Sagabite

Dave is one of those guys who is really good with his money.  In fact he hates to blow money, and he is constantly talking about how gambling is one of the biggest wastes of money out there.  Below is the story he told me about that sheds some insight on why he despises gambling so much:

———-

I haven’t the slightest idea how to play blackjack.  That is, I understand the basic rules, but I’m the last person you’d want to trust any money with at the blackjack table — especially if you’re the sort of person who loans me $50 before the trip.

It was about ten years ago, and I was on my way to Vegas for the first and last time.  I was heading there for a conference and had no real intention to spend any time gambling.  Hearing this, my friend Kurt — who had a better-paying job than mine — offered me $50 to wager in whatever fashion I thought appropriate, so long as I promised to bring him back the earnings.

“Bet it all on red,” he said. “or pick the Cincinnati Bengals to win the Super Bowl.  I don’t give a shit.  Just have fun with it and bring me whatever you win with it.”

I’m not by nature a gambler, and I probably wouldn’t have squandered $50 of my own money, but I was more than happy to waste someone else’s, so I took the money and agreed to give him whatever I won (if anything) minus a 15% commission.  I had minimal confidence he’d ever see the $50 again.

After the second day of the conference, I hit the Strip and eventually settled into place at one of the second-tier casinos.  I was instantly unsuccessful.  I plunked down $5 for nickel slots and after 30 minutes walked away with about $3.  I converted another $2 into change and blew the rest.  By this time, I was thoroughly bored and depressed by the slots, so I decided to take a seat at one of the low stakes blackjack tables and see what I could accomplish.  I made a promise to myself that I’d leave in one hour or as soon as the remaining $45 was gone, whichever came first.  To my amazement, I began winning — a lot.  After the hour was up, I had turned the $45 into about $115.  It was uncanny.

I kept going.  For the next four, five, eight hours, I managed to turn Kurt’s money into a substantially larger pile of chips.  I also managed to drink a good amount of free liquor, which is part of the reason that to this day I can’t say how much I had actually accumulated.  Maybe $400, maybe more.  I honestly don’t know.

What I can say is that I blew it all — every last penny — and that it took me the rest of the night to do it.  At about 3:00 a.m., my last chip disappeared when I asked for a hit on 15 and pulled a Jack, sending me over the edge for the last time.  One of my table companions offered me a chip so I could get a cab ride back to my hotel.

When I returned home, Kurt asked how his $50 had performed.

“But you don’t know how to play roulette,” he replied after I lied to him.

“Yeah.”

“Why didn’t you at least go for something easy, like blackjack?”

“I dunno, man.” I muttered.  “Maybe next time.”

I’ve never had the heart to tell him.

———-

After his story I then understood his stance against gambling.  I have heard many stories of how gambling can ruin people.  And hearing Dave’s story brought home how an otherwise responsible person can get caught up in a situation and start down a dangerous path.  Luckily it only cost him $50.  For others, it’s a lot more.