72. Betting Big in Vegas

Jasper's parents were going to Las Vegas for week. The last time they were there was 10 ago. The city had changed greatly in 10 years. For one thing, the all you eat buffets were $15, instead of $3. And was much worse, of course. But now Las had a monorail that stopped at all the hotels. No more walking in the hot sun ( the bitterly cold wind, if you visited Las in the winter). Jasper's dad loved the buffets. " at $15, he'll still eat $20 or $30 ," Jasper's mom said.

Jasper asked his dad what he was going to play. Blackjack, he replied, he could find a $2 table. Jasper told that he might have to go downtown to real old casino. Most casinos, he said, require $5 minimum nowadays. That didn't surprise his dad. he lost a hundred dollars, he was finished , he said. He was never one to throw money after bad.

Jasper's mom had no use anything except slot machines. She loved the slots, long as she could find nickel machines and machines. "Are any of those left?" she asked . He said he wasn't sure, but there had be some, somewhere. She said she was going play differently on this visit: she would wait someone used a machine for at least 15 . Then she would play that machine when that got up and left. Maybe, she hoped, the would hit on the first nickel that she in. That's a good idea, Jasper thought. Unfortunately, 's the same trick that everyone who plays the machines does. And almost everyone goes home broke.