I was talking with a gambler friend of mine who related to me the time he was in Vegas at Caesar's back in 1985 for the Hagler-Hearns fight. He arrived at Caesar's and went straight to the blackjack table, sliding his suitcase under the table. In not too many minutes he had blown his $50K bankroll.
His friends were all laughing at him, saying he didn't even get to his room before he lost all he had brought.
He found a friend who loaned him $30K and he went back to the table and proceeded to lose that as well. So he borrowed a second $30K and this time he got down to 13 $1K chips, when he became worried about the fight he came to see, and which would soon be starting. He left the blackjack table and ambled across the casino and found himself at a large stakes craps table. He plopped $7K down on the don't pass, and the shooter throws a 2.
He adds the $6K he still had in his pocket for a $20K bet. He plops it down on the don't pass, and the shooter throws a 3. He now has the entire $40K on the don't pass. The shooter who had been betting $2K to $6K looked at the $40K sitting out there on the don't pass and gave the dice back to the dealer in disbelief -- surely this guy does not want to bet $40K. He remarks to his wife, no matter what I bet, I always end up being the lowest better at the table.
The dealer hands the dice back to the shooter who again stands there in disbelief. He handed the dice back to the dealer. The dealer turned to my friend who by then had folded his arms across his chest to signal that he was not changing anything.
So the dealer offers the shooter a choice of dice which the shooter finally takes and throws a 2. So my friend had parlayed his $13K to $80. He sticks around, not betting anything, to see the shooter throw one more time. This time the shooter throws an 11. He would have lost.
Then he goes off to bet the Hagler fight, winning another $35K (I think he said you had to lay $40K to win $35K), so now he's at $115K, and about $5K winner for the evening. He returns to the crap table and the same guy is there with a ton of chips which he had won while my friend was away. My friend begins betting against him again and picks up another $45K and the shooter goes bust. So he left Vegas $50K winner. But he says in hindsight, he should have won a million, since that shooter could not do anything right. He said he bet it all wrong.
This is how the gamblers live. Never a thought about the house advantage,so long as it's fairly small, just a quest for the big one. More often than not they lose the big one, but the once in a while they win keeps them coming back for more. He told me after the story, you win some, you lose some. It all evens out. Maybe it does for him, but I can't help but believe for most the losers far outweigh the winners. Still, for a gambler, it's not the overall score, it's how big is the current day's score.
His friends were all laughing at him, saying he didn't even get to his room before he lost all he had brought.
He found a friend who loaned him $30K and he went back to the table and proceeded to lose that as well. So he borrowed a second $30K and this time he got down to 13 $1K chips, when he became worried about the fight he came to see, and which would soon be starting. He left the blackjack table and ambled across the casino and found himself at a large stakes craps table. He plopped $7K down on the don't pass, and the shooter throws a 2.
He adds the $6K he still had in his pocket for a $20K bet. He plops it down on the don't pass, and the shooter throws a 3. He now has the entire $40K on the don't pass. The shooter who had been betting $2K to $6K looked at the $40K sitting out there on the don't pass and gave the dice back to the dealer in disbelief -- surely this guy does not want to bet $40K. He remarks to his wife, no matter what I bet, I always end up being the lowest better at the table.
The dealer hands the dice back to the shooter who again stands there in disbelief. He handed the dice back to the dealer. The dealer turned to my friend who by then had folded his arms across his chest to signal that he was not changing anything.
So the dealer offers the shooter a choice of dice which the shooter finally takes and throws a 2. So my friend had parlayed his $13K to $80. He sticks around, not betting anything, to see the shooter throw one more time. This time the shooter throws an 11. He would have lost.
Then he goes off to bet the Hagler fight, winning another $35K (I think he said you had to lay $40K to win $35K), so now he's at $115K, and about $5K winner for the evening. He returns to the crap table and the same guy is there with a ton of chips which he had won while my friend was away. My friend begins betting against him again and picks up another $45K and the shooter goes bust. So he left Vegas $50K winner. But he says in hindsight, he should have won a million, since that shooter could not do anything right. He said he bet it all wrong.
This is how the gamblers live. Never a thought about the house advantage,so long as it's fairly small, just a quest for the big one. More often than not they lose the big one, but the once in a while they win keeps them coming back for more. He told me after the story, you win some, you lose some. It all evens out. Maybe it does for him, but I can't help but believe for most the losers far outweigh the winners. Still, for a gambler, it's not the overall score, it's how big is the current day's score.
