(UPDATE BELOW) Ya know?..The last thang on earth a casino needs to do fer me, iz extend me a line of credit. Hell, Master Card and Visa are playin' with fire fer givin' me da cards they have...anyway, I'm jus' speakin fer myself but, to me..gamblin' izza rush...
Backindaday...da Stevo, useta do it everyday. 'Course, I wuz single then and made pretty fair dollars, so, the only person I wuz hurtin' wuz jus' myself if I lost any large amount. Nuthin' likeda Chuckster, of course, but it's all kinda relative...I useta bet football, basketball and baseball. And I did it every day there wuzza game of some kind on. The thang 'bout bettin' onna game wuz that no matter what teams were playin'..It would turn a ####-hum match-up into an EVENT ...anda Stevo wuz into events. It made every Sunday better'n Super Bowl Sunday.
Over a period that lasted 'bout 10 years, bettin' on all dis stuff, I'm gonna say that I broke about even...Most bookies will tellya that ifya did that good you prob'ly beat the system, and I got no reason to doubt 'em..Sure...you can have a week whereya hit 90% of yer bets and thank yerra genius...but it won't take long before sumpthin' bringsya back down to earth....
...Witness this story:
After bettin' ferrawhile...I ran across a sports accountant that took baseball bets. For the uninitated, here's how that works. Usually in baseball the betting line is based on the pitching match-ups: Say you had a game where Steve Carlton wuz goin' up against some jerk-off who wuz lucky enuff to be some teams spot fifth starter...You might hafta lay-down 500 bux justa win a buck-25 ($125). But, say, Carlton wuz goin' up against Fernando Valenzuela....well, then, you might git an even bet..betta cupla hunnert and win/lose a cupla hunnert...lotta factors go into it but pitchin' iz always the most dominant barometer...
Genius?!?!
Ok...widdat outtadaway...My very first week bettin' baseball..I finished da week 30-2..that ainna misprint..even my bookie thought I wuzza genius and mebbe one of Gawdz Children, which gave us another thang in common. Hell, I almost considered bein' a born-again Christian 'til I realized that gamblin' and that pursuit might be a conflict of interest. And besides, I wuzn't givin' no church any juice money...
Cuttin' toda chase here....It took me 'bout two weeks after that to regain some lost humility and rejoin da ranks of jus' bein' another mullet thinkin' he's gotda gift ....Durin' that stretch, one of my losses had me speedin' downda freeway to get to a pay phone (NOTE:fer you youngsters out there, ask yer daddy 'bout that term) to git my bet down on Dodger vs. Cubs at 'bout 5-1 oddz goin' with Fernando V...
.....Cubs bombed 'im...8-3 if I 'member right...
....or Homeless?!?!?
I ain't sayin' Chuck's right or wrong...but I am sayin':
I Unnerstand.... But.... you ain't gonna beat 'em...I'm tellinya...you can make book onnit...
UPDATE: Former Detroit Lion QB and Heisman Trophy winner Andre Ware has said on his Talk-Radio Show...down here in H-Town that he spoke with a close-personal friend of Charles Barkley last night (Tues) and the friend told him that Chuck is no where near close to any financial trouble...as "He is fine...trust me.."...like it was notta big-deal at all...
Steveo,
Man I can't say enough how much I like reading what you put out here for us. Very entertaining to say the least. Wiith that said on to the topic of your post.
Gambling is a no win situation.Ultimately in the end you lose, it's as simple as that. I've watched many people in my family lose everything because of their gambling habit. Man it was saddening to see them go through that. I vowed to never gamble in my life as a youngster and other than friendly bets I haven't. I'll go to a casino just to drink and not even put a nickel in a slot machine. Just can't see me losing what I worked hard for.
Yup...that gamblin' thang is tuff to do in moderation..Nowadays the only reason I don't lose my ASSSSSSSSS...iz cuz my lady provides a conscience for me...and whole lot more sense..lol
Ive dabbled in it and Vegas is a nice place to visit but I could never live there.. my favorite is the dice at least I feel I some control over the outcome...
SteveoinHTown
All this hoopla over nothing concerning Barkley. It's not as if he's down to his last half a million is it ?
Would there have been such a fuss being made had this been MJ ? More to the point he's retired so it doesn't have a bearing on the professional game at all.
What's the saying however .........'you've got to know when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em ? In Barkley' case it's obvious that he wasn't heeding that particular advice at all.
Rounder .......perhaps one of the better movies on gambling over the last 20 years ?
Barkley could learn a thing or two from the Matt Damon character.
'preciate it Joker...yeah craps and black-jack are pretty good bets...like anything else...ya jus' gotta know when to gitda f*** outta there...and fer some folks..(me)...that's hard to do..Hell..It's FUN...dammit!!!
ramp...that 400k Barkley dropped ain't #### to him and I don't think it's a big deal either...az far az him quittin' fer a year or two...I'll make book..THAT ain't gonna happen...over/under on that?...'bout football season...or late summer early fall..jus' watch...
'Sides alldat...I don't see where Barkley needs to make excuses or quit fer anybody..Dude always haz traveled toda beat his own drummer...I like Barkley...wouldn't want him ta change...Wish him the best...
fat man....Yeah...they always say "don't play with scared money" and I've found that to be true..Ifya got it to ####-off and not worry 'bout..then, not only izzit more fun..itsa helluva lot less stressful..
Nuthin' better than walkin' into a casino and hittin' sumpthin' that enablesya to play on house money ferrawhile...
Steveo....ok, I still don't get the pay phone thingy...'splain. You look like a good friend of mine named Steve from college, but he lives in So Cal...but man, you look like twins, scary. So splain da pay phone thing. Loved the story.....as usual.
Before the advent of cell-phones...We didn't have the ability to call anyone at leisure or from our car...Becuz of that...They use to have thangz referred to as "phone-booths" or "pay-phones" along the side of roads, or close to convenience stores and such...
All one had to do was find one..insert a quarter and dial whatever number they wished to speak to...
..In this case...game time wuz approaching and one needed to get one's bet down before the first pitch..In this case, Da Stevo only had a limited window of opportunity in order to do so..ergo the frantic dash in searchin' ferra a phone booth/pay phone in order to do so..
...I hope that cleared that up for you and you understand the reference mo' bettuh now..Thank Gawd you didn't ask me 'bout "Beta-Max" or "8-tracks"...LOL
...As usual...always appreciate yer droppin' in..
(damn kidz...)
Last edited by StevoinHTown on May 20th at 2:30 PM.
SteveoinHTown
We all know that Barkley isn't hurtin' for money and over the course of his career in the NBA . He's probably earned close $100m. So why it wouldn't surprise me if he's got a nest egg stored away. We're not talking Latrell Sprewell now are we ?
That poor bast*ard has had his 60ft sloop taken away and his house forelcosed on. And is now said to be thinking about declaring bankruptcy. When you owe Uncle Sam and any other government agency it's always best to pay up rather than declare ignorance. As has been done by Sprewell and Wesley Snipes.
Though in Snipes' case he wanted the judge to consider all of his good works of charity in Africa. That dumb knothead ought to remember that charity first begins at home.
rampant' aka tophatal ..........
Last edited by rampantfanatic on May 20th at 7:55 PM.
I make my twice a year pilgrimage to Vegas to plunk down my grand on the blackjack tables.
I LOVE IT!
Over the last five years, I'm pretty much even (okay...down a couple hundred)
But for the time spent and the fun had, it's worth every penny.
I've been fourtunate in not losing too much...the latest trip earlier this year I re-couped 600 bucks in an hour to break even...it was hard to walk away, but that's the key...walking away when you're even or ahead
(it sure helps when it happens at the tail end of the trip)
I knew a couple of guys that would actually bet on damn near anything. I walked into a little country bar one afternoon looking for one of em since his rig was parked outside. He wasn't in the place and I asked the barkeep if he'd seen him. "Yeah, he's out back with his bettin' nemesis..." I can only imagine what they're up to so I grab an ice cold adult beverage and head out the back door. Now the neighbor had a couple of horses in a fenced pasture that butted up against the bar's dirt parking area. Here they were leaning on the fence, money in hand and they are watchin this one horse out in the pasture. I walk up and these two yahoos are bettin on which way that horse will swish it's tail the next time! Couldn't believe it and there were not just a few bucks changing hands... You better believe it, it takes all kinds!
Hey Dwindy..My rule-a-thumb inna bar..is NEVER bet the person that challengesya on them offdawall kinda bets...they usually gotta "lock" onnit, or they wouldn't of brung it up...lol..
Them ol' boyz were doin' da same thang Chuck wuz doin'...huntin' fer excitement..
Them rural-country towns ain't egzackly buzzin' with mucha that...lol
Me'n one a my best friends useta bet people inna joint that he could drank a beer faster'n anybody inda joint..that li'l sucker would punch a hole inda bottom ofda beer can and suck it down in less than 10 seconds..Course..he told 'em he could do it in 15...didn't winnalotta money...but at least it covered our beer...lol
SteveoinHTown
For me now gambling is nothing more than a fun. And about the only time I'll make a wager is on the off chance that I've got some money to lay on a bet. Which the majority of the time I don't. I learnt my lesson during my youngerr years whilst in high school. At the end of the day it can become a habitual and a burden on not only the gambler themself but also their immediate family.
I see that the Bulls have won the NBA Draft Lottery ?. Let's just hope that they don't screw this up with some nonesensesical pick . It's either got to be Beasley or Rose ! Nothing else really matters !
I don't bet much at all anymore..I'm kinda like bleed...I grabba grand and go cupla 3 times a year, mebbe 4..welll..sometimes 5...lol...Casinos arra cupla/three hrs away from me in Louisiana..jus' far enuff away not to git me in trouble..
SteveoinHTown
Strippers may well lure some of us into a fall sense of security. But I've found some of 'em cerebral. Whilst living in Miami I use to frequent the Rollexx Club on Biscayne Blvd. Several opf the girs there were actually attending the U of M. But they stripped part-time and offcourse you weren't hearing any complaints from any of the male patrons on the subject.
An acceptable form of gentlemen's entertainment I might add.
rampant' aka tophatal .........
Last edited by rampantfanatic on May 21st at 9:16 AM.
Backinda 70's, me and a buddy owned one ferra 'boutayear, and I also DJ'd inna few...No question 'bout a lot of strippers intellect...If I was a good-lookin' dame and needed bux and likedta dance...I'd do it w/o a 2nd thought.
SteveoinHTown
Ain't nothing wrong in making legitimate money from an enterprise. I can tell you this though there's some real problems here in C Florida. In Hillsborough Co which covers the city of Tampa they're trying to close down many of the adult entertainment emporiums including the strip clubs. But considering that's one the things that placed the city on the map nationwide. I for one think that it's ridiculous.
SteveoinHTown Given the option I for one believe that the city of Tampa ought to stop with their puritanical tendencies. There's enough corruption within the council and county as there is. Without them now wanting to close down these establishments.
Some people think that it's just a place to let off steam. Well a great deal of the nation's business is conducted within that type of environment. It'd be naive to think otherwise !
And it certainly wouldn't come as a surprise to me if I found that some of the nation's top legislative officals frequented these places to not only conduct business but also to parttake of the entertainment too.
rampant' aka tophatal .....
Last edited by rampantfanatic on May 22nd at 6:53 AM.
SteveoinHTown
I don't suppose that we'll be seen' da Chuckster in Vegas anytime soon. Especially with the WSOP starting their tournament a lot earlier than usual with the early entries and knockout phases soon to begin.
justan' aka tophatal .........
Last edited by justanotherfan on June 6th at 10:13 AM.
I'm a life-long native of the GREAT COUNTRY of TEXAS. Been a sports fan all my life. I can be serious, irreverent, humorous and sometimes foolish on a lotta my "takes". Never mean any malice to anyone and that's why I have an affinity for "blogging". Cuz, after all, yuh can't whack me upside the head if I change my mind....
Caveat:
I drink beer.
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Visitors since 8/1/08
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(UPDATE BELOW) Ya know?..The last thang on earth a casino needs to do fer me, iz extend me a line of credit. Hell, Master Card and Visa are playin' with fire fer givin' me da cards they have...anyway, I'm jus' speakin fer myself but, to me..gamblin' izza rush...
Genius?!?!
....or Homeless?!?!?
