Winning with Rules While Recovering from Loss

The casino near me has been rebuilt. I haven’t been there since way before COVID, then after COVID my wife was too ill to go. The casino is beautiful. The building itself is beautiful, it's modern and graceful. The landscaping is gorgeous and fits with the building and the location. It is very pleasant to the eye.

My wife loved to gamble. She would have a set amount within her budget. If she lost it, she quit. If she won, she stayed until she reached what was an acceptable timeline within her head, then she would leave a winner. Most of the time she left a winner.

She didn’t gamble obsessively. She liked to go on weekends because she loved poker and that was when new people would be there. The regulars didn’t like to play with her because she took their money too often for their taste. Sometimes two or three of them would gang up on her just to beat her. She made short work of that.

So, my visiting friend hadn’t gambled a whole lot, so I suggested we stop by the casino. She got a new member’s card and free money to start playing. There were long instructions along with the member card. They were too long and not loud enough to comprehend.

You had to stick the member card in and try to get the machine to work, to no avail. She had to go and get help. The floor-person went through all the steps again. That worked.

Stick the member card in and go through the rigmarole to get to the free money. The machine worked. Lights flashed and bells rang. She was a winner. I tell her to cash out quickly. She did. She won a nice amount. She decided to play it again. Same procedure — lights flashing, plus plus. She's a winner. I tell her to cash out again. She did.

She played her free starting money out and ended the day with a nice little winning amount as a consequence of cashing out her winnings when I asked her to do so.

My wife had rules. She learned some growing up, and some by experience. Casino rules were learned from playing and not becoming addicted. She played for fun.

Other rules served her well, and as a consequence, are serving me well. I can hear her rules in my head. She had rules, but could adjust and adapt them in a hurry.

Her casino rules were as follows.

Start with a set amount.

Cash out immediately when you win while playing machines.

Penny, nickel and quarter machines are as much fun as high dollar machines.

Move if not winning. Stop playing Poker and go to Black Jack, and so on.

Leave a winner, and if not, leave by a certain time.

Winning is fun, but it's just a means of keeping score.

Her other rules were business rules.

Pay cash for fun things. If you don’t have extra cash, you can't afford the “thing.”

Pay a fair price.

Don’t cheat.

Remember, the seller has to make a living, so permit them to have a profit.

Keep the seller’s profit within reason. If it’s too high, negotiate or find a better seller.

Always search out the best buy. Get at least three quotes.

Don’t necessarily buy from the lowest.

Other rules were life rules.

Treat people with respect.

Ask for advice.

Listen.

Respect yourself.

Trust your instincts.

Get away from dangerous people and situations.

Honor commitments.

Don’t hesitate to call out a cheater.

Be bold.

I try to live by her rules. In re-entering life after her death, they seem as appropriate now as they were then.

I didn’t cash out any winning tickets at the casino. I think I will put my membership card in the drawer.

Let me know how you are doing. I care.

Contemplation: Can you be a winner with rules and stick to them?

Sincerely,

Lynn Brooke

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Photo Credit: © 2023 Rachel Gareau