as good as cash, as most people think. So, a casino cannot cash one without calling the bank to ensure that the check is valid. It was Saturday, so that was out. I had to try. Caesars said no. Fortunately, the casinos were all close. I walked to the next. NO. I walked to the third. They explained that it was not legal. BUT they would make me a deal. They would allow me to deposit the check. (Still illegal.) I did just that. I then walked out on the floor, sat at a Blackjack table and withdrew the full amount. I played for fifteen minutes, cashed the chips and went next door to play. Thanks for cashing the check. But they now had my name and I was playing elsewhere. As James Cameron once wrote, “Paranoia is just reality on a finer scale.”

Playing with a Companion

99+% of the time I play solo. I prefer it that way. However, there can be times when an attractive female by your side can act as good cover. (Probably true for female as well as male players.) People simply act differently in the presence of attractive women. A friend used to play with his girlfriend at his side in Atlantic City. She was a true beauty, wonderfully put together and would wear an open weave sweater with nothing underneath. The dealers made lots of errors. Unfortunately, he was not a great player. He was committed to the game to the point he had purchased an RV and moved into the Resorts parking lot. But after he had been playing for a year, she told me he still wasn’t committed enough to actually learn any indexes. Definitely confused priorities.

I have had mixed experiences with companions. A few quick stories:

Companion “J”

The Connoisseur Club is a small casino just off Hyde Park in Kensington, London. I’ve stayed at the semi-connected hotel many times. On this occasion, I brought a stunning blonde. There really is little need for cover in British casinos, but she was available. I picked a table, she excused herself to the ladies’ room, and I played. And I lost. And I lost. By the time she returned, I had decided there must be something better to do

 © 2009 Norman Wattenberger