G for Gambling

G is for Gambling.  Vegas is fun.  Vegas is sensational.  Before this last trip, it was my favorite place to go.  I love Vegas because it is a special place.  There is this awesome beautiful area that God created, called the desert.  In the middle of this desert, God dropped a fantastic city called Vegas.  Okay, maybe God didn’t create Vegas, but he let it happen.  God gives man the ability to sin.  Vegas is one big sin.  Errr...one big fun sin.  It is full of crooked people, gambling, hookers, alcohol, and craziness.  It doesn’t get better than that.  I had never gambled until I met the Chief.  

He took me to Vegas about five years ago.  He gave me 20 dollars, and I chose to go to the blackjack table.  It was the only thing I knew how to play.  I walked over and left him standing at the craps table with his money.  Five minutes later, I was back at his side.  

Chief: Did you lose?

Me: Heck no!  I won five dollars!!  Wahoo!

Chief: Um, what are you doing then?

Me: What do you mean?  I am done.  I won.

Chief: Did you spend the whole 20? 

Me: No way!  I won five, so I have 25.

Chief: Aren’t you going to play anymore?

Me: No, why would I? I already won?

Chief: Oh dear God.  

Needless to say, he taught me how to play craps.  I still wasn’t willing to spend the big bucks though.  I watched him play this exciting game.  A couple years later he took me back to Vegas.  He handed me a couple hundred and turned me loose again.  This time I stood by his side and played craps, which is completely fun.  We won that trip, which is one of the reasons I think I walked away from this city calling it my favorite.  

We just went on our third trip to my favorite city.  We went with a group of people, which always makes it more fun.  One evening we went out with another couple, and the wife decided to teach me to play roulette.  

I was immediately hooked.  It is simple, and exciting.  You can bet red/black.  You can bet even/odd.  You can put your money on certain numbers, or you can bet between numbers.  She and I sat and played the first night.  In ten minutes she won 135 and I won 35.  We walked away.  

The next morning I woke up to the Chief aka Rainman.  

Chief: Here is the deal.  If you play the black/red you have to be willing to double your bet until you hit the color.

Me: Hugh?

Chief: I can promise you that you will walk away with at least $20 if you play it my way.  If you go on your theory of three reds in a row can only be followed by a black, then you need to play it my way.

Me: Here we go...

Chief: No, listen.  If you put ten on red, and it hits black you have to be willing to put 20 on it next time.  Then if it still hits black, you have to be willing to put 40 on it, then 80, then 160...

Me: Oh. Dear. God.  Why do you have to go all ape shit on me with the numbers?

Chief: Seriously, you got the balls?  Lets go.

*I may have explained the above wrong.  I tried my best to tell you how that conversation went, but between you and me, when the Rainman comes out of him and numbers start flying, my brain turns off.  Just shake your head like I do, and pretend you understand.  I still don’t understand the logic behind his genius mathematics mind...but it is still sexy as hell.

The next night, the Chief and I decided to sit and play.  We probably sat and enjoyed each other, and the game, for about three hours.  We walked away up again.  By the end of day two, we were up $1,500.  

The last night, we decided to play again.  We sat down and threw our money down and received chips.  We took our time gambling.  It was up and down...like any other game.  He played the numbers, and I played the colors.  So there might have been eight spins before I put a bet on the table.  Once there were three colors in a row, I would bet on the other color.  So here we are, three reds in.  I moved 20 dollars over to the black.  Red hit.  Damn.  

Me: Here we go again, what are the chances of it hitting red five times in a row?

Chief: Well actually...

Me: Never mind Rainman, I didn’t really want a number, I’m just saying...

I moved over $40 to the black.  Red hit again.  Seriously?  FIVE reds in a row?  There is no way it will have six in a row...The Chief apparently agreed.  I moved my entire stack over to black, which was probably $300.  

Chief: Are we doing this?

Me: Yep.

Then he slowly moves over his $300.  I close my eyes and stand up chanting, “Black, black, black.”

Silence.  Then I hear chips sliding.  I open my eyes to see the dealer whisking away all of our chips.  I open my wallet and grab my last $100.  There is NO way it is going to hit seven reds in a row.  NO WAY.  The Chief pulls out his wallet.  He slowly pulls out $700...and drops it on the table.  I look at him and shake my head.  He ignores it.  

The dealer moves his chips over.  Here we go again.  Between the two of us, we now have $800 on the black.  This is it.  I close my eyes.  

Minutes later we are standing at the ATM getting cash out for the cab.  We set aside $500 for this trip to gamble.  We were up over $1,500 and lost it all within five minutes.  That is the name of the game.  I cried.  I didn’t cry over losing the money, I cried over losing.  Okay, maybe it was the money.  In reality, $500 isn’t that big of deal, it was that we were up, and we walked away with nothing.  

The Chief hugged me and said, “Baby, this is what gambling is about.  We set aside the money to spend on entertainment, and we spent it.  It’s no big deal.  We didn’t spend more than what we came to spend.  This is what it’s about.  The good news is, I had a blast gambling with you tonight.”  This is why I love this man.  He didn’t care that we had lost the money we set aside.  To him, it was enjoyment because it was the two of us.  

When we got in the limousine the next morning with all his work people, he yelled out to the group asking who had won money on the trip.  One person raised a hand.

I felt better.  Not really.  I don’t like losing.  I probably won’t go back for a while.  At least not until the next trip...which will probably be soon.  Gawd, I love Vegas.