Rising Fortunes

Sunday evening I made the short journey over to Tunica, Mississippi to meet up with an old, dear friend who was here on a gambling junket. Karen and I have lost money together in more casinos across this country than I can even name. We were brought together by my former job, which took the both of us to the far corners of the United States. And, being betting girls…we always took advantage of the “local color.”

So, Sunday night she played blackjack while I fed the machines. Neither of us did particularly well. We enjoyed a lovely steak dinner (comped by the house) and caught up on our families and gossip. Eventually, we wandered back to our hotel in the wee hours. A little poorer, but richer for the experience.

No matter when I get to bed, I always wake up at the same time. 6:30 a.m. It’s a sickness. Karen was still zonked, so I freshened up and went back down to the casino to kill time before we were to meet for breakfast. It’s more fun to play in the mornings, because there aren’t many people around, and you can pretty much play any machine you wish. I love the “Wheel of Fortune” machines. So does everybody else. In the morning, they are nearly always available. They consumed a couple of twenties in short order. Bummer.

I wandered here…and wandered there. Nothing. Finally, I just chose a random machine and poked a twenty into it. Hmmmm…it was a “live one.” Before I knew it, my twenty had grown into seventy bucks! Not bad for a few minutes play. This was a “ten times pay” machine. That means, if the little “ten times pay” oval shows up on the payline, along with two other matching symbols, you get ten times whatever those other two would normally pay. If you get TWO of those “ten times pay” ovals, then you get ONE HUNDRED times the normal payout. So, I’m hitting the spin button…and hitting the spin button…and…and….

One Ten Times Pay oval pops onto the payline. Then another! And then a red 7! Lights started flashing! Bells started ringing! I frantically looked for the payout chart that shows what red sevens are worth. 100 coins. Quick…do the math! Lesseeeee…100 quarters = $25.00 right? So, 100 times $25.00. Can it be that I just won $2500!!!!? You betcher bippie! 2500 smackers, baby! Right there in my palm! I can’t tell you how much FUN that was! Just plain fun.

My payout was completed just about the time we were due to meet for breakfast, so I showed up wearing the classy jackpot necklace they gave me…and stashed my winnings in the purple velvet pouch. I would have bought breakfast for Karen, her brother and his wife, except they’re comped for everything…so I actually made it home with ALL of my winnings! What an amazing morning!