Luck Be A Lady Tonight...Please!

So, here's the thing about Atlantic City or, as I like to call it, Mini Vegas: Everyone comes here thinking they are going to win. And you don't come in thinking you're gonna win fifty bucks, either. You are convinced that you're going to win BIG. You think you're going to win enough to cover your entire trip -- food & tolls included -- and then have more left over to go shopping. You're completely prepared to text everyone you know to proclaim your victory. And then something shocking happens: You lose. And you're so surprised to have lost that you check your numbers against the winning numbers one last time. And then another. Then you scratch your head while the totally-void-of-personality dealer take your chips from you. You want to scream, "No, you're supposed to be doubling my chips, not taking them away!" But you don't. Instead you place more chips down on any number that has ever symbolized any kind of importance to you: family's birthdays, anniversaries, important events. And, strangely enough, you lose again. Hard to believe, I know. This goes on for the next few rounds or so until you suddenly remember that there are other numbers that you've forgotten are very important to you. And there goes that money, too.

Now, you're getting desperate. You start remembering why you always leave Atlantic City saying you'll never gamble again. But there's still time. Why lose a few hundred when this could just be a blip in the radar? This is your streak of bad luck; it'll change. You can win it back. You will win it back. This attitude lasts about ten minutes or so until every last dime is gone and you're staring blankly in the mirror of the 50-stalled bathroom. After five minutes of attempting to get the soap to come out of the censor-powered dispenser, and then another two trying to wave your hand around the stupid faucet, waiting for the censor to pick up the fact that you've been standing there and allow the damn water to come out and wash away your troubles, you finally realize that you've hit rock bottom. There's no more money for gambling. There's no more money for any of the lavish meals you planned to treat yourself to. There's no more money for shopping. Well, there's always your credit card...