present some advantages to the house,” he said. “But there are ways a savvy player may overcome his disadvantage and even increase his odds to win.”
    Her eyes took on an excited gleam. “How, Philip?”
    â€œBy close observation of the cards played and the number of additional cards dealt, one may deduce if there is yet a high percentage of ten-cards and aces in the remaining deck, which can be good for the player and bad for the dealer.”
    â€œHow can you tell?”
    â€œThe key is to look for extremes in play. A player with a ten-card or ace will generally take a second card and forego a third. Thus, when a number of players stand on their dealt hand, it is a disadvantage to increase your wager. However, when there is a noticeable dearth of high value cards, the advantage is for the player to increase the wager. While this is no guarantee, it is playing to your best possible advantage.”
    ***
    They spend the remainder of the night at vingt-et-un. With Philip a constant presence at her side, she quickly learned the strategies of the game, how to split pairs, when to receive a card, and when to rest. His hawk-like stare took in every movement, every card, and every nuance of the dealer’s expression. With his subtle cues, she doubled her wagers when the odds best favored her, and began to win.
    She had come with a purse of fifty pounds, and having lost more than half at the E-O wheel, sat down to the cards with only twenty. After two hours of play, her accumulated winnings now neared seventy-five pounds. Bound to leave with one hundred in her purse, she would have stayed until the table closed had not Philip intervened.
    â€œYou’ve lost the last three hands, my lady.”
    â€œWhen I next double down, I shall win it all back.”
    â€œYou’ve grown overconfident. Recklessness follows, and ruin inevitably ensues. It is time to leave the table.”
    â€œBut everyone loses a hand or two. My luck will surely come back around.”
    â€œLuck, my lady, tires just as surely as the player. It is time to quit.”
    â€œSurely. Right after this game.” She signaled the dealer, but Philip stayed his hand.
    â€œThe lady no longer plays.”
    â€œWhat do you think