I casually mentioned to a friend as I took my seat after making my way back from the loo that someone should tell the staff to put the ‘wet floor’ sign on the lobby floor before someone got hurt. This was many years ago and we were waiting to take our seats in a low stakes Texas hold-em cash game. A few minutes later, there was a lot of commotion in the casino as we heard stories of how someone had slipped and hurt themselves in the lobby area.
The cautious gambler was known in the gaming world as a nit, a rock, granite and extremely careful. Everything about him was neat. He looked and acted like an accountant. He made his own sandwiches from home and refused out of principle to pay for tea anywhere. The shocking aspect of his life was that he played poker for a living. He was decent and kept his records immaculately.
I felt like throwing up as I watched this young pro take beat after beat playing high stakes online poker. Every miracle card his opponents needed flew straight in. He probably lost more money that day than I had earned in months.
We’ve just experienced our first Fun Casino hire in the London Christmas rush. I don’t think anything can truly prepare you for how hectic this period can be. It has been a good problem, we would rather have had this experience than a quiet Christmas.
I’ll never forget the first time I saw him, all greasy haired, threadbare jumper and shoes with soles looking like a Bobby Brown haircut in the 90’s. He was the most skilful bandit player (this was what we called fruit machine players) I had ever met. We became travelling buddies very quickly. We were headed in the same direction – nowhere.