There was no inkling as to what would come after the meal. It could have been anything from a fireside chat by the judge, a boring lecture by the retired law professor or a strip tease by one of the wives. Imagine my surprise when the host excused himself for a minute and returned carrying two laptops which he connected up and logged into online casinos. This is entertainment, I thought, as I joined a few people already standing around a game of roulette. Things heated up pretty quickly. The judge, a large, loud and pompous character, was soon “in charge” of the proceedings, as there often is at a roulette table. “We are playing with $20 chips” he boomed. “Place your bets!” I decided to play my usual serpentine game which means I drop chips on numbers 1, 5, 9, 12, 14, 16, 19, 23, 27, 30, 32 and 34. These are all red numbers and follow a ‘serpentine’ pattern across the board. This bet means that I am wagering 12 chips to win 1, not bad odds. Playing with $20 chips, I am laying out $240 in order to win $700. My other rule is that I never pick up my winnings, but I ‘let it ride’, meaning that my winnings become my next wager. Playing in an online casino means that you are playing with certain superstitions and one of these is that bets recur. There is one other point I must make in an online casino. Neither the little white ivory ball nor the roulette wheel have memories, in other words every spin of the wheel is a stand-alone item and will be exactly the same as the very first spin. The wheel can stop anywhere and the ball can drop anywhere. “Let’s play!” called the judge. I placed my 12 chips and watched the spin. 23 came up. It also happens to be my birthday, a good omen. “Place you bets again!” called the judge and I clicked on the “Repeat my bet” button. This time it was 12. I went home with $24,000 and left behind a very surprised and very quiet judge standing next to the laptop. Posted on: March 24, 2008
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