Some people got it, some people don't. Me, I don't got it.

I'm talking about Gambling Luck. Vegas Luck.

You know, the most I've ever won at Las Vegas is negative twenty bucks. Pitiful, isn't it?

Of course, I've only been to Las Vegas twice in my life. So maybe I just haven't had enough time to build up my Vegas Luck Bank. Maybe I've got to walk by a few more slot machines to attract Vegas electric charges and build the Bank in a static-cling sort of way.

I've never been a big fan of gambling. But without Gambling Luck, can you really blame me?

Take a friendly poker game for nickels and dimes. I put in ten dollars, I lose ten dollars. Take a friendly blackjack game. I bet two dollars, I lose two dollars.

I have plenty of examples just like that. Because me, I don't have Gambling Luck.

"But Mike, if ya know how to play da game, you can turn dem odds in yo' favor."

Oh. Umm, really?

"Yea, dis Gambling Luck, dis Vegas Luck yo' talkin 'bout, is all 'bout knowing yo' odds of winning versus yo' opponents n' minimizing da risk ta yo'self.

Oh. Uh, yea, I knew that.

"An' avoid those damn slot machines man. You ain't gonna win shit on those, unless yo' willing to sit dere n' throw down a whole lotta quarters."

Oh. Okay, yea, yea.

"So what's dis Luck yo' talkin 'bout? It's all 'bout skill man."

Ah. Okay. So what I was talking about was, er, Gambling Skill, right? Vegas Skill. Okay, that sounds more like it, huh? So that means that I lost that friendly poker game 'cuz I ain't got da skills. I lost that friendly blackjack game 'cuz I ain't got da skills.

Boy, that's more depressing than thinking I don't have Gambling Luck.

Sigh.

Oh well. Some people got it, some people don't. Me, I don't got it.

. . .

Do you have Gambling Luck?