Casino clientele

While in the Chicago area, The Wife was surprised to find a brochure for a Casino. Actually, a couple.

One was for a casino near Milwaukee ... about an hour and a half drive from the hotel.

The other was for a Casino in Elgin, the Grand Victoria.

Since it's closer, that's where we went.

The Wife likes casinos. She'll sometimes head over to Shorter, Alabama for a visit to Quincy's. She's likely to go with her mother or others, not me. I'm not that big a fan of casinos, you see.

Anyway, to Elgin we went.

Now, there was nothing wrong with the place ... but it's a casino. And, like I said, not my favorite place to go.

Didn't stay there long. We really didn't plan on visiting any casinos, so we didn't pack a lot of cash to lose.

Let me offer this bit of advise: If you plan to gamble, don't ever gamble more than you an afford to lose; because, odds are, you will lose.

Anyhow, I did some quick math, and figured if I lost $60, I'd be okay. Could lose more, but didn't want to. So, I had my limit.

The Wife reached into her casino stash that she always has hidden away -- that is, she thinks it's hidden away, but I know about it -- and got out her mad money. Also, only about $60. Like I said, she wasn't planning on hitting a casino, so she didn't pack any extra cash, just what she has squirreled away a little bit at a time.

After about 30 minutes, we were down 12 cents. That includes the $60 I had already lost. So, combined with her $59.88 in winnings, we were down 12 cents.

That's when I decided I needed a Coke.

Since it's Pepsi country, I had to settle for a Dr Pepper.

In a little bit, she came out, having lost all her winnings, and having reached her limit on losses.

But, while she was finding new and clever ways to lose money, I had the chance to watch the others in the casino.

I noticed that some of them were young women, usually in pairs or threes, who all went to the restroom a the same time. But those were the only young ones I noticed, other than employees.

Others were old cripples. Many of those included folks with walkers. And there was this one old fellow on crutches, whose right knee bent backwards when he walked. In mid-step, his legs formed the silhouette of a house.

I wasn't the only one who noticed him. Near where I was sitting, a man spoke to his wife, mentioning the man with the backwards knee: "You see that poor guy? His knee bends the wrong way!"

He said that through breathes from his oxygen tank. And he said it to his wife in the neck brace.

Others were of advanced age, many were my age, but most all had physical problems.

Oh, and then there was the other type of casino visitor. That's the folks that had lost all there money, and had nothing else to do than look at others in the casino.

I didn't see any of them.

But the others there did. I wonder what they thought of me.