I fell in love when I was thirteen - not with the girl next door or with a cute classmate in school, but with casino gambling. I was instantly attracted to the flashing neon lights, the constant ringing of the slot machines and the smell of money that filled the crisp cool air.
Beginners Luck: Hitting the Jackpot at Atlantic City
It was twenty years ago that I had my first experience at a casino. My mom woke me up one Sunday morning and told me to wear something nice. We were going to Bally's in Atlantic City to see Danny Chan and Brigitte Lin in concert. The bus ride to Atlantic City from Chinatown in New York took two and a half hours. When we finally arrived, my mom gave me $20 and told me to hang out at the kids arcade while she and her friends entered the casino. After playing a few games of Pac-Man and Galaga, I got really bored. I decided to sneak into the casino but I knew security would stop me. After wandering around for a bit, I found a side entrance that didn't have any guards and I sneaked in from there, finding myself in the slots section of the casino. At first, I had no clue how to play, but after observing several players for half an hour I decided to give it a try. I took the $20 my mom gave me and fed it into the slot machine. Within seconds, all the lights and sounds on the machine went off. Holy smoke! I hit triple sevens - I won $5,000 dollars! My hands were trembling - I knew I might not be able to get the money since I was underage. I looked around frantically. Lucky for me, I saw my uncle. I screamed and waved for him to come over. I told him I hit the jackpot and needed him to collect the money. He was shocked. Soon, two casino workers came to validate the winning machine. They asked my uncle for identification and then paid him in cash! After the workers left, my uncle gave me all the money and I started to play again - but my uncle dragged me away. He said I won big for the day, told me to stop playing and to go get some lunch. I had no idea back then, but my uncle taught me my first lesson in gambling, which is to walk away and enjoy my winnings. If I had continued playing, chances are I would have lost it all back.
The House Always Wins
While I was in school, I hung out with friends that played Mahjong, poker, blackjack, and even bet on major sporting events like the Super Bowl or World Series. At first, we didn't wager with cash, but with baseball cards as a form of currency. Most of us wanted to emulate Patrick Tse's character, Law Say Hoi, in the famous TVB Series, The Shell Game. After awhile, I won most of the baseball cards from my friends. One of them even offered me cash to buy back some cards so he could continue betting. I made quite a bit of money reselling all those cards! Soon, we did away with using the baseball cards and betted with cash. Whenever we played blackjack, no one wanted to be the dealer because no one had enough money except me. I became the designated dealer -because of my jackpot winnings from Atlantic City, and plus, I was the only one that knew how to deal blackjack. At first, I was scared. Being a dealer in blackjack meant I was playing against seven to ten players with every hand, and I was afraid of losing my money quickly. But after about a week, I found I won money everyday. And after about a month of being a blackjack dealer, each of my friends owed me money. That was when I learned my second lesson in gambling - that the house always wins. No wonder Las Vegas is one of the fastest growing cities in America.
Learning to Play by Watching
After seeing Danny Chan's show, I went to Atlantic City at least once a month for the next five years. But what I looked forward to most were not the concerts; I wanted to be in the casinos to learn how to play blackjack, roulette and pai gow poker. I went to Times Square in New York and bought a fake ID, so I could go into the casinos and collect my winnings should I hit another jackpot. I also started to wear glasses and stopped shaving for a few days before I went - all to give the impression that I was over 21 years old. My friends even told me to memorize all the information on my ID to fool the security in case they ever asked questions. Even though I looked like I was 23 and had ID to prove it, I was still reluctant to try my luck at the tables. I often found myself watching people - the players, dealers, pit bosses and the casino host. I listened every time a player had a question on how to play a certain game. Soon, I picked up many useful tips and strategies for pai gow poker, blackjack and roulette. But, the most interesting thing I learned was how to earn comps while gambling.
Viva Las Vegas
As I approached my 21st birthday, something strange happened. I found that I still yearned for the excitement of casino gambling, but had lost my enthusiasm for Atlantic City. The hotels and casinos were run down and there was nothing to do there besides gambling. The restaurants were plain and the shows were downright boring. The atmosphere was obnoxious, especially with many Asian gamblers who showed bad sportsmanship and lack of class. For several years, I stayed away from the Cantopop shows at Atlantic City, even when I was offered free tickets. Some friends suggested I gave Las Vegas a try, but I dismissed that idea, figuring it was just a west coast version of Atlantic City. But soon, Las Vegas was constantly making headlines. The Mirage opened with a ton of fanfare because of the erupting volcano in front of the casino. The Treasure Island opened right next door with an outdoor, live pirate ship battle. Then, MGM Grand announced plans to open the largest casino floor in the world! I knew that I had to see all of this for myself. Finally in 1995, I called my travel agent and booked a 3-night stay at Treasure Island in Las Vegas!
Falling in Love with Vegas
My red-eye flight landed in Las Vegas at 1 A.M. By the time I got settled into my room, it was already 2 A.M. Even though I was dead tired, my curiosity got the best of me. I took a walk on the famous Las Vegas strip. The flashing lights from each casino were even brighter than Times Square. After about 10 minutes, I reached the front entrance of The Mirage. Out of nowhere the ground started to shake, and before I could blink the volcano erupted! The heat was blasting against my face. The landscape surrounding the volcano was blazing with fire. All the tourists and cars stopped dead in their tracks to watch this amazing display of human-made power. The following morning, I called my travel agent and extended my trip to 7 days. I knew 3 nights in Las Vegas would not be enough.
During my stay, I went to see three shows: Mystere at Treasure Island, EFX at MGM Grand and Siegfried and Roy at The Mirage. The quality of these shows even surpassed some Broadway productions. There was plenty to eat in Las Vegas. Each casino had their own buffet and there were also plenty of elegant restaurants to choose from. And most of all, the gambling action in Las Vegas was relaxed. I was pleasantly surprised at how friendly and helpful the dealers were. Unlike in Atlantic City, they actually wanted me to win. Some even openly cheered me on! After 7 days of playing roulette and pai gow poker, I ended up losing about $350, but to me it was well worth it. I had a great time and made some wonderful friends at Treasure Island. Herein lies my third lesson to gambling: the most important part is to enjoy yourself and have fun.
Since I extended my trip and charged many meals to my room, I estimated my bill would be around $1,200. I was shocked when the final cost was only $235! Treasure Island told me I was comped for five of the seven nights, and that the casino will pay for all of my meals.
Ever since my first trip in 1995, I have gone to Las Vegas at least once every year. It has become my favorite vacation destination, and I have lots of stories to tell and tips to share - including which table games will earn you the most comps, sports betting for football season, and money management techniques I use whenever I visit - so stay tuned!
