Dean felt an impending sense of gloom as he drove over to the pot limit poker game. Since laying off poker 5 months ago, he was up almost eight grand in less than a month. He was on the best roll of his life. Couldn’t lose. Played tough and luck was with him. When you don’t get into the game more than a thousand, you can beat the game. But getting in the game a thousand can also lead to two thousand and more. He had done that a couple times before he quit five months ago. Thus, the impending sense of gloom that always hung over him on the way to the game.

Being up eight grand meant that he was even from the first six months of the year. But it felt better than being just even. Losing a thousand or two week after week fades with memory so the eight grand feels somehow like found money. Dean was considering quitting at this point. His friend Tom was encouraging him take a break and enjoy the fruits of gambling. However, had Dean taken that advice before last weekend he would not have won another seventeen hundred. So six goes to nearly eight. However, six could have also gone to four or less.
It’s very hard for a gambler to quit while he is ahead because the point is the action. You stay in the action until you lose it all and are out of the game. Dean had seen guys who were supposed to be good players get stuck in the pot limit game four or five thousand. When you’re stuck that much it’s almost impossible to win. But the last month seemed to be about actually winning. Or was he kidding himself?