Blackjack? There’s an app for that

I recently upgraded my cell phone to a smart phone for the first time. Not the iPhone (no thanks, AT&T network), but the Motorola Droid through Verizon. Great phone, love it. Why? Free apps. One of first I put on my phone and set on my home page was blackjack.

The first thing you realize when playing a blackjack app is how annoying it is to play without hearing the sound effects if you’re phone is set to vibrate. However, only slightly behind that is when you realize if you were playing at this speed in a real casino, you’d be out of money faster than you could finish a single drink. And this is with all the options the regular games have (double, split, even surrender).

You set your bet and it’s just, bam, bam, one hand after the other. As soon as your done with one hand, you just swipe your thumb or finger and the next hand flies out. There were actually times I didn’t know whether I’d even won the last hand or not. Dangerous way to play.

Of course, on the phone I’m not playing for money, but there are many other ways to play digitally where the action can fly just as fast. And you have to be extremely careful no to get caught up in it all. Even a disciplined player can have a hard time fighting the impulse to keep going. Losing is the worst. 15…hit…bust…OK let’s doing it again. 15…hit…bust…OK let’s….rinse and repeat. You turn into a robot, and it’s scary.

It’s easy to get caught up in the moment, especially in a one-on-one blackjack game where the span between deals is so short. In a casino, you get a little time to manage your emotions, to think between hands, to even – gasp – make the call to walk away. But online, or to a lesser degree, on a phone app, that’s almost completely stripped away from you as a player.