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BGonline.org Forums
Riviera, Las Vegas: The final day./Sad
Posted By: Phil Simborg In Response To: Riviera, Las Vegas: The final day./Sad (Chuck Bower)
Date: Wednesday, 6 May 2015, at 6:29 p.m.
No mistake. We were playing for these stakes. Fortunately I was a very fine player (life master at 20 years old studying and playing daily with The Dallas Aces--the Jacoby's and friends), and fortunately, I had backers so I won a small piece of the profits and had very little downside if I lost...but I won a lot more than I lost.
While I will (modestly) tell you that I had quite a distinguished and successful career in Corporate Real Estate, I made more money playing Gin, Bridge and Backgammon than I made in real estate. And it was not so much that I was such an amazing player in any of those three games (though I was and am better than the average bear), it was because I almost always played people who fit into three criteria:
1. They were worse than me;
2. They had lots of money;
3. They were honest and they paid.
Occasionally I ran into games where one or more of the above three did not apply, and I took my lumps along the way, but the older and more experienced I got the fewer lumps.
Many years ago I realized I could make a lot more in the games than in real estate, and it sure was a lot more fun, and I would say that even when I was a full-time real estate executive I spent more than half my time playing bridge, backgammon and gin (and a lot of Racquetball and Golf).
I eventually became one of the foremost lecturers in the U.S. on Real Estate Ethics and Real Estate Negotiation, and I gave lectures all over the U.S. and found games in every city I went to. I would lecture for 2 or 3 hours and spend 2 or 3 days in games or chouettes with all expenses paid.
It's been a fun ride, and I am still enjoying it immensely, though now I play very little bridge (too hard to find big games and too easy for people to cheat) but I still play a lot of gin and backgammon. And I spend a average of one week out of each month giving private backgammon and gin lessons in LA, Dallas, New York, Miami, Aspen and other places, and still find some time for some chouettes and gin games along the way.
Years ago I attended an Anthony Robbins presentation where he said, "Make your vacation your vocation," and it took me a few years to get there, but I would recommend that to everyone. If you love something, find a way to make a living at it and your life will be much more rewarding.
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