The Conventioneer, sitting next to The Player, is dressed in a suit and tie, still wearing his “Hello My Name Is” badge. He is also on a streak, a losing streak.

The hand is dealt. The Conventioneer draws a five and ten.

“You got Woolworths.” The Hustler at third base (the last seat) points out.

The Conventioneer gives him a confused look not knowing what he is talking about but too afraid to ask for fear of looking foolish.

The Player is dealt a four and a queen. The dealer has a six showing. The Player stands. The Conventioneer takes a hit and is dealt a king. He busts. The dealer turns over a ten and takes another card – a jack. Bust. The Player wins again.

“You win every time.” The Conventioneer says incredulously. “How do you do it?”

The Player just smiles at him and then places a bet of $2000.

“Oh, I get it.” Says The Conventioneer “You have to play big to win big, right?”

The Conventioneer increases his bet from his usual $20 to $300. The Player is dealt a six and three. The Conventioneer receives a seven and a five. The dealer’s up card is a four. The Player doubles down and is dealt a queen for nineteen. The Conventioneer takes a hit and is dealt a Jack. Twenty-two, bust again. All the other players at the table behind him stand. The dealer turns over a ten, takes another card and gets a three for a total of seventeen. The Player wins and everyone else at the table loses.

The Hustler in the third base seat gets up in disgust. “You took the dealer’s bust card.” He says indignantly to The Conventioneer. “You screwed us all.”

“Sorry.” Says The Conventioneer. He turns to The Player. “Help me out a little will you?”

“You have to play your own game,” replies The Player.

Three more hands are dealt. The Player wins every time. The Conventioneer loses.

Having increased his bets, The Conventioneer is now feeling the pain of his losses. He presses The Player. “Come on, I’m not asking you to give up your top secret strategy. Just a friendly tip.”

“You want a tip?” The Player asks.

“Yeah!” The Conventioneer says enthusiastically.

“Slow down your back swing, keep your eye on the ball and follow through.”

“You’re trying to hard.” Says The Player.

The man sits back and realizes the Player has just given him some valuable advice. “Do you golf?” he asks.

“No.” says the Player. “I stick to what I’m good at it.”

The Conventioneer gathers up his chips and gets up from the table. “I’m teeing off at 7:30 in the morning here on the hotel course. Would you like to join me?”

“No thanks.” Says The Player.

“I’m going over to the bar to check out the action. I’d offer to give you a few tips on how to pick up girls, but I’ll bet that you’ve got that covered.” The Conventioneer grins.

“Gentlemen,” the Dealer interrupts. “It’s time for me to move to another table. Good luck.” The Dealer slides out from behind the table.

“I always enjoy comparing notes with another pro . . . “ The Player says to the Conventioneer.

The new dealer is an exotic beauty that looks like she just stepped off a tropical island. She starts to shuffle the cards and seductively peeks out from behind the long black hair that is covering her face to offer The Player a promising warm smile.

“But I think my best play is right here.”

The Player checks his cards. Blackjack.

© Copyright 2004 Gambling Online Magazine This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.