Beginner's Luck

Yang immediately bypassed the rows and rows of slot machines. She had better things to do then put coin after coin into a machine and pull a lever. It was also highly unlikely she would manage to win any huge amount. Likewise she ignored the digital horse races. She always suspected the casinos cheated at them. If it came down to it she'd rather bet on a flesh and blood horse rather than one made up of ones and zeros.

Yang only had eyes for the card games, specifically Blackjack.

Blackjack (or 21) was a simple game to play. All you had to do was increase the total values of your cards closest to 21 without going over. In a casino setting you also didn't have to worry about playing against fellow customers. The only opponent you had to focus on beating was the dealer. The dealer also had constraints on them. They had to keep drawing cards if they were totaling 16 or lower and they had to stand if their total was 17 or higher.

As such it was one of the easiest casino games to win, in theory. Though given the reduced level of risk, payouts were low, usually only 2:1 with the payout increasing to 3:2 with a natural blackjack of an ace and a ten value card. Meaning if she bet 100 Lien and won she would get 100 more Lien (a match for her bet) for a total of 200 Lien. But if she had a natural blackjack with a bet of 100 Lien she would win 1.5 times her bet, or 150 Lien for a total of 250 Lien.

Like most things in life, you only got out of the game what you put into it. Small bets might be safe but they wouldn't win you much cash. If you wanted big money then you had to take big risks.

Taking a deep breath, Yang set off for the blackjack tables. She could do this. She just needed to project confidence. Maybe if she did that long enough she would actually begin to feel confident.

As Yang moved through the hall, a fair number of patrons took notice of the young busty blonde wearing a short miniskirt. Most simply took a moment to enjoy the nice eye candy before going back to their betting. A few, however, found their eyes lingering on the girl. It was obvious to them that this young woman was new to this casino. And though she tried to look confident they were experienced enough to see it for the bluff it was. Yang didn't notice as a few of these people labeled her in their heads as an easy mark and wondered if they should try to take advantage.

Seeing an empty spot at a table, noticing that the minimum bet was 25 Lien with a maximum of 1,000, Yang decided it was now or never to try and actually win something. A table like this was as low level as this casino had.

She sat down in a chair just before a new round began, placing down her chips in front of her before sliding a minimum bet of 25 into the betting circle to try and warm up.

The dealer acknowledged her with a nod before passing out face-up cards to her and the other four gamblers. Nobody had blackjack and the dealer had an eight showing with his other card still face-down until everyone was done their turns. Yang looked at her cards, noticing she got an eight and a jack for a total of 18. When it was her move she decided to stand. None of the other players had busted.

The dealer revealed his face-down card to be a four for a total of 12 and so began to draw. However his next card was a queen, giving him a total of 22.

"Bust." The dealer announced as he began to pay out chips to the excitement of everyone at the table.

And just like that, Yang had already won 25 Lien. She couldn't help but grin at winning her very first round. Hopefully that would be a sign of things to come.

The next round with a bet of 50 Lien, Yang was surprised to see her cards be an ace and a king.

"Blackjack." She announced excitedly as her victory was secured. The round continued and without the dealer getting a blackjack of his own to tie she found herself winning 125 Lien.

The third round started a bet of 50 Lien and received a seven and three for a total of ten. She took a hit and got a jack, bringing her to 20 where she stood. At the end of the round she was pleased that her 20 just managed to beat out the dealer's 19.

Yang tried not to show how excited and happy she was. She hadn't even been doing this for five minutes yet and already she had won 150 Lien. She had part time jobs that paid that much with just a week of work.

"My goodness young Lady, you're starting out well." Said an older gentleman to her right who had lost last round. "I don't suppose you can lend me some of that beginner's luck of yours?"

"Sorry, but I need it all to myself tonight." Yang joked back.

Things were going well. Hopefully they would stay that way.