Now I don't know how true the following story is. My Las Vegas friends swear by it and who would know the truth better than a product of the 24-hour city known far and wide as Glitter Gulch.
I don't engage in writing fiction...
...at least for this website. And so I am going to present this story to you as a totally true account of something that happened in the mountain enclosed valley of fire known as Las Vegas. The only thing made up in the story are the names.
Bernie was a horseplayer who lived in Las Vegas. He had a job in a casino as a change attendant. In those days it was a tough job. Change attendants walked around wearing vests containing up to 80 pounds of coins that they could exchange for cash with slot machine players.
At the end of an eight-hour shift, Bernie's feet pained him like you wouldn't believe. The only place where he could lose the pain was a horse room.
Bernie's Wife Redheaded Rita
She loved her man, although the amount of money he lost betting on the horses was upsetting to her. She worked as a cocktail waitress in one of the gin joints that dot the Las Vegas Strip. After work, she would go to whatever horse room Bernie was visiting and watch while he bet favorites and longshots in a futile effort to beat the horses.
Rita observed the odds...
...watched her husband make his bets and shook her head when he tore up losing ticket after losing ticket. She took as much of this as she could stand and one night she decided, 'That's it.'
She walked up to Bernie and announced there was going to be a major change in their relationship and it would start immediately.
'Bernie,' she said, taking a deep breath:
'I love you but I can't stay married to a person who loses all his money betting on the horses. I will give you your choice on this matter, but as of today, I am giving you notice that from now on I will be your bookie. It's either that or I am filing for divorce.'
'Huh?' was the only thing Bernie could say!
Rita told him she would pay him full track odds for every winning horse he picked. She had saved up some money on her tips as a cocktail waitress and believed she could cover his action.
'You'd really divorce me over my horse playing?', he said in disbelief.
With tears streaming down her face, Rita nodded affirmatively.
From that day forth Rita booked all her husband's horse bets, from trifectas to perfectas. Bernie would make his selections from the Daily Racing Form and Rita would accept the bets. At the end of the day, they would settle their account.
Rita started winning from the first day.
For nearly three months, they kept up this arrangement. At the end of that time, Bernie had gained a new insight and a fresh insight into his wife's character. She had collected over $2,000 from him.
One night...
...when Bernie finished his duties as a change attendant, he took her out to dinner. There in front of a smiling waiter, he proposed to her -- again. And he promised that his days as a gambling horse player were over.
'I'm going to take you to Hawaii on a second honeymoon,' he said.
'And we're going to pay for it with the money you saved me by accepting my bets.'
P.S. Bernie and Rita lived happily ever after.
Author: Geno Lawrenzi Jr.
(Geno Lawrenzi Jr. is an international journalist, magazine author and ghostwriter and poker player who lives in Phoenx, AZ. He has published 2,000 articles in 50 magazines and 125 newspapers. If you want to share a gambling story or book idea with him, send an email to glawrenzi@gmail.com ).
