He Won Big Time and Gave Me the Best Advice I Ever Got

It never fails

Sometimes the truth is right in front of us, waiting to be seen.

The key ingredient to bake life into the best pie you’ve ever tasted is so awfully simple it’s mindblowing.

If only there was somebody to present it to us on a silver platter. I was lucky enough to have that a-ha moment and I just ran with it.

It was one of those beautiful summer days that you just want to spend outside in the company of dear friends. Walking around, being free, breathing in the sun through every pore.

There were about 8 of us. By sunset, we stopped at a bar by the side of the road. We were parched and dreaming of an ice-cold Coke to chill out our overheated bodies and enthusiastic hearts.

It was the old dingy kind of place with a few gambling slots where you had to order and pick up your drink inside.

The kind of place you either love or hate, but one thing’s for sure: it’s got a lot of character and you expect a Tarantino moment to break out at any second.

And in a way, it did.

We took our cold drinks, got out, and sat on some rusty chairs at a semi-disintegrated table. We were laughing and joking around.

Except that one of us was missing. He had never come back from inside the bar.

When I went in to see what was going on, he was playing blackjack.

He had already played over 1000 $, which for most of us is a hell of a lot to spend in a worn-down countryside bar.

He was a financially successful man, but it was a lot even for him.

However, I let him be. I thought he was just having fun. Later I found out he used to have a gambling problem and was relapsing.

I was watching him play. His motionless face. Putting in money time and time again. And losing time and time again.

He didn’t seem to mind or notice. He was in a trance.

The whole process was kind of boring to me and as I was about to head out, something incredible happened.

I heard the victorious sound and turned on my heels. His face was just as motionless as before although this one round, he won!

He won big time. I watched in awe.

He quadrupled the money he put in and went back outside as if nothing had ever happened.

I was stunned. Stupefied. Catatonic.

Eventually, I asked:

‘How did you do that?’

He said:

‘I always win.’

Me: ‘I thought people always lose at this kind of thing.’

Him: ‘People do. I don’t.’

I fell silent.

‘Is that why you weren’t jumping around for joy?’

‘Pretty much, yeah. I knew I would eventually win.’

After a while:

‘So what’s your secret?’

Him: ‘People lose because they give up too soon. They lose because they stop while they’re losing. Instead, you need to keep playing. Keep going. Undoubtedly, you will win. The machine is made out that way. That’s the algorithm. Just like life. Go all the way.’

He patted me on the cheek. I felt like an idiot.

An idiot who just came up against one of life’s great mysteries: go all the way. If you lost, it’s because you gave up before you won.

PS: This article is not an incentive to start or continue gambling. It is, however, an incentive to not lose hope and an encouragement to keep going until you arrive where you want to be.

Love reading? Join Medium.

Love my writing? Join my email list.

Love this article? Get me a Ko-fi.