The willingness to take risks in the hope of substantial gain is an integral part of human nature. There can be little surprise, then, that various forms of gambling evolved from prehistoric times and spread to every corner of the planet. The dice, cards and spinning wheels seen in modern casinos today are the direct descendents of games played for goods and property thousands of years ago in Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
So it’s a little after 4.00pm here in the UK today, Monday the 12th Of October 2009 and here is my first post. I’m making the final changes to my wordpress croupier blog theme just to get it up and running. I’ve got Rounders the poker movie playing in the background and have just heard Teddy KGB say “ You on a draw, Mike? Go away, this one is not good for you. And in my club, I will splash the pot whenever the fuck I please.” I never get bored of that film for some reason. John Malkovich plays Teddy KGB so well, a great gambling movie and brilliant character.
To be honest, I think there are a number of good quotes in Rounders that pretty much sum up my gambling experiences:
Teddy KGB - ”It hurts doesn’t it? Your hopes dashed, your dreams down the toilet. And your fate is sitting right besides you.”
Mike: “ I’m gonna raise. 1000 straight.”
Teddy KGB: “Very aggressive. A new day, and you won’t be pushed around. But I reraise 5000.”
Teddy KGB: “Just like a young man, coming in for a quickie. I feel so unsatisfied”
You will more than likely have your own favourite quotes from the film.
So then, this site Croupier.com. Well, I’ve actually wanted to get Croupier.com online now for a very long time, but always allowed other projects I just “had” to finish first get in the way, you know how it is. As I’m such a black or white person, the design, build and general progress of the site was always hindered by my all or nothing attitude. I had grand plans to make Croupier.com a huge online gambling website, with masses of informative casino gaming and poker articles. If it couldn’t be everything I wanted it to be immediately, then it wasn’t going online at all. Recently, I’ve developed a much less blinkered view, probably as I’ve now found a nice balance in my life, hey it only took me 36 years!
In 1989 I was 16 years old and had managed to blag a sales job selling advertising space in the city. The company I worked for gave me 3 days sales training and then stuck me on the phones cold calling businesses to buy advertising space in a really crappy new magazine with a circulation of ZERO. So there I was, a 16 year old kid wearing a suit that looked like my fathers, sitting in an office trying to sell advertising space in a magazine that had never gone to print even once. I developed a tough skin very quickly as most of the business people I spoke to had absolutely no problem telling me to fuck off, A LOT! Some found out I was young and gave me a sale out of pity. My boss loved this, and then told me to start all my calls with, “Hello, I’m only 16 years old but have left school to pursue a career in sales and would really appreciate your time.” This worked now and again but the whole thing was painful to say the least.
One of the ways we would find the telephone numbers of business prospects to call was using the classified adverts section in the back of newspapers and other magazines. One day while I was looking through the various adverts I saw one that grabbed my attention as it was in the shape of a cruise ship. It read: “Ever wanted to travel the world and enjoy a glamorous lifestyle? Become a casino croupier! Learn how to deal blackjack and roulette! For more information on this exciting global opportunity call today.”
I didn’t stay in my sales job very long but I did respond to that casino croupier advert just to be told that I had to be at least 18 years old to apply and hold a gaming licence in the UK. I cut the advert right out of that paper and kept it for when I was older. I did go on to be a casino croupier for a short time but that is another story. I learned a great deal as a croupier both from a dealer and player perspective, but it is my love for the gaming industry and all things gambling that was born from this experience.
So now I’m sitting here, wondering what my new croupier blog is going to be about – casinos, poker, horse racing, gambling, strategies, online casino recommendations, gaming and gambling information, stories, articles? do I include personal stuff? Do I ask for other people to contribute their opinions? Why would anyone even want to read this?
Gambling and the casino gaming industry will always be a big part of my life. If Croupier.com becomes nothing more than a friendly community which allows like minded people to share their gambling stories and experiences I will have achieved everything that I set out to do. Welcome to Croupier.com
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