text: Based on previous experience, much deliberation and a confidence that is unshakable, James enters the casino knowing that the $300 in his pocket will grow exponentially by the time he leaves there. Scanning around, he waits until his inner self senses one of the machines calling to him, summoning his extrasensory power to determine where his success can be found. He convinces himself this time he will not get carried away and act foolishly with his money. He cannot afford to do this. A deep breath and he moves toward the middle one in a row of seven poker slots. Sitting down and getting comfortable, he opens his wallet and pinches a $20 bill between his right forefinger and thumb then pulls it out carefully, making sure there are not two of them stuck together. He peers at the screen as if he is looking someone in the eye. This is showdown time. He means business, James is here to win money. In slips the 20, prompting the sound of money being added to the machine, a bump thump of sorts, telling him the 20 was accepted. The choice is before him for which type of video poker to choose. Without deliberation, he points his finger at the “Deuces Wild” icon and presses it carefully. This is the poker game that is the easiest to win. The likelihood of a huge jackpot is not as strong as with other card games but James has been through this before and he knows the odds are more against him with those. Totally focused on the task at hand, he takes another deep breath and presses the “Max Bet” button with firm confidence and an expressionless face. This means he will be wagering the full $2 allowed on at least the hands he will be playing even though he could change his mind at any point. Forget betting any less because the payoffs are proportionally that much lower and not worth the effort for a player of James’ caliber. Next in the process is the actual act of playing the game now that these preliminary routine decisions have passed. A quick tap on the “Deal” button precedes each of the five backs of playing cards on the screen being converted to their front sides. James watches calmly as the cards materialize before his eyes, including two kings, so he, without hesitation, presses a finger on them to “hold” them and wait for the other three cards to be redealt. Another king comes up, giving him three of a kind and $2 on his bet, break even, better than losing. Next hand, a tap on the deal button, then a mix mosh of unconnected cards, one of them an ace. Re-deal, James decides, so another tap on the same button and similar results, two dollars gone. Just getting started, warming up the machine, nothing to be concerned about for sure. James moves ahead for another deal of five cards, this time a “wild” deuce, the two of clubs, appears first then no cards of the remaining four that can lead to any obvious win. So as strategy would suggest, hold the deuce and deal again. From those four new cards, another deuce, a four, queen and eight, meaning three of a kind again because the two deuces are wild and can be used as a match with any other. Okay, this is how the game is supposed to be played and meant to proceed, James tells himself, a positive outcome, giving him two dollars, as three of kind pays “even money,” the same amount as what he bet on that hand. Never expect any immediate windfalls, any sudden huge payoffs so early in the session, James assures himself, having learned this from previous experience. Pressing on, another $2 wager and the dealing of the five cards. Definitely not a challenging hand to consider now, two 10s and two 7s, because two pairs also pays even money but if he holds all four, there is a chance he could draw another 10 or 7 or even a wild two and have a full house. He does so and has to be happy with his two pair. Time to move ahead. Three losing hands follow, leaving James in a hole but not a deep one. No changes in his approach, here comes a deuce, two threes and an ace and a queen. Already set at three of a kind, he holds the cards that comprise that win and discards the others. Another deuce comes up! Four of a kind, now the brief negative spiral is reversed. The nice payoff not only wipes out the deficit but gives James a surplus over his original investment. He’s playing with the “house’s money” now! James methodically continues to bet the max of $2 and gets a straight, another even money payoff, better than losing. Followed by a couple losing hands then a three of a kind again, the machine’s bells ringing for an even money payoff, only not as loudly or as long as when he hit four of a kind or better. A video gaming roller coaster ride follows, win, lose, win, lose, two wins followed by two losses, all of these victories for minimal amounts. A flush, all cards of the same suit, is dealt to James without any decision to be made on his part, keeping all five of those cards makes for a nice but not major payoff yet it puts him ahead a few bucks at this point. Then three deuces appear on the next hand with an ace and a four. A fourth deuce would mean a $500 win! James quickly holds the wild cards and fixes his eyes on where the other two were: the results are a king and a five. No $500 but four of a kind again and he goes more ahead for the round. As expected, a loss follows. Then another three of a kind even money hand. Next a wild deuce comes up but there is nothing to match with it. A string of four bad hands successively comes next, the meter showing his cash balance sinking back down below his original investment. A reprieve materializes: two pairs so he holds all four and gets that full house he was looking for earlier. Now things are on the right track again. Let’s go, he hits the deal button hard and fast but three more hands of losers come up. The roller coaster ride goes on for another half hour before a bad stretch follows and leaves James with only $6. After two even money wins, he has three bad hands and is out of money from his original stake. An exciting series of hands, some close calls, some great moments and some bad moments. It was not a total wipe out so James pulls out another 20 and presses on. More of the same. Up and down, win and lose, some nicer hands that pay well without cause for celebration and some more losers. At one point, he is ahead by slightly over $20 on the second round but sees it depleted with a series of seesaw hands and a succession of losers. A third then a fourth bill with Andrew Jackson’s picture on it leaves James’ wallet and finds it way into the machine. If only those four deuces would come up, it would be $500! A couple of times, a pair of twos show but nothing more, meaning three of a kind and he gets his $2 back. A cleavage abundant casino cocktail server spiked heels her way to him to see if he wants a free drink but he says no without even a glance at her because it would break his concentration. Of all the slot machines in this glittery place, those where James chooses to play poker give him some control because he has to decide which cards to hold and which ones to discard. The other types of slots work on their own, you put your money in, spin the reels and wait for the results. This type of machine, where he has some say over the outcome of each game, is more to his liking. James is there for two more hours when he looks into his wallet and realizes the $300 he brought here with him has been reduced by way more than half. But after so many countless plays, this machine is not only due, it is overdue for a major payout! The bright lights and colorful borders around the machine screen are barely noticed by James, the sounds accompanying his winning hands all but inaudible to him as his senses are fixed only on the cards in the poker hands before him. Occasionally, there will be music, calliope sounds, buzzing, bells, whistles, soft explosions and various noises emanating from other machines in the casino but while they reach James’ ears, they do not register in his mind. He is on a mission to win big money playing video poker. A slight aching in his video poker right hand trigger finger is noticeable but not to the point of rendering it too painful to advance toward the big jackpot. More rollercoaster rides, more money lost, four hours now gone. Down to the final $20 bill but it ends up disappearing completely inside the machine with the credit indicator on the screen showing zero all too soon and nothing else to retrieve from his wallet. How did this happen again? James has been down this road many times before. He is a master at video poker and this should not have occurred. It was the wrong night, the wrong machine, James now realizes this. Just wait until next time.