As one of the most popular and easy to play casino games, understanding the aim of blackjack isn’t too hard. This has made it a popular plot device in many TV shows and movies, often producing memorable and comedic moments as the croupiers flip the cards.
Showing mixed fortunes at the table, let’s take a look at some of the most amusing TV moments when our protagonists are trying their hand at blackjack.
Entourage
Running for 8 seasons between 2004 and 2011, this show was produced by Mark Wahlberg and according to Rolling Stone, loosely based around his own past experiences in trying to forge an acting career. Taking a more light-hearted and satirical look at the Hollywood lifestyle, the show revolves around fictional actor Vincent Chase.
In one episode Chase’s agent, Ari Gold, is losing his cool at the blackjack table after losing big. Vincent takes his seat and, with a level head, seeks to win Ari’s money back, which leads to a great scene that shows the tension and excitement as the hands are dealt.
As anyone who has enjoyed the thrill of live blackjack online will know, the aim of the game is to get a score of 21 or as close as possible, while also seeking to beat the dealer. In this clip the dealer going bust certainly helped, but so did Vincent staying calm and trusting the turn of the cards.
Friends
From the very first season to the tenth and final in 2004, Friends was a smash hit sitcom that made household names of its cast. 15 years since it ended, the show remains popular around the world and, wherever you travel, there’ll be reruns on TV dubbed into every language you can imagine.
In the final episode of season five, the gang hits Las Vegas and, as only the muddled mind of Joey could, he finds an ‘identical hand twin’ in the shape of the croupier at the blackjack table. Joey even comes up with a song for the croupier, tries to strike up a friendship, and even hatches a plan believing he can make money from this ‘freaky’ discovery.
Unfortunately for Joey, when he returns to the blackjack table, having already been thrown out of the casino once, Phoebe shows up and gets them both removed from the table by security. “But I’m your hand twin!” screams Joey as he’s dragged away.
Star Trek TNG
Running between 1987 and 1994, although he was already a very well-known and respected actor in Britain, the role of Captain Jean-Luc Picard made Patrick Steward a global household name. His role has even been reprised in Star Trek: Picard, a new series by CBS which is currently running on Amazon Prime.
One favourite character in the show was android crewmate Data, who sought to become more human throughout the series. The hyper-intelligent synthetic being often brought us both touching and amusing scenes, mainly because of his charming naivety and innocence.
With a seemingly endless mine of information stored in his robotic mind, upon one visit to the holodeck, Data quickly discovers he has a knack for blackjack. That said, his analytic mind certainly helps when he’s calculating the odds of getting a winning hand, which produces an amusing response when he’s accused of counting the cards.