“
I remember a psychiatrist once telling me that I gamble in order to
escape the reality of life, and I told him that’s why everyone does everything.
But I’ve had plenty of wasted nights, after losses and bigger losses, to
consider the question more seriously. So why the attraction? Most people
would think it’s the wins that keep the gambler going, but any gambler
knows this is not true. As you place your chips on the craps table, you feel
anxiety and impatience. When the red dice hit the green felt with a thunk and
you’re declared the winner and the chips are pushed toward you, you feel
relief. Relief is all. And relief is fine, but hardly what a man would give the
whole rest of his life to gain. It has to be something else, and the best I’ve
come up with is this: It is a particular moment. A magic moment that occurs
after the placing of a bet and before the result of that bet. It 1s after the red
dice are thrown but before they lie still on the green felt where they fall. It is
when the dice are in the air, and as long as they are there, time stops. As long
as the red dice are in the air, the gambler has hope. And hope is a wonderful
thing to be addicted to.
”
”