I'm on a plane to Las Vegas with my three best girlfriends. One of them won this trip on The Price is Right! We got coach airfare and a suite at the MGM Grand hotel. It's my first time anywhere really so Las Vegas is going to be the time of my life!
We land at McCarran airport at 11 a.m. and its a gorgeous day. The taxi drops us off at the hotel and we get checked in and we finally get to see our room. It's the biggest hotel room we've ever seen! I run around like a little girl hopping on the beds and trying everything out.
We get into fresh clothes for the evening and went down to the casino. My heart beats faster as I walk in and see all of the lights and excitement. We decide to go our own way to gamble and I head for the slot machines. I'm not a lucky gambler so I try to play slots instead of table games which cost a lot more to play.
I'm playing and losing. I'm minding my own business when a man sits next to me and starts being friendly. He tells me how to bet better and I win a bunch of money following his instructions. He tells me he is going to go up to a suite to play poker. He asks me if I want to join him to watch. It sounded exciting so I said I would go. I look around for any one of my friends to go with me but I don't see any of them. We ride up in the elevator. Its open to the outside so I get to see all of the lights and the roller coaster at the New York, New York casino across the street. This man is watching me the entire time and marveling at my excitement.
We walk into the room, it's smoky and men and women are drinking. He takes an open seat at the table and oddly asks me to kneel next to him because there's no seat open for me. I feel funny but I do it because I want to watch the game. He wins the first two hands and has a fat stack of chips in front of him. The lady next to him gets up and leaves the game so I take her seat. He leans in to tell me the seats are for players only. I said I don't have much money and start to get up. He offers to stake me so I can play a few hands and gives me a stack of chips!
I have played poker with my brothers so I know what hand beats what. He shows me how to ante up and they deal. I have seen Texas poker on TV but I have never played the game. I ante and get two cards, a six and a seven. They flop a five, an eight and a king. I see I have a chance at a straight so I bet one of my chips. Everyone else calls and another king comes out. Oh no, a pair of kings beats my nothing. I put in another chip and everyone calls. I think they are making fun of me but I don't show them that I know it. They deal the last card and it's a four! I try not to show my excitement but I have a straight. I just bet one chip and the man that brought me raises me two chips. I call and show my straight. I smile up at him and he frowns and pulls out two kings. My heart sinks. I have no chips left and I can't play anymore so I stand and thank him for letting me play. He tells me we have to settle up now that the game is over and the chips he gave me were $100 chips! My heart sinks. You know that I don't have $500, what am I going to do and I start to well up tears. He pulls me to him. He's still sitting on the chair. He says I can earn the money tonight. If I do as he says I can be free in the morning, gulp.