I have never been much of a gambler. I don’t find any entertainment in losing money. I have been to casinos on cruises, Indian reservations, in Las vegas, and locally here in Joliet. Most of the time, I just wasted my time and money on slot machines, watching reels spin, listening to bells and whistles, and having not an ever-loving clue what made me win or made me lose. And I always lost.

Then Jim and I went on a cruise with my father and his wife and my dad taught me to play roulette. Suddenly, gambling had some appeal. He taught me a system he uses to place his bets, so I have used the same system and I am proud to say that I win more than I lose. Every time I’ve sat down at a roulette table I’ve come away up money except for one time. I never play more than about $50 or $60 at a time. If I run out of money, I am done. I don’t go get more. I sit down at the table with a set amount of money I am willing to invest in my venture and I won’t surpass it. Ever. On the flip side, I have no problems cashing out when I’m up. I was on a cruise with my mom over spring break. I sat down at the roulette table and 15 minutes later I had managed to more than double my money (it is so excellent when the numbers I bet individually hit three times in a row!). I cashed out. This woman sitting next to me said, “But you just got here.” I told her that I had more than doubled my money so I was getting the hell out while I was ahead. She said, “But what if your numbers hit again?” I told her, “I won’t be here to see it so I’ll never know.” And I walked away.

That’s part of the secret to gambling — knowing when to walk away. I am not enticed by the thought of, “What would happen if I went just one more spin of the wheel?” That lack of curiosity is what enables me to walk away if I’m out of money as well as walk away when I’m up money.

Suddenly, gambling is fun.

A picture my dad took of me during my first solo roulette run. I started with $50 and walked away with $100.