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- Jan 12, 2021
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My father, was a professional gambler before professional gambling was cool and televised. He played winner takes all in the penthouse of the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas in the early 50's. You bought in and played till you either had everyone else's money or they had yours. It was a rough crowd. No fucking around. He told me so many stories that captivated me as I was growing up. And out of all the advice he gave me about gambling, he put one above all else. I'll never forget it.
He put his hand on my shoulder (I was 16 and thought I knew everything), looked me dead in the eye and said "never forget son, that it doesn't matter how good the odds are, if the bet is no good."
In his later years, after getting married and having three boys he would play poker with his friends. And what was really cool is that my dad was a known entity and like in the old west, young hot shots would come into town and want to take the old man down. It happened all the time. Dad's game was stud poker. It has the best odds. He could read a man like a book.
One morning as I was about to walk outside and catch the school bus, (I was 12) I looked into the poker room and saw a game had just broken up. This dude had come into town and he played poker with dad all night. I walked into his card room and he looked at me and smiled. He motioned for me to come around the wall where the man he had been playing could not see us. I did not say a word. He smiled at me, reached in his pocket and pulled out a roll of $100 dollar bills the was about the size of my 10 year old head. I was thunderstruck.
I did not know there was that much money in the world. I looked up at dad and he had a big grin on his face. I looked back down at the wod of $100's and watched as he peeled 3- $100 dollar bills off and gave them to me and said "this is your allowance." He chuckled and I was grinning like a jack ass eating briars.
I lost my father almost 28 years ago.
I will never forget that day. It is one of the fondest memories I have of my dad. Not because of the money he gave me, but because he loved me and took the time to give me a special moment that has been with me all my life. My eyes are teared up just typing this. Share with me a special memory from you dad.
He put his hand on my shoulder (I was 16 and thought I knew everything), looked me dead in the eye and said "never forget son, that it doesn't matter how good the odds are, if the bet is no good."
In his later years, after getting married and having three boys he would play poker with his friends. And what was really cool is that my dad was a known entity and like in the old west, young hot shots would come into town and want to take the old man down. It happened all the time. Dad's game was stud poker. It has the best odds. He could read a man like a book.
One morning as I was about to walk outside and catch the school bus, (I was 12) I looked into the poker room and saw a game had just broken up. This dude had come into town and he played poker with dad all night. I walked into his card room and he looked at me and smiled. He motioned for me to come around the wall where the man he had been playing could not see us. I did not say a word. He smiled at me, reached in his pocket and pulled out a roll of $100 dollar bills the was about the size of my 10 year old head. I was thunderstruck.
I did not know there was that much money in the world. I looked up at dad and he had a big grin on his face. I looked back down at the wod of $100's and watched as he peeled 3- $100 dollar bills off and gave them to me and said "this is your allowance." He chuckled and I was grinning like a jack ass eating briars.
I lost my father almost 28 years ago.
I will never forget that day. It is one of the fondest memories I have of my dad. Not because of the money he gave me, but because he loved me and took the time to give me a special moment that has been with me all my life. My eyes are teared up just typing this. Share with me a special memory from you dad.
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