After the Win

What does a gambler do after he or she experiences a big win in a casino or card room?

Or to make the question more personal, what do you do?

I have had some pretty incredible winning days during my 40-plus years as a poker player and gambler, as I am sure many of you have experienced. If you tell me you took your winnings and spent some of the money on worthwhile things for yourself and your family, I would compliment you for being miles ahead of the game. I am talking about things like a shopping spree, travel, a night on the town for all the family, or a new car. You are above average in the wisdom department.

Unfortunately, many winners fail to handle their new-found money wisely. They feel where this came from; there must be more. The next day they head back to the casino or card room and get into bigger games in order to increase their winnings. In too many cases, this is what happens.

The money is burning a hole in their pocket and they head back into action, relax their standards, and try to increase their winnings. Remember the old saying, 'A fool and his money are soon parted'? How true those words are!

If the winner is a card player, he believes the cards have fallen in love with him. He plays in a bigger game and, even worse, invests his money in border-line hands he has no business playing. They even raise with poor hands, praying for a miracle flop. And usually, the only thing the flop produces is misery and a depleted bankroll.

Slot machine players will push their luck. Quarter or penny players will head for the dollar machines. If their favorite game is craps, baccarat or roulette, the player will increase the size of their bets, and that includes blackjack.

A wise gambler who had made a lot of money in Las Vegas once told me, 'Son, here is a secret all successful gamblers know and understand. You don't enter a casino or card room with a lot of money hoping to double or triple it. You go in with a small amount of money with the hopes of parlaying it into a real pile of cash. That's the smart way of walking out a winner.'

Regardless of what your favorite casino game is, if you are a steady gambler, you are probably addicted to the action. To some people, it's a mild, one night a week addiction. But to others, it can become overwhelming. Remember the classic movie, 'The Little Shop of Horrors,' where the man-eating plant cries out, 'Feed me...feed me'? That is what happens to people with an addictive personality.

When I was newly married, I won a lowball tournament at the Sahara Dunes Casino in Lake Elsinore, CA. I took the money and treated my wife and her mother to a week in Honolulu, Hawaii. We visited the Big Island, toured the volcanos, and drove down Hawaii's magnificent Kona Coast. It was one of the grandest vacations I have ever experienced and one of the highlights of my 19-year marriage.

Here is another tip for you. If you are a winner, be generous with your money. What goes around comes around. Good karma is beneficial to the giver and the receiver.

Eddie Rack was a professional golfer who lived in Western Pennsylvania. He owned two golf courses, public links called Seven Springs near Belle Vernon, PA. and a country club near Ft. Lauderdale, FL. I wrote a book about his life, 'Juse Call Me Lucky; The Eddie Rack Story.' Golf legend Arnold Palmer was kind enough to write the forward.

Rack loved to gamble and when he won, he made sure he shared his winnings with his family. He often flew with friends to Las Vegas for a weekend to watch a heavyweight boxing match or to play blackjack or poker. Win or lose, Rack was generous with his tips.

Once he and a friend who owned a Cadillac dealership near Latrobe, PA. attended a Mohammad Ali bout in Las Vegas. After the fight ended, they headed to the casino and played blackjack. Eddie lost around $600. As they were heading for their room, They passed a porder and Rack flipped him a green $25 chip.

His friend Lou was amazed.

'Eddie, you lost,' he said. 'Why did you do that?'

Rack was 90 years old. He said, 'Lou, that $25 means a lot to that porder. You and I are lucky to be still able to walk around at our age. Let's just be thankful and enjoy life.'