The Carnegie Science Center's monthly 21+ Nights are evenings to enjoy the four
floors of exhibits with small bites and a cocktail in hand. It makes science fun for
adults. This month’s theme was “Game Night” where you could learn the science
behind casino table games and more. This was my chance to finally shed my
intimidation of the rapid dealing in Blackjack, the wheel in Roulette and the
number combinations on the confusing table in the dice game of Craps.
Reflection
A Carnegie Science Center 21+ Night gives you the
opportunity to be a kid without the kids. It’s a winning combination when you
can explore the exhibits without the pressure of entertaining your child. This
time you focus on your own personal amusement. I always seem to gravitate to the second floor
of the Science Center where the Miniature Railroad and Village, with pristine
detail and over 100 moving animations, gives you a flashback glimpse of Pittsburgh
life in the 1880’s to 1930’s.
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| Miniature Railroad, Kennywood in 1930's |
These adult nights creatively
tie science into a theme. My interest in “Game Night” was learning the history
and math behind games of chance that seem to draw the adult masses. I must admit that I am not much of a gambler.
I have been minimally entertained when
playing casino slot machines in the past. My friends say that is because I have never hit
a major jackpot. I also have a tendency to calculate how many hours it would take at
my job to recoup my lost funds. Yes,
that kind of thinking is what you call a “buzz kill.”
The Science Center was transformed into a mini casino with
Blackjack, Roulette, Craps and Poker tables. On the hour, mini lectures gave trivia and statistics of the games. Backjack originated in Spain in 1700, was a favorite of Napoleon
Bonaparte and came to the US in 1931. My friendly dealer should get an award for her patience with my novice playing. She repeatedly explained the game, hand signals
for getting a new card (hit) or holding your total and ending your turn (stand)
and more. I was surprised to learn that you
could download on line or buy at the casino a cheat sheet to help guide your move based on the dealers hand.
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| Enjoy 4 floor of exhibits like a kid without the kids |
The lecture on Roulette convinced me that statistically it was
not the game for me. No matter how you bet the expected value of every dollar
you played is -$5.3. Those odds are not
worth the fun in my book. Now Craps made the most sense for my dollar. Once I learned how to put my bets on the board and the math behind the dice combinations,
I was glued to the table. I guess you could say that I found my game.
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| Beautiful City view from the Science Center deck |
I am not sure if it was the pretend money (thus no calculation of
recoup effort for my loss) the feeling of
accomplishment in tackling the wheel in roulette, or the clarity of the board in Craps,
but I got a little “game of chance” fever. I still did not go to the casino and play with
real money but I just might play now that I am armed with how the games are
played and the science behind these games gained from Carnegie Science
Center 21+ Game Night.
On September 13, 2019, you can blow up things and explore
the paranormal and supernatural at the next Carnegie Science Center “21+ night: Stranger Science” -a spin on the
hit NetFlix series “Stranger Things.” For more information go to carnegiesciencecenter.org.
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