The saying “monkey see, monkey do” is derived from a game of chance, blackjack. In blackjack, as in other card games, players can make choices that can lead to different outcomes. One of these choices is whether to hit or stand.
If a player hits, they receive the value of the card they hit plus the face value of any other cards that were played before the hit. If a player stands, they receive nothing.
Players can also make choices about how much to bet. A player who bets high (more than the minimum bet) is more likely to win than a player who bets low (less than the minimum bet).
However, if a player gets unlucky and gets caught with a high hand (a hand with more cards than the dealer’s hand), they may lose money even if they had bet low.
One possible explanation for why blackjack players say monkey is that it’s easier to make a mistake when you’re making a high-stakes decision. For example, if you’re betting $10 per hand and you get dealt A-2-3-4, it might be tempting to stand because that would give you $20 in chips and no loss.
But if you had bet $5 per hand and got this same hand, standing would be foolish because you would only have $15 in chips and would have lost your original $10 investment. By saying monkey, blackjack players are reminding themselves not to make decisions under pressure.
