If you’re a gambler who plays for more than a love of the game, you’ve more than likely lost more than you’ve won. Now, that doesn’t mean you’re down in the wallet; it simply means that one of the lessons gamblers quickly learn is that as quick as you’re up, you can come plummeting down fast. (Also, the house always wins, but we figured that was obvious.)
Still, if you’re not losing your shirt or the deed to your house, gambling is an easy way to pass the time while you wait for cocktail waitresses to bring you free booze. And as our friends at www.mobilecasinocanada.ca have reminded us, playing mobile casino gaming provides an effortless way to pass the time on a long commute. For that, we thank them.
However, that got us thinking about other lessons we’ve learned after spending hours planted in front of a TV or movie screen watching movies about card games and roulette wheels and War (the card game, not the awful act of blowing people to smithereens).
Bret Maverick | Maverick (1994)
Lesson: Never break character (even when you break character)
Mel Gibson may have taught us that we should be nicer to our exes, but as Bret Maverick in Maverick (an update of the 1950s TV show), he knew how to pour on the charm as well when to hold ’em and when to fold ’em. Playing the role of the charmer who pushed buttons and allowed a lass (Jodie Foster) to willingly get one over on him was always part of his ultimate play to outwit his opponent. And just when all looked lost, Maverick always managed to pull one more card from his sleeve.
Eric Stoner | Cincinnati Kid (1965)
Lesson: The protagonist doesn’t always win.
Steve McQueen’s portrayal of Eric Stoner was a realistic depiction of life at a high-stakes poker table. Stoner’s goal — along with possessing one of the best last names in human history— was to be the best in the world. But there can only be one of those, and Stone wasn’t it. As much as we’d like to think we’re always the good guy who’ll come out on top, the game is rigged. The outcome is often out of your hands.
Next: 21, Rounders, and Vegas Vacation
