Sunday, November 30, 2008

Gambling in the Dark

For many Malaysian Chinese, entering Genting Highland's casino is treated like a symbolic passage into adulthood.

Being able to enter means that you have now reached the age of 21, matured enough to decide who to vote for & how to squander your wealth.

Me and a few friends went to Genting for over long overdue initiation 2 weeks back. Now, when it comes to gambling, the Chinese have a long list of superstitions. You can find some of it here.


Chow Yun Fat doesn't seem to have a problem with dark colours


I was wearing a black T-shirt for the trip, one of my friend (let's called him Superstitious Boy) quickly pointed out that bad brings BAD LUCK. Superstitious Boy was wearing a bright red shirt & God knows what underneath for maximum ONG-ness.

Being a man of science, I brushed aside his comments. I would love to see his expression when I came back down with 2 suitcases full of cash. As if trying to proof a point, I brought along a black jacket too.



I would have 2 of those please


Once inside the casino, we walked around before settling on a table playing Big Small, exchange our cash for chips & observe...

Trying to identify a pattern...Big, Big, Small, Big, Small, Small, Small, Big again, then Small.

Finally, I conclude that there was NONE.


I tried counting cards, problem is they used dice!


So, I sat down & placed my bet. I was inconsistent, winning some losing some. But what really irks me is my friend who was standing behind me.

Whenever he wanted to place his bet on the table, he would leaned forward & put his hand on my shoulder. That's a BIG no-no when it comes to gambling, but I am a man of science remember?

Oh, I think I should also mention that Shoulder Toucher is BALD, just like a MONK!

Soon enough, both me & Shoulder Toucher lost all our chips. Meanwhile, Superstitious Boy was on a roll, his stack of chips keep on multiplying.


That's my exact expression when winning


He was evidently enjoying himself, while me & Shoulder Toucher was reduced to walking around aimlessly & queuing repeatedly for free drinks (might as well get my money's worth!)

At the end of the day, Superstitious Boy exchange his chips for cold hard cash, while I make it a point not to mentioned the 2 suitcases full of money earlier *zipped*

I still have faith in science, but I must admit on that day I got my ass kicked by 5000 years of Chinese superstitions. Final score :


SUPERSTITIONS - 1
SCIENCE - 0


22 comments:

Monica said...

somehow I don't believe in these do's and don't :-D

Johnny Ong said...

if i'm there in genting over weekend, u'll see me there too but right in front of their lcd tv watching english premier league while drinking their teh tarik ... haha

Unknown said...

just play for the enjoyment :) oh talking bout entering to adulthood by that standards, i so agree haha!

renaye said...

for a start u might want to try to guess the number at 4 ekor. i never like to go to bars or casinos because the bouncer or the guards keep on asking me for ID and they never did to my younger friends.

thanks for the get well wishes.

renaye
http://renaye.nutang.com

acura said...

monica : I do not believe in them either but some people will believe anything to garner luck on the gambling table.

johnny ong : that's exactly what I did after queuing up for the drinks. But it's just different watching a match without any noise or commentary

quachee : I am there just for the experience & also no more theme park rides for me now haha

loke : the policewomen at the door insist on seeing my IC. When I went to Venetian Macau, the guards there keep asking me for IC too.

The funniest thing is, they do not know how to determined my age from the MyKad. Had to do some explanations :)

Annoymous said...

Show hand my friend....
Its all about luck

TNH said...

well..luck is what that can't be explain..when it come then it will just come to you...

as for the Germany's food, you are right..most of it is sausage and potatoes..some really taste good.

foongpc said...

Haha! Another funny post! I'm getting to really like your blog with the way you write your last few posts. Keep it up, yes? : )

I don't gamble anymore because I lose every time. Whether it's at the casino, or at simple card games or at mahjong, not that I'm very good at them - I always end up losing. Better put my hard earned money on something else, like food. LOL!

I don't think I'm superstitious but sometimes we have to admit science cannot explain everything. Science cannot really explain about feng shui, yet feng shui works. Science cannot explain about ghosts, but spirits do exist, although some people will disagree with me. Science cannot explain about the Law of Attraction ie. what you focus on, you attract, but this law is no longer something we can easily brush aside. Science also cannot fully explain how I move the pendulum with my mind, yet I did it.

What I'm trying to say is, despite not being superstitious, it's better to be cautious and play safe. Look, even your experiment proved what your Superstitious Boy said is right! Or he may just be lucky, although I am also not a very firm believer of luck! Haha!

Andrew said...

hahaha... =D i wanna go genting already.. LOL just to chill... its nice up there..

btw, im not sure about the tandoori chicken in jalan peel.. LOL =D

acura said...

harmony & TNH : I guess, luck isn't on my side on that day. Haiz...

foong : Glad you enjoy it. Trying to inject more humour like you advised ;)

The only way to win, is to be the banker. Otherwise, you always ended up losing. Filling your stomach is definitely a better bet.

True, science can't explain a lot of things. We should explore alternative ways to explain certain phenomenon. As for the pendulum, I still do not understand how you did it.

Andrew : It's nice to feel the cool mountain air once in a while

ericG said...

wow... i dun actually believe in that sort of thing but since gamblers practice it so i guess it's a must-do stuff whenever i am gambling... well, still manage to win some w/o believing those stuffs...

eiling lim said...

I like your casino experience. That is why we should wear red underwear to go gambling next time. I guess after all, those whom are superstitious do have an advantage.

Unknown said...

hahaha. next time you should wear a red underwear before you play. Couldn't wait for my chance to turn 21!

foongpc said...

I also don't know how I move the pendulum. I just did. But last time I could not, so maybe it's not time for you yet. Try it again in a few months : )

renaye said...

foongpc: should try wearing red ... when u go gambling. :D

acura: i'm a casino member of the melbourne casino for life. :D but i have to show them my passport. damn maybe i should be the god of gamble because everyone would drop their jaw when they see me as a small girl. XD

renaye
http://renaye.nutang.com

acura said...

ericG : good for you, you earn some points for science hehe

eiling & simon ho : red underwear. Okay got it! Need to buy some before CNY

foongpc : maybe i need a few months rest before i test my powers again

renaye : we asians look so young when compared to Australians of the same age. You must have amazed them when you sit next to them

Johnny Ong said...

u have to watch it with football kakis. no sound also nvm.

we dont gamble but we are kaki mamak ....so the free drinks were good already

renaye said...

haha. unfortunately, i didn't play in melbourne because i don't want to take any risk to waste my shopping allowance!

renaye
http://renaye.nutang.com

LifeRamblings said...

i don't believe in superstition and I don't gamble anymore coz so often I end up contributing my hard earned $$$ to the casino.

elmie said...

it was just superstitious boy's day, that's all. hehe. or maybe he was conspiring with the dealers. XD

Lisa said...

maybe your science calculation was not quite accurate enough ..

Xendee Wong said...

next time, you need to wear all red! red cap,red shirt,red pants and dont forget, RED UNDERWEAR!! hahahaha

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