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Story time, but let me preface this: It didn't happen to me, I wasn't there, my friend told me this story YEARS ago and, as we've established, my brain is a serotonin desert battlefield. But this is what I remember him telling me (so, effectively fiction).
My buddy was a blackjack dealer, and he had a regular. This guy's family had some sweetheart deal fixing Illinois highways, so he's loaded and entitled and a terrible card player. Constantly bitching about his bad luck as he gambles away thousands of dollars.
GUY: I just have the worst luck!
MY PAL: OK, listen. I'm tired of hearing you complain. If you do exactly as I tell you, you'll walk away a winner tonight.
GUY: ...what?
PAL: I won't cheat for you, but I can tell you how to win at blackjack. I see... just a LOT of blackjack.
MY PAL: OK, listen. I'm tired of hearing you complain. If you do exactly as I tell you, you'll walk away a winner tonight.
GUY: ...what?
PAL: I won't cheat for you, but I can tell you how to win at blackjack. I see... just a LOT of blackjack.
So he deals and starts giving this guy very explicit directions. "Hit." "Stay." "Double down now."
And pretty soon, the guy is like, $100, $200 up! Not a ton compared to the size of his usual losses, but he's winning.
And pretty soon, the guy is like, $100, $200 up! Not a ton compared to the size of his usual losses, but he's winning.
MY PAL: Now quit.
GUY: What?
PAL: Walk away. Cash your chips and leave the casino. You're a winner. You won.
GUY: ...what?
GUY: What?
PAL: Walk away. Cash your chips and leave the casino. You're a winner. You won.
GUY: ...what?
GUY: Oh, I see what's happening here.
PAL: Do you now.
GUY: My luck has finally changed! I'm winning and you don't want to see your casino lose a bunch of money, so you're trying to scare me off!
PAL: I can only assure you that's not what's going on.
PAL: Do you now.
GUY: My luck has finally changed! I'm winning and you don't want to see your casino lose a bunch of money, so you're trying to scare me off!
PAL: I can only assure you that's not what's going on.
So the guy keeps playing. Loses his up money. Tries to get it back. Loses more. Loses deeper. Finally leaves the casino angry, a thousand bucks--hell, maybe more?--poorer, convinced that he got ripped off somehow.
I think about that guy when I hear Republicans complaining about how the Deep State is ruining everything, when they had two whole years in control of every aspect of American governance.
