Monday, December 27, 2004
Casino Christmas
Your courageous correspondent was down to his last two chips. The rookie dealer, still sporting a temp tag, came through, fumbling two aces my way. I grit my teeth and doubled down, all my money sitting on the table. Twenty-ones on both hands. It was the beginning of a heroic comeback, in which I went on to win back the $80 I had lost. Then I proceeded to lose $120.
But that's the kind of dedication I have to my readers: anything for the story. As a good Jew, I worked Christmas day so that my Christian brethren could celebrate Jesus' birthday (not that I had much of a choice). And what better way to spend Christmas night, I thought, than on a riverboat casino?
Much to my surprise, the casino was packed. Shitty Christmas pop filled the neon-coated air, though there seemed to be very few Christians in the house. Every Asian in town must have been there, as there aren't many in the area (the cops still refer to "Orietnals" on the scanner) as well as every Indian person as well. Jews go to the movies on Christmas and I guess other non-Christians hit the tables.
At one point in the night I sitting at the table with an Asian guy, a black dude singing along to the Marvin Gaye song and a young Indian couple throwing their money away on every hand (they were splitting threes when the dealer was showing a ten for Christ's sake). Also, I confirmed the answer to a question posed on an episode of Chapelle's Show. Dave Chapelle asked, Why do black people smoke menthols and the correct answer was, I don't know. Always the muckraker, I had to find out for myself, so I bummed a menthol off the Marvin Gaye-singing brother next to me and choked the whole thing down. "I don't know" is definitely the right answer.
All in all, a $120 well spent and a very merry Christmas filled with free drinks and plenty of cheer.
But that's the kind of dedication I have to my readers: anything for the story. As a good Jew, I worked Christmas day so that my Christian brethren could celebrate Jesus' birthday (not that I had much of a choice). And what better way to spend Christmas night, I thought, than on a riverboat casino?
Much to my surprise, the casino was packed. Shitty Christmas pop filled the neon-coated air, though there seemed to be very few Christians in the house. Every Asian in town must have been there, as there aren't many in the area (the cops still refer to "Orietnals" on the scanner) as well as every Indian person as well. Jews go to the movies on Christmas and I guess other non-Christians hit the tables.
At one point in the night I sitting at the table with an Asian guy, a black dude singing along to the Marvin Gaye song and a young Indian couple throwing their money away on every hand (they were splitting threes when the dealer was showing a ten for Christ's sake). Also, I confirmed the answer to a question posed on an episode of Chapelle's Show. Dave Chapelle asked, Why do black people smoke menthols and the correct answer was, I don't know. Always the muckraker, I had to find out for myself, so I bummed a menthol off the Marvin Gaye-singing brother next to me and choked the whole thing down. "I don't know" is definitely the right answer.
All in all, a $120 well spent and a very merry Christmas filled with free drinks and plenty of cheer.
