Let's admit it. The vast majority of people have made a wager at some point in their life. Even if you have to take it back to rock-paper-scissors as a child, the point was to win.
Maybe the contest was for shotgun right seat window. Perhaps your scissors cutting the paper of your best friend's hand was just for shits and giggles. Could be it was to see who went first in a greater game you're playing.
Whatever the case, putting it up to chance makes it a gamble. Then there's actual gambling. From the friendly poker night with neighbors to high-stakes tables at the casino, gambling wears many faces.
Mom Loved To Gamble...Dad Didn't
Growing up in Southern California, my parents would make the infrequent trip to Las Vegas for a few days. It was never often enough or long enough for my mom.
Sometimes they would bring us kids and a babysitter to boot, so they could go out and play. Mom knew how to count cards playing Blackjack, which got them in trouble in their early days.
As time moved forward, it was easy to see my mother's love for betting. The thing is, she was good at it. Probably still is. It would be fun to play a few hands of 21 with her at local tribal casino, once this distancing ends.
Keep Those Wheels Spinning & Bring Me Another Drink
This was always my biggest issue when my boots hit the casino floor. Free drinks meant I was there for the buzz, as much or more so than the betting.
Don't get me wrong. I can boast a couple big wins back before my parenting days. There was a thousand dollar jackpot off a quarter slot on my birthday. We picked up another $300 at the airport leaving Vegas later that afternoon.
Scratchers are usually a waste of time and money, unless you hit the top prize. Several months before our wedding, I did exactly that on a $3.00 scratcher. It paid $24,000 before taxes. We got a check for $18,000 which paid for quite the wedding celebration at the MGM Grand.
But It Typically Went Bad
Drinking too much while betting is obviously stupid, but I was too drunk to know that. I've been up $2,100 on a hot Blackjack table only to give it all back to the house in a matter of minutes.
Even the times that I did well often resulted in a negative outcome. I'd ditch my girlfriend and lose track of time while playing.
Six hours on the roulette wheel at the Stratosphere made me $900 richer one bout. It sort of saved me from my lady's wrath upon my late return. Then there was the year I lost most of our tax return betting online. I don't even want to get in to that one.
The Best Bet Is On You
It's funny that though my mom loved playing the tables and pops went along with it, they both invested heavily in themselves. That was their way of life.
Lessons they grasped at a young age were ones I struggled with until later on in life. Now that we have kids of our own, we try to hammer that lesson down with love.
Our eldest is on his seventh guitar lesson and our youngest wants to learn the keyboard. An old friend of mine from Highschool is teaching the lessons, which works out for us all.
As for myself, I don't gamble much anymore. I'll grab an occasional scratcher though it's been ages since I even did that.
I much more prefer to practice what I preach to our children these days. Bet on yourself! Place your energy into picking up some knowledge everyday. Building my first website and learning how to blog was a big step for me.
That was five years ago and now it's all about HIVE. And the more I learn, the better Hiver I will be.
Thanks for your time and as always...
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