THE SHRINK said:
Fishhead,
I would love to hear what one of your REAL screw ups in gambling was...
Thanks,
THE SHRINK
There are hundreds, so very hard to pick a defining one, but will go with the most memerable one and the one I think about everyday to this day after 23 years.
It was the winter of 1981 in Iowa and the IOWA football team had just clinched a berth in the ROSE BOWL to meet Washington.
My $2500 academic LOAN had just arrived a few weeks earlier so KYHAWK and myself spent a whopping $300 for a bus ride to the game, tickets to the big game, beer on the bus, Rose Bowl parade tickets, free hotel rooms which included one night in Vegas and free tickets to see Siegfried and Roy who virtually an unknown act at the time..........ALL THIS FOR $300. Hard to believe to this day.
Well, Iowa was -3 point favorite over the Huskies and I loved IOWA tremendously, but unfortuately it was strictly 99% HEART based.
Kyhawk and myself had did pretty will on a couple bowl games when we arrived in Vegas............one a remarkable win when LOU HOLTZ of Arkansas took a saftty with under a miniute to go to give us a remarkable win. I remember I had 300 or 500 on it.
Well, the morning the bus was leaving Vegas, I had not yet bet ONE penny on Iowa. Kyhawk and I were sitting on the bus at the FRONTIER and the passengers were loading. All of a sudden I told Kyhawk that I had to bet this game.
I got off the bus and sprinted down to the STARDUST and bet $1650 on Iowa in what was a TOTALLY 99% heart bet.
Needless to say, Iowa lost the game by 28 points and it was a long bus ride back to Iowa City. I drank a case of warm budweiser on the way home to ease the pain.
When we arrived back in Iowa City, my car was COMPLETLEY covered in snow......only one inch of the ateanna was showing. Took me literally one week to uncover my car.
Lesson served early on in life.........NEVER wager with your heart.
That following year, I made numerous trips to Vegas with my other college loans and made some more stupid bets..........5 team teaser card plays stand out enormously. Had a few good runs but had no chance in the long run the way I was betting...........teaser cards, straight bets without shopping, etc., etc.,
I remember one time about 9 months after this Rose Bowl debacle, another friend and me flew to Vegas and we loved the SPURS game UNDER.............thIs is funny............I wagered the limit ($300) at least three times and they moved the number and immediately another person(wiseguy) would bet the OVER. We went back and forth like I said three times..............obviously I was taking a BAD number. We lost the game by a landslide as the ICEMAN George Gervin went off for like 53 points! The ironic thing is, placed these wagers at the CASTAWAYS, where 3 years later I would have my first sportsbook job. LOL I guess this bet qualifies as being MR. SQUARE. LOL