There are many answers to the question, “Are you counting?”

·         “I used to count.”

·         “I tried it — it doesn’t work.”

·         “That’s too much like a job.”

·         “I flunked math.”

·         “Counting is a fraud.”

·         “What, and have Joe Pesci bury me in the desert?”

·         “My brother counts and never makes any money.”

·         “That’s so 1980s.”

The wrong answer is “What’s counting?”

How Do You React When You Are Barred?

Leave. Quickly, before they have a reason to remember or dislike you. The casino has better things to do than deal with you once you have been identified and tossed. Do not give them a reason to go through any extra work that will cause you more difficulty in the future. As Paul Overstreet and Don Schlitz wrote, “You say it best when you say nothing at all.”

It has been suggested that you can turn a barring into an advantage-player opportunity and should get in the guard’s face to provoke him to violence. You can then can sue the casino and collect damages.

This reminds me of a scene from the movie Midnight Cowboy. Ratso, the long-time cheap con, is walking with a wannabe con. Not paying attention, he walks through a red light and is nearly hit by a cab. After an exchange of curses, he advises the newbie that this is a great way to make money. Get hit by a cab and sue. Then we realize that this is the reason he has been limping throughout the movie. He receives a one-time income of a couple thousand dollars, spends the rest of his life with a disability, and thinks he has won.

When you get to the point that you believe provoking violence against yourself is an advantage-player opportunity, you should start reviewing your career decisions.

 © 2009 Norman Wattenberger