The Body Journal-BlackJack

No not these cards

Card Game

                                               

In this reading journal, I am going to talk about the rules of the playing card game that are introduced in the story "The Body". Now, there were two games in the story, blackjack and cribbage. However, since cribbage is really a game that no one else than the submariners play, I decided to write more about blackjack.

Blackjack: 

Rules: It is a game played between players and a dealer. A player is handed out two cards at first and chooses whether to have another card(to hit) or stop having cards(to stand). The player can also surrender and get half of their initial bet. They can 'double' and double their bet and receive another card. If the card that the player has are the same, than they could split and have two hands. The person closest to 21 yet less than 22 wins. If over 21, the player is busted and losses all the money. Each card are counted as: Ace(1or11) 2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10, jack(10) Queen(10) and King(10)

Reaching 21 is called blackjack, and wins 1.5times the bet.

However, the name blackjack originally came from a casino's policy that a player with a spade ace and a black jack(a jack of spades or a jack of clover) gets ten times their bet.

Although the policy was quickly removed, the name blackjack sticked.

Now blackjack is quite probably the most popular and well known card game in the world. There are so many movies and books on this game, most significantly because it is to some degrees beatable. The reason this game is beatable is because cards have memory. If I hold an spade ace in my hands, it is probable that another spade ace won't be in the deck. Therefore, a person who can keep track of the cards that have been on the table would be able to foresee what will be on next. Increasing and decreasing the bets accordingly, the players can beat the game.Well, supposing that you can remember all those cards. That's the reason that only two types of people have done it before,
MIT students and a Rainman. 

This book, Bringing down the House, was made into a film called 21. It is about how MIT students professionally counted the cards and made millions out of it. It is based on true story, and amazed many people that such thing is possible. 

Now,the second person who managed to count cards, actually much before the MIT students,was the Rainman. This person is disabled, but still has a great ability in counting things at such a fast speed. His brother saw that as a chance of great money and takes him to the casino to count cards.

Three Words

The pieces of me drifts like a feather in a stormy night. A clown, crying under a smiling mask.  It drives me to craziness as they clash, and to euphoria as it fits in perfectly.  That mask and that crying clown, both me and inseparable.

Strange as Fiction (Metafiction)

                     John was an ordinary KMLA student. He was plain and common among the other students, never really standing out. He ate among a group, he walked among a group, studied among a group, and basically lived among a group. It was not until that day,the fourth of April, that he found anything decidedly unordinary about his KMLA life.It was 12:45when it happened. A voice started speaking. 


       KMLA students are always starving. They are always hungry, complaining about the school not feeding the growing teenagers enough. Every breakfast, lunch, and dinner, you can always find the elevators swarmed with students striving to get to the 12th floor. 


He was rather not interested by that voice- it was just like another announcement. Some jerk was probably playing with the mike. As he got to the elevator, he found that the elevator right there, but full. He pushed the people to get inside the elevator, squashing people to fit into the elevator when the voice rang again.  


Their primal need seems to have overcome the imminent danger of the elevator crashing down. Students inside the elevator can literally hear the elevator groaning as it strains from too much weight, but no one really seems to care when there is food at the other side of the door.


"Who said that?", said John. 
"What are you talking about?" was the reply of everyone else on the elevator.
"Nobody heard that voice? About the dangers of having too many people in the elevator?"
"Man, you were the last one to get in. If you don't like it, get out. And drop the sarcasm."


He was dismayed when it started again.


Students not only risk their health but their colleges for food. Everyone knows how important    keeping their penalty points low is. However, that common sense evaporates from students when they eat instant noodle or order fried chicken. Food violation is one of the most highly penalized violations, but no one cares.





"You don't really hear that?" said John.
The elevator stopped at the 5th floor.
"That's it." said one senior in the back of the elevator, "off you go"


So there John was, kicked out of the elevator. Wondering what was going on.


He decided to take the stairs, and took a step when the voice began again.


<Romance> 


KMLA students have a hankering for sweet, sweet, wonderful romance. After all, they are high school students going through puberty. With no parents to scrutinize them, a wide range of boys/ girls to choose from, all cooped up in tiny space......ah, the dreams of teenagehood. During the birthday performances, the most popular section is about how many boys/girls are attracted to the birthday boy/girl, or if he/she is crushing on someone. 


He was starting to think that he was going crazy when he found his friend, Chance talking to Yoon (Chance's girlfriend) between the 5th and 6th floor. 
"You can't find anything better to do?"said John
"Could you?" replied Chance.
"Right you are" smiled John as he started walking up.
The voice hit again.


KMLA students love hearing about blossoming romance, mainly for the vicarious thrill of it. What does the word vicarious mean here? Well, basically, it means that  IT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN TO YOU, SXXXXX. Enjoy others' romance while you can.

"What? Who was that!", shouted John. He was really pissed now. The voice has crossed the line that no one should cross. For some reason, the voice fell silent. John, fuming, went up the stairs.
As he reached the 12th floor, it boomed again.





<Gay rights movement>

The 16th wave is probably the most pervert wave since the existence of the school. The details are classified.

"Shut up! For heaven's sake!" cried John. "I don't even like that boy!"


The voice kept raising its volume. 
"I like girls too-its just that there is no girl for me!"


<Dues ex Machina>

KMLA students love dues ex machina. I'm gonna use it now.




From the sky, suddenly fell a little speaker. John picked it up, and threw it out the window. He received penalty points for destroying school property.