#16. Will power:
This past week I was "lucky" enough to get to go to Las Vegas for a work conference. I had never been to Sin City, let alone taken my gambling skills beyond one slot machine in Atlantic City which took $2 from my pocket. So I figured since I am in the Capital of Craps and Bethlehem of Blackjack, I'd try my luck out... but after a few drinks.
Card games have never been a craft of mine. Too much math, too much thinking. Poker I enjoy when it is low buy-ins and everyone is fairly equal in their skill level. So my two weapons of choice for this trip were blackjack and roulette. With some help from my coworker on the blackjack table and some luck on the color selection on the roulette wheel... I walked away down $70. Victory in my eyes. I was almost certain I'd be losing my money I put into the gambling on day one.
It was not that I didn't believe in myself, but rather I wanted to chalk up the cost of the thrill (and later realization) of the few hours I spent gambling. Winning a few hands feels great. Losing a few hands sucks. But as I have always preached, coming out equal and balanced is the best way. Some look at being down $70 in Vegas does not mean being equal. "You're in the RED!" they'd say. But the silver lining is always available: I got free drinks. I had a fun time playing hands and forming a camaraderie with my friend and other strangers at our table (including one who proved to me that it is a small world being it that he was the THIRD person I met in the past week that knew the town of Holderness, NH... pretty cool).
Plus, $70 for the price of entertainment is cheaper than a night of dinner and drinks in most places. I found the silver lining and I attribute a lot of that to a strong will power. Addictions are hard to break; cigarettes, drinking, gambling, eating, etc. But as I have tested myself throughout the years by boycotting all of those things for long periods of time, I have gained a stronger will power and deeper character.
Do I wish I won thousands like my friend did on Blackjack? Absolutely. Am I just as pleased with going in the red for the chance to simply lose a few hands in Vegas and have a story to share about it, rather than gutting my bank account? You betcha.
This past week I was "lucky" enough to get to go to Las Vegas for a work conference. I had never been to Sin City, let alone taken my gambling skills beyond one slot machine in Atlantic City which took $2 from my pocket. So I figured since I am in the Capital of Craps and Bethlehem of Blackjack, I'd try my luck out... but after a few drinks.
Card games have never been a craft of mine. Too much math, too much thinking. Poker I enjoy when it is low buy-ins and everyone is fairly equal in their skill level. So my two weapons of choice for this trip were blackjack and roulette. With some help from my coworker on the blackjack table and some luck on the color selection on the roulette wheel... I walked away down $70. Victory in my eyes. I was almost certain I'd be losing my money I put into the gambling on day one.
It was not that I didn't believe in myself, but rather I wanted to chalk up the cost of the thrill (and later realization) of the few hours I spent gambling. Winning a few hands feels great. Losing a few hands sucks. But as I have always preached, coming out equal and balanced is the best way. Some look at being down $70 in Vegas does not mean being equal. "You're in the RED!" they'd say. But the silver lining is always available: I got free drinks. I had a fun time playing hands and forming a camaraderie with my friend and other strangers at our table (including one who proved to me that it is a small world being it that he was the THIRD person I met in the past week that knew the town of Holderness, NH... pretty cool).
Plus, $70 for the price of entertainment is cheaper than a night of dinner and drinks in most places. I found the silver lining and I attribute a lot of that to a strong will power. Addictions are hard to break; cigarettes, drinking, gambling, eating, etc. But as I have tested myself throughout the years by boycotting all of those things for long periods of time, I have gained a stronger will power and deeper character.
Do I wish I won thousands like my friend did on Blackjack? Absolutely. Am I just as pleased with going in the red for the chance to simply lose a few hands in Vegas and have a story to share about it, rather than gutting my bank account? You betcha.
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