…Below.

It was November 1980 & the NFL was in full swing. It was 3am Sunday morning & I needed to make my bets for the day. Back then Sports Books here in Las Vegas were open 24/7 7 days a week.

I was living in the brand new Woodbridge apartments, on Flamingo & Paradise, on the 3rd floor overlooking a vacant stretch of desert across the street. It would later became the Hotel Continental. Then Terrible’s & now Silver Sevens. I miss that place! $300 rent for a brand new apartment, fully furnished, including a TV. 📺

So I head out to make my bets & end up at the Royal Inn Casino on Convention Center Road. I make my bets & I am headed towards the door. I stop at a Blackjack table to watch as two players are betting green $25 chips. One guy in the 2 seat & the other playing 3rd base. I stand right behind the guy at 3rd base. He wins his hand & then walks away. Leaving 3 $25 chips, as a toke no doubt. But he leaves it in the betting circle. At the same time the new dealer comes in. The old dealer leaves & the new one, for whatever reason, asks the guy in the 2 seat if that $75 was my bet? 😳 He does not even look up & says YES. He did not care, he just wanted his next hand dealt. So she also deals me a hand! At first I am thinking it is an episode of Candid Camera. 😆

So I pick up the hand & have a 20. I win it & let the now $150 ride. I then get dealt an 11, with the dealer having a 6 showing. Now I have to dig into my bankroll to put up another $150 to double down! Luckily, I hit a 10 & win. So now I have $450. I pull back $400 & bet the odd $50. I hit a Blackjack! Now with $525 in front of me the floor man comes over to put a new deck in. I toke the dealer the original $75 that the other guy had left & hit the door with the $450 gift. 🤑