I will pick up the train in London. The passage through the Channel Tunnel takes just 20 minutes. We change trains at Brussels, cross Belgium and then Germany. We will travel overnight into Poland, which is largely flat, rich green farmland.

At Brest on the Belarus frontier the sleeping-cars will be shunted into a shed, and jacked up to have its wheels changed for the different railway gauge in Russia. We remain on board while this is done.

In Moscow we change trains and pick up the Trans-Siberian express for our trip to Vladivostok. This is a one week trip, partly interesting and scenic and the rest flat, boring and made for online gambling. After struggling a little with the train’s WiFi system, I finally manage to log into the online casino where I have a credit balance in my deposit account and select roulette as my game.

The clicking of the wheels and the slight rolling of the carriage add a new dimension to the usual stability of the roulette wheel in the online casino. I play with small chips, $5. I have to pace myself - and my bankroll - if I am going to do this for a solid week. Unless I have a major win, that is. I put a chip on the even numbers and spin, watching number 8 come up. I leave my $10 there and put a chip on the first column. I spin the wheel and watch as the ball drops into number 22, meaning that I won both bets – even numbers gives me $20 and first column gives me $10. I’m winning $30 and I’ve hardly warmed up yet! The first 3 days pass in much the same way. I win about $500 on the first day, lose $200 on the second and win it back on the third.

I’m not so nervous about playing single numbers and chasing after a big win now, but haven’t succeeded yet. Outside the Russian steppes are flashing past and the train has settled into a hypnotic motion. More than once I find my head nodding. I finally decide to break the boredom and drop a $50 chip on number 23. I hit it! $1,750. I think I will book for next year while I’m here!

Posted on: November 21, 2008

Add This Gambling Article To:
Del.icio.us	Digg	Google	Spurl
Furl	Simpy	Y! MyWeb

Back to November 2008's archive
Back to latest Articles