a much-needed win.

Finally, a win.

Tonight, Jeanne, Walt and I went to the Jupiter Casino in Gold Coast, after a day wandering through Surfers Paradise and enjoying some long-awaited Starbucks drinks.

I'll have to admit, while my previous blackjack/casino experiences (all three of them; read this for a complete recap) had been quite enjoyable, Mel has become weary of losing money.

Lady Fortune smiled at me once at the Hard Rock slot machine in Vegas, but that sweet victory in a casino has become a distant memory, more than two months later.

As a result, I really was hesitant about playing anymore blackjack at all. Having been defeated overall by the Harrah's, the New York, New York of Vegas and most recently, the Treasury in Brisbane, it looked as if my run of blackjack playing was drawing to an end. Playing with Walt and Jeanne is always a good time no matter what, but I was tired of losing money.

And I looked upon tonight as the night that would make or break if I would ever play blackjack ever again, forever determining my blackjack destiny.

Jordan and Ellie came with us to the casino, although they opted not to play. We spent a good while hanging around Walt and Jeanne at the $10 table, while I was doing my best to explain to Ellie and Jordan the basic rules/strategy of the game that I had picked up from two wonderful tutors: Jeanne and Google.

About an hour or so in, a spot at the table opened up, and Walt and Jeanne, smiling sideways at me, pointed this fact out with their sly, eyebrow lifts that ENTJs are famous for.

They are hard to resist.

Taking a deep breath, and understanding that tonight was to forever determine my blackjack destiny, I slid onto that empty chair and put my money down. The dealer Sharron (a.k.a. Shazzo) was the most pleasant dealer we've encountered in Oz so far. She seemed to genuinely be happy for us when we're winning. Dealers don't work off of tips in Australia, so there's not necessarily an incentive to be charming or engaging or even interesting when you're a dealer. So it's was a breath of fresh air to have a dealer with a pleasant personality.

There was an older gentleman from Sydney sitting to Jeanne's left that was good-spirited and also seemed to be doing well at the table. Jeanne explained to him that she was saving up to buy an iPhone. We have been trying to convince Walt and now him that it would be a good idea for them to buy iPhones.

Jeanne vowed that if she won $700 tonight it would go directly to buy an unlocked iPhone, able to be used anywhere in the world, a worthwhile plan should she not end up in the States even after Australia. Jeanne's won at least $700 at blackjack several times in the past, so it wasn't a pie-in-the-sky fantasy.

Ellie cleverly suggested that she name the iPhone BlackJack, should Jeanne's winnings tonight contribute to (or buy) an iPhone. I expounded on this and suggested HughBlackJackman.

Jeanne was sold.

Anyway, surprisingly enough, my chip stack started to grow. And multiply. Like loaves and fishes. It really helped that every time (meaning three times) I doubled my bet on 11 ("always double down on 11," according to movie Swingers and Walter), I miraculously got 21.

By the end of the night, I was $65 richer, a necessary pick-me-up after all the recent melancholia and homesickness.

And as Ellie, Jordan, Walt and Jeanne started to leave and head toward the cashier, the man from Sydney chucked me a $5 chip and said "Give this to Jeanne and tell her it's for the iPhone."

Add on a lovely evening complete with a glass of port, some homemade cake by Ellie's mom, a lovely chat with Ellie's dad about our favorite show Lost, and even a quick Wii-tennis match with Walt, and Voila...

It's a good night;)

I like this Gold Coast.