Here’s to new experiences!

Last night, Vince, Alex, Bri, Krystal, two of Alex’s friends, and I went to Treasure Island Casino.

Despite having been eligible for three years (in Minnesota, one needs only be 18 to gamble at a casino), I had never before been to a casino. The place was about as I had imagined it: lots of slot machines and lots blackjack tables. Even the essential “Win this Car” slots were there.

The demographics of the place were as I expected. The old people were at the slots, striving fruitlessly and mindlessly towards an enigmatic jackpot. The young people were at the blackjack tables, talking it up with the dealers and exercising their latest “system.”

It was towards our peers that we gravitated.

The cardinal rule of casinos is to expect to lose all the money with which you start playing. This tenet in mind, our group sat down together at a table. High stakes this was not — our table had a $3 minimum, so most of us bought in with $21. On second thought, perhaps that is high stakes to a college student. But I digress…

We played for a while. At least one of our party lost it all. I got down to a last bet and then rebuilt. After I was up slightly for the night, everybody else seemed done with blackjack, so I tipped the dealer and left the table. All told, I ended the night up $2. Woo.

It was entertainment. More importantly, it was a chance to hang out with friends. That I didn’t lose money was a nice bonus.