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The worst night of my life

By Brian Rooney July 6, 2017 Leave a Comment

“All in” two little words that both started and finished this night. So the best place to start is the beginning, the first “all in”.

It was a random week day and what do degenerates do on random weekdays? They go to casinos. I was going to Atlantic City with some friends that night so I decided to leave early and go play for a few hours before anyone else was there. Ten in the morning I got in my car to head out there. What’s more degenerate than that? Just think about that. 10 am and all alone going to a casino. I had a problem

This was back in the days before Atlantic City was a waste land of closed casinos. I decided to go to the Taj Mahal; anyone that saw the movie Rounders knows it’s an iconic poker room. An iconic poker room that was going to start a downward spiral that I consider to be the worst night of my life.

After a quick lunch I put my name on this list to play some no limit Texas Hold’em. My name was called and I took my seat. I still had about three hours or so before my friends started to arrive. So three hours of money making time is how I looked at it. Surprisingly that’s what I did too.

I sat down with only $150 and before I knew it I had about 600 in front of me. I was catching card after card. I was on fire, making the right bets at the right times, trapping people in pots they shouldn’t be in. It was incredible.

Then the text came. “Yo I’m here”. Told my friend where I was and then within minutes he was behind me watching the show I was putting on. I told him “alright last hand then we will go”. The cards came out and to spare all the details we got into a full out betting war before this hand came to a close. This ended in me saying the famous words “all in”. I pushed all my money to the center of the table and I waited for the decision of the other players. Was I worried? Hell no cause I had what is considered the nuts. A poker term for the best hand. Decision was made, he called my bet and we went to a show down. Like I said I had the nuts. I pulled in about a grand from this table.

I know what you are thinking, how can this be the worst night of my life? Well the night is young my friends, oh so very young.

At this point I feel untouchable. I just walked away from the poker table in about 3 hours up a little over a thousand dollars. Nothing can stop me tonight. Tonight, I bankrupt the casino with all the money I’m about to win. Boy was I wrong.

First stop the bar. Hennessey straight used to be my drink. Then over to the Roulette table. Let’s make a quick fifty bucks and put fifty on red to come out on the next spin. This was it. The catalyst for everything else that followed. I put my money down. Fifty dollars on red. Here’s the spin. Thirteen black. The first loss of the night and with lucky number thirteen. Ready to lose it all? I wasn’t.

Sat down at a black jack table and loss after loss. Quickly five hundred gone.

Okay time for a breather, or a drink. Yeah a drink that’s what I need. I go back to the bar and spend 20 bucks on a drink when I could have drank for free at the table. The stupid decisions were just pouring out of me.

At this point I am still up some money. However as the night goes on the drinks keep coming. Craps! That’s what I need to play. Nothing goes better with losing money and drinking than Craps. In about 7 minutes, 7 the number to “crap out”, that’s all it took for about two hundred dollars to fly out of my pocket and go right back to the casino. I reach down into my right pocket. Oh let me explain that. My left pocket was the money I came out with, the right pocket was my wining pocket so only profit. The idea I thought of designed to keep me from losing too much money if I were up. Only problem is when drinking is involved that doesn’t work. I had around 300 left and put it out on the craps table and within minutes I was back to square one. Back to the money I came with. Well I had a good run right? Played for a few hours have a good story but didn’t lose anything? Wrong into the left pocket I went.

The funny thing about losing money that you were up, it still feels like you lost it and need to make it back. My mindset right now was I need to make back the thousand I lost. The thousand that was a profit is now a thousand my brain felt I was down. It makes no sense but maybe you get it.

Time to regroup! What does that mean? You guessed it have a drink and come up with a plan to make some money.

Instant satisfaction is something that I need. Blackjack to me is that. Put money out play a quick hand beat the house and double my money. Easy right? Wrong! Sit down at a table that’s a $25 minimum. I know what you’re thinking, $25 is not too much how can this go bad? Let me emphasize a word. $25 is the MINIMUM, not the maximum. So I started playing 25 a hand. Lost 4 in a row, hundred bucks gone.

Take a breath. Ok if I play this hand for a hundred and win I’m back to even. That’s easy. Hundred goes out. First card 3, dealer showing a 6, next card 8. Awesome 11 and dealer has a 6 time to double and make a profit. Before the cards even fell I was already counting this as a win. Mistake number one, or mistake number 12 of the night if you want to be a dick about it.

Put another hundred out make the hand sign for a double and BOOOOOOOOM. An ace. The worst card I could get because now I have a 12. Dealer must bust. I don’t remember exactly what the dealer had but what I do remember is he did not bust and bye bye another two hundred.

Take it from me, alcohol is free on the casino floor for a reason. They want you drunk so you can act just like me. I am what they want. A drunk moron with a gambling problem. Let the money flow out of me like the alcohol was flowing in to me. Victory casino.

After a few more losing hands at black jack, I entered a mindset that should never be entered in the casino. That fuck it all kind of mindset. It was going to become that kind of night that I just stopped counting money and I would not know how much was lost until I stumble out of bed the next morning and angrily check my bank statement.

Black Jack, fuck that game, time to get lucky and just play some numbers and shoot for the moon. Yeah bad idea. No numbers I played came out and I don’t even know how much money was played on them.

I remember at this moment thinking that I should probably make my way back to poker and try to make some smart moves and make back some money. Of course it was a long walk back to the poker room and on the way you have to walk past a ton of slot machines and table games. So the long walk over became a longer walk and a pretty expensive walk too.

This is the part of the story that I wish I had more details on. By this time in the night I had drank way too much and lost way too much money. So between the alcohol and the money this was something I wanted to be blacked out from my memory. Here’s what I do remember. I sat down at a no limit poker table. I ordered a drink. At this point it was almost morning so time to switch it to my morning drink which was grapefruit and gin. However, I never would get to drink this drink. The hand after I ordered, this is what I remember happening. I decided to make a big bluff. I had nothing. But I had a feeling neither did the other guy in the and I was right. I felt he was bluffing on the turn card and he made a bet so I just called setting up my bluff on the river. River comes out I make my move and the guy instantly calls me. Immediately I thought shit I read that wrong. No I was right the guy had nothing. He had a King high. When I snapped at him “how the fuck can you call that” he got super defensive telling me he knew I had nothing. Yes he was not wrong but even so all I need is any crappy pair or and ace and I beat you. If he made the bet I would say great bet but to call that? What. The. Fuck.

I lost it.

Within a few moments of arguing there were the boys in black to walk me right out of that poker room. Security came and security conquered and I was left without my drink, my money and my dignity. What a night!

One night that started and ended with those two words ended up costing me more money than I care to remember. I wish I could say lesson learned but that was not the case. This was one of many nights that I lost more money than I should have. I am happy to say that it has been well over a year since the last time I did any kind of gambling. The urge is gone along with all the money I lost over the years.

This is my story but I would love to hear yours reach out to me on twitter @Big_Broons or let us know on our Facebook page or twitter account @TheSpinchoon

All though the tone of this story is meant to be read with humor, addiction and gambling are no laughing matter. If you or someone you know has a problem please seek help and call 1–800-GAMBLER.