I went to the Four Queens downtown one early morning and there were five people at the crap table: the stickman, and a couple dealers and two players.
I was enthralled at the action at craps tables and it drew me like a mosquito to light, so I told one of the dealers that I had two hundred dollars and said I would split whatever any winnings I would get if he would advise me on my bets. Oh, I knew the basics, but I needed to find out how to make real money besides just throwing seven or eleven, or hitting your number.
Odds.
That’s where you could start amassing chips (if the dice were going your way).
I played for three hours, and on my first try, I left the casino with five hundred dollars, after tipping the dealer three hundred.
I also learned a whole lot about my new income stream.
Oh, don’t get me wrong; I lost my share, but never more than I brought with me, and I never brought more than a few hundred. When that was gone, so was I.
I repeated that strategy for about a month, as I recall, and I decided I would go out on my own, armed with my newfound bravado that came with winning more than I was losing. The discipline to never “chase” my losses saved me.
I also learned the importance of betting with or against other players. I found that I was a good judge of a player; were they flashy and careless with their chips, or were they guarding them just a little too closely, as if they really needed the money they were gambling with? Or were they some tourist with absolutely no idea what they are doing? (bet with ‘em every time in the short term).
For my solo debut (no dealer help) I decided on the Aladdin Hotel and Casino down at the bottom of the strip.
The absolute worst thing possible happened.
I won.
Big.
Big, for me, at the time, was five thousand dollars. Especially since I only brought five hundred with me.
It was a very good thing that I always managed to make good money in Vegas, because it went through my hands like water.
I remember Thanksgiving week in 1980, I was at The Dunes playing baccarat, and I ate my complimentary breakfast and was heading across the street to a pirate-themed casino called the Barbary Coast, when alarms started going off, and smoke started pouring out of the MGM Grand.
A lot of smoke.
Evidently, this fire broke out in one of the restaurants and quickly spread throughout the massive hotel and casino.
It was my day off, so I watched for two hours. I also saw someone jump to their death from their balcony. Eighty-six others lost their lives as the dark smoke was inescapable.
As the smoke poured into the casino, rumor has it that two old ladies insisted the dealer “hit” their hands. They could give a damn about some silly fire
They won, but were quickly escorted out the front door as terrified people ran out.
Not everyone is lucky in Las Vegas.
Stay well.
