Gambling Camaraderie

One of the initial lures of Las Vegas for me, and many others I'm sure, was the gambling aspect. The lack of much gambling content here at VegasRy so far is not necessarily on purpose. Instead, it is very reflective of what we truly love about this great city and gambling doesn't top that list. Having said that, I do still enjoy gambling and intend to make more mention of it in the future.

Gambling in general doesn't excite me like it used to. Striking it rich at the tables is no longer a fantasy as I've come to terms with reality. What does keep me coming back though is the camaraderie associated with gambling.

A few years ago at a local casino in Illinois, I had an interesting experience. I found myself in the middle of a $10 blackjack table just to the right of a husband and wife who seemed to be doing well because the husband had a stack of black chips ($100) much much larger than my red ($5) ones. I always liked to find tables where people were winning or seemingly winning by the amount of money on the table. The husband, who I'll refer to as the 3rd basemen for the duration of this story, would play small denominations like $10 or $20 per hand and then all of a sudden as if "the count" was significantly in his favor, he would bet upwards of $100. This, in and of itself, is nothing new but he played much differently when he had such large amounts on the line versus when he played the minimum. For instance, one hand in general comes to mind. I put out my measly $20 while he lays $100. I found two face cards for 20 while the 3rd basemen showed 12. The dealer showed a 10 and for whatever reason (be it "the count" or just nerves of the amount of money on the line), he stopped on 12. Naturally, this sparked my attention and sure enough the dealer flipped over a 6 and then pulled a 5 to make everyone a loser. Quietly, I sat back disgusted over the measly $20 that the 3rd basemen essentially cost me. At this point, his wife leaned over to me and the following dialogue transpired:

3b's wife: "Did that upset you?"
me: "Well, I can't say I'm pleased."
3b's wife: "I'm sorry."
3b's wife (whispering to her husband): You're upsetting the rest of the table.
3b (loudly): As if I care. If this is a team sport, then get me a jersey.

Shortly thereafter, I colored in and was on my way. This event never really upset me or scarred me in any way, but it made me realize what I truly love about gambling. I love playing blackjack like we are a team vs the dealer and thus the house they represent. This is of course a natural feeling when you sit with a table full of your friends, but I treat it similarly when I'm sitting with all strangers. I enjoy rooting people on as if I have a stake in their success. Generally nowadays, I'm on the lookout more for "fun" tables as opposed to those with lots of money on them as was common years ago. Don't get me wrong, winning makes everything fun, but I win so infrequently that this sense of team camaraderie makes it much more fun.

Similar to blackjack, craps is played even more like a team sport. This is probably why it is my favorite pit game, while I'm bored by games such as slots. Nearly everyone these days plays the pass line. This promotes people to root for the shooter and generally puts everyone on the same team. There is nothing more fun that experiencing a "hot" craps table. Three tables in my lifetime ring a bell and I'll never forget them. High-fiving strangers when the shooter hits a difficult point such as a 4 is always a euphoric moment.

Enjoyment in gambling can only come from winning for so long because inevitably the house has a big edge and we're all likely to become lifetime losers. That's why I find my enjoyment in the camaraderie and team-like atmosphere created.


Put me in coach! I've got my jersey on and I'm ready to play.