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Story time, but let me preface this: It didn& #39;t happen to me, I wasn& #39;t there, my friend told me this story YEARS ago and, as we& #39;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& #39;s family had some sweetheart deal fixing Illinois highways, so he& #39;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& #39;m tired of hearing you complain. If you do exactly as I tell you, you& #39;ll walk away a winner tonight.
GUY: ...what?
PAL: I won& #39;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& #39;m tired of hearing you complain. If you do exactly as I tell you, you& #39;ll walk away a winner tonight.
GUY: ...what?
PAL: I won& #39;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& #39;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& #39;s winning.
MY PAL: Now quit.
GUY: What?
PAL: Walk away. Cash your chips and leave the casino. You& #39;re a winner. You won.
GUY: ...what?
GUY: What?
PAL: Walk away. Cash your chips and leave the casino. You& #39;re a winner. You won.
GUY: ...what?
GUY: Oh, I see what& #39;s happening here.
PAL: Do you now.
GUY: My luck has finally changed! I& #39;m winning and you don& #39;t want to see your casino lose a bunch of money, so you& #39;re trying to scare me off!
PAL: I can only assure you that& #39;s not what& #39;s going on.
PAL: Do you now.
GUY: My luck has finally changed! I& #39;m winning and you don& #39;t want to see your casino lose a bunch of money, so you& #39;re trying to scare me off!
PAL: I can only assure you that& #39;s not what& #39;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.
