Andy Bloch

This is American Life, I'm Ira Glass.

Each week on our program, of course, we choose a theme, bring you different kinds of stories on that theme.

Today's show, Blackjack.

Ace-eight.

Ten-five.

Queen-nine.

On the bus to Atlantic City, This American Life producer Robin Simeon and I practiced counting cards on these card counting apps that we downloaded to our phones.

There are dozens of these.

If you heard the beginning of today's program, you heard that she and I took a lesson in card counting.

Now, we headed to a casino to try it out.

Robin had mastered card counting much better than I had.

I was much better at knowing proper blackjack strategy.

You know, how to play the cards, when to hit, all that.

In other words, as I told Robin when we got off the bus...

So between the two of us, we comprise one competent player.

Our tutor, Andy Block, said that one day of practice before we went into a casino would not be enough, that it would take weeks, and he was right.

Robin could count the cards, but it was so difficult.

It required such focus that she had trouble speaking to anyone at all.

People at the table, it was all guys, would say things to Robin.

They asked if we were on our honeymoon at one point, and uncharacteristically, Robin said nothing.