I won $240 at a blackjack tournament on the cruise. I’m still in shock. You see, I’ve never played blackjack or even gambled before. I mean, I’ve done slots, but that’s the extent of it. So how did I find myself the second prize winner of a blackjack tournament? It all started with a ring at one of the gift shops.
I came across the ring while shopping with Heather and Adam on the boat. Nothing about it should have appealed to me. It was oversized, from Guess and borderline tacky. It was in the shape of a snake with purple crystals. I’m not a fan of Guess, snakes or the color purple…at all. But something about it compelled me to at least look at it. The price tag got me and the small part of me who wanted to buy it was defeated… but not for long.
I can’t explain it, but I absolutely had to have it. It was almost bewitching how much I was drawn to this particular ring. So I heard Adam talking about the blackjack tournament that he had just signed up for. $20 to sign up, and it was that afternoon.
“How do I sign up? I want to do it, too.” I heard myself say.
Less than 20 minutes later and $20 poorer, I was signed up for the tournament and waiting for my turn. I vaguely knew how to play blackjack, and Adam filled me in on the rest. I kept asking him random questions about the game, to be sure that I was familiar with the right one.
We were joined by Adam’s friend and his girlfriend. Like me, his girlfriend had never played really, and was a newbie. The guys teased us a bit about it, and I responded with, “Oh yeah? I bet she and I win this whole thing!” I was obviously kidding… or so I thought.
It was my turn to go. I sat at a table with some other hopefuls, and the dealer started passing out cards and chips to start us off. My cards were high, every time, and before I knew what was happening, my $200 bets turned into winnings of $400 for each hand. I never lost, and when the round was over, I had $1950 in winnings, enough to qualify me for the top seven, at number six.
I was shocked and more so, really excited. So I sat at the finals table, and right away, the round was harder. My cards were low, and I kept losing to the dealer. I was left with one $100 chip. I knew Leslie (Adam’s friends girlfriend) was going to win- she had a ton more chips than the other two people left at the table. I split the chip, and made a low bet. I won, and the last person was bumped out of the top three.
It was Leslie, some middle aged guy, and myself. For this hand, I knew I had to stay low. The guy, as I predicted, made a high bet and lost. Before it even hit me, the dealer pointed at the guy, declared him third, declared me second, and Leslie first, the winner. I couldn’t believe it. Just like that, I walked away with almost $250 with barely any experience in blackjack or cards.
Later that day, I found myself back in that gift shop, faced with the snake ring. Did I buy it?
You bet I did. Sometimes you have to just go with it, you know? It’s my lucky ring now. But that day really inspired me, much more than I could have expected. I went on a whim and it really paid off. My instincts were telling me not to go through with it, but that small voice that told me I could prevailed.
Maybe I should listen to that voice more often. Maybe things are just better left to chance, and big chances get you a big payoff. It’s something to consider. I mean, are we really masters of our own fate? The logical part of me almost got the best of me. I was completely out of my comfort zone, standing at the blackjack table, waiting for failure, but somehow, not allowing it to be an option. I just knew that if I stayed calm and (literally) played my cards right, I’d walk away a winner.
I’m so tired of hearing what is and isn’t possible. I want to push my luck. That’s the only real way to succeed in this world. Even if you’re a failure, taking a chance is so much more fulfilling than playing it safe. I want to make things happen, and I plan to.
Who’s with me?