THE GARDEN OF EDEN
Gamblers are always in search of paradise
By Frank Scoblete
What follows will relate directly to slot machines and slot players so hang in there:
There are two biblical creation stories, one where men and women are created at exactly the same moment on the sixth day which is the initial creation story, and the second story where a man named Adam is created from dirt (the name Adam means ground or dirt), then all the animals are created and then Eve (which means life or living) is created from Adam’s rib.
The details of this second creation story are found in the Garden of Eden which is the story most people know.
The word Eden might be translated as the equivalent of the word ‘pleasure’ meaning Adam and Eve existed in a garden of pleasure. That would make sense as they were innocent and enjoyed scampering about in their nakedness.
There were two trees in the Garden of Eden that had names; the Tree of life which granted immortality and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Adam and Eve were told by God that they could eat from any tree in the garden, including the Tree of life, but they could not eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil or they would die.
I am sure you know what happened. The snake, the wily creature that evidently had intelligence and knew both good and evil, convinces Eve to eat the fruit and then she convinces Adam and whamo! They realize they are naked. They stitch fig leaves over their genitals (the fig was probably the fruit they ate) and then they tried to hide from God. Not such a good plan.
They had certainly gained the knowledge of good and evil right there and then. Whether they knew of the concept of death before eating the fruit is doubtful but they would learn soon enough what horror they were inflicting on themselves.
The sad couple are tossed out of the garden, Adam is forced to work by the sweat of his brow and Eve is forced to bare babies in pain and labor, and ultimately both Adam and Eve will die as will all their offspring throughout history Not a great end to their former pleasurable existence. Reality arrived.
Now take a look at two slots players, Adam II and Eve II. Before they go to the casino they envision such joy and pleasure ahead of them. And why not? There is a garden awaiting them; a garden filled with delicious joys radiating from colorful machines. What’s not to love? They are going to a world of make believe.
They plan to romp and scamper through the garden of slots pleasure and joy, and have their every dream fulfilled. That dream is simple really; there’s money to be won, perhaps a lot of money is just waiting there for them to pluck it. They fantasize about that as they head for their exquisite experiences to come.
They hold hands as they enter the casino. They have arrived! They are where it will all happen. There is nothing but good in this garden; nothing can go wrong. Their dreams have told them that. They look around at all their options. Everything is there for them. They shall pluck the fruit from all these colorful trees!
Dreams and fantasies; fantasies and dreams.
Adam II and Eve II have excellent luck at first as their machines pay out over and over. Dreams and fantasies; fantasies and dreams. They are in their glory now.
They take such luck for granted. “We are in a garden of delight! “ says Eve II. Adam II ecstatically croons. “This is life as it should be forever!”
And now the snake enters. The snake lives in the garden of their pleasures. That is its home. It knows more than they do about the knowledge of playing those sometimes delightful machines.
Suddenly, the machines are no longer paying off. Our couple scampers to other machines. Nothing. They romp to two more machines. A trickle, then nothing.
What’s happening? They are starting to lose money. “Perhaps we should play machines for more money?” asks Adam II. “Yes,” says Eve II. “That’s a good idea. Let us go up to dollar machines. Everything will be all right then.” “Yes,” says Adam II. “Let us partake in higher denominations!”
They gather nothing. Her purse and his pockets are slowly becoming bare. What shall they do?
The snake laughs and then he talks to them. “Do you see what you have learned? Every machine, every game in this garden has a house edge. Which means the casino will ultimately win your money. Very few, meaning almost no one, wins over the casino.
“That is the knowledge of good and evil about playing casino games. When you are ahead as you were earlier, you should have put some winnings aside so that today would have been your day. But you wanted more and more and that cost you more and more in the end.” Adam II and Eve II have a decision to make. Do they follow the snake’s advice or do they go it alone and try to hide from the truth? It is a rare event actually beating the casino over any serious length of time. That is a lesson to be learned.
All the best in and out of the casinos!
Frank Scoblete’s web site is www.frankscoblete.com. His books are available on Amazon.com, Barnes and Nobel, Kindle, e-books and at bookstores.