BIG WIN / BIG LOSS
Why do you lose after a big win in a casino?
By Frank Scoblete
She loves playing the slot machines, and she and her girlfriend Wendy would go to the casinos once a month for a weekend stay. They played, they took in the shows and they had delicious meals.
They are not rich by any stretch of the imagination, but now, being in their early 40s, both own their own homes and have stable jobs. Both were married before they were 21 and now both are divorced. Neither has children.
They are best friends and have been such for two decades. Her name is Susan.
And it all came tumbling down. Here’s her story:
“I was playing my favorite machine at my favorite casino. The first night, a Friday, was a loser but I cut my losses short by stopping early and going to my room to bed. Wendy played but she went to her room early as well.
“The next day, Saturday, my wins and losses went back and forth. I hit some decent hits but I also had some long stretches of losses. I guess you could say that the game was par for the course. I was down a little.
“We saw a wonderful show that night and had a great dinner. We played our machines after dinner. Her favorite machine is on the other side of the casino from mine so we only know how the other had done when we meet and exchange information.
“I was getting tired and I was ready for sleep and then my machine hit the big jackpot. I’m talking loud music and the jingle-jangle sound of the fake coins.”
“Aside from being tired, I was actually numb. The jackpot was for over $200,000! The attendant came over and I guess set the machine so it couldn’t be played and the slot manager came over and congratulated me on my win. He told me the steps that had to be taken before they would give me my check.
“It took about an hour. I totally forgot about Wendy. I had my check. They took out the taxes for the government. How did the government become my partner? Do they lose money when I lose money? That never happened over the years.
“When I went back onto the floor, I went over to Wendy’s machine. She was playing listlessly. She saw me. ‘I’m getting killed,’ she said.
“I handed her my check. ‘What is this, a coupon?’ she asked. I shook my head. ‘Read it,’ I said. She looked at it. She looked back at me. She looked at it again. She looked back at me. ‘Is this real?’ she asked. I nodded my head. ‘Oh, my lord,’ she said. ‘Oh, my lord!’
“I told her what happened. ‘I wish you came over to get me. I would have loved to see them do what they do to pay out such a large amount of money,’ she said. I explained to her that I was kind of in a fog when all this was going on. It seemed unreal to me. ‘Well,’ she said. ‘That check looks real enough to me.’
“The next day, we played some more. I actually hit a mini-jackpot and my weekend ended on a winning session as well. Wendy, unfortunately, did not have any luck at all and she had one of her worst trips ever.
“When we got home, I took a long nap. I don’t usually nap but this weekend sapped me of my strength. I sat watching television that night and occasionally I’d look at the check and shake my head. This was the most amazing thing I ever experienced in a casino.
“Monday evening Wendy called me. ‘I really wish you had me come with you when you got that check. That would have been something,’ she said. I again told her that I was in a kind of fog. I almost didn’t know what was going on. ‘Come on,’ she said. ‘How could you not know what was going on?’
“She called me on Thursday evening too. Usually, we don’t talk during the week. We both get home late from work. We do meet on the weekends though. She wanted to know how I felt being rich. I said I know I have some money now but I really don’t feel rich.
“That weekend we intended to go to our favorite restaurant in town with a couple of other friends. Once there she said, ‘Shouldn’t you treat us Miss Millionaire? Wouldn’t that be fair?’ I think I did a stupid thing. Yes, I did treat them.
“From that point on she always called me Miss Millionaire. No matter who we were with or where we were, I became Miss Millionaire. She even explained to restaurant staff that I was rolling in money and they should expect a big tip from me.
“I did tell her that I did not like being called Miss Millionaire. She laughed. She replied, ‘If the name fits, wear it.’
“We went to the casino as regularly scheduled. It was the worst trip I ever had. I kept winning! I started to tell Wendy that it was a bad trip for me. One time a man sitting next to me laughed and said to Wendy, ‘This is the luckiest woman I ever saw. She’s winning like crazy!’ Wendy made a face.
“After that I slowly pulled myself away from Wendy. I never see her any more. I had a big win, money; and I had a big loss, a friend.”
All the best in and out of the casinos!
Frank Scoblete’s website is www.frankscoblete.com. His books are available from Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, Kindle, e-books, libraries and at bookstores.
