It's a hip hop phrase? No wonder I didn't recognise it. I was going to google it when I got around to tackling it - I'm dealing with the prompts individually as if we had a two day deadline so I'm not even thinking about any of the others until I've written my first.
I don't think it has its *origins* in hip-hop. I suspect it probably does have Vegas-y origins going much farther back, but I'd never considered that possibility until I saw Gary's wording of the prompt.
Ah, Vegas. That other thing that's really comprehensible to a Brit :oP
Totally stumped right now, but something will show up. Worst case scenario, I'll go so literal that this will look positively metaphorical in contrast!
I would love to see an entry that is drastically literal in comparison to mine. I don't think it can be done. Wanna bet? Five pounds? That's only, like, 24 bucks, right?
It is generally accepted that there are only two kinds of mainstream gambling where the player can actually have the advantage: blackjack and horse racing. With blackjack, the practice of card counting systems can give the player an edge, but it requires the tenacity to do it and a bankroll to sit through all the hands when the count isn't in your favor, then ramp up the bet when it is. Of course, while card counting isn't illegal, the House don't like it... and will kindly refuse your business if it becomes obvious that you are doing so. With horse racing, it requires a lot of research and immersion into the industry, but there are many people who do essentially make their living playing the ponies.
Card counting is precisely what I meant above by "behaviors that are likely to get you kicked out of most casinos, if not admitted to the ICU, in very short order".
Now, horse racing, that I don't know. I do find that scene mildly interesting. I've certainly never met a person who claims to make their living betting on races, but I imagine that they do exist (and that certainly you're in closer geographic proximity to a more sizable populace thereof). But it seems much, much riskier to do this over something like card-counting even if you know what you're doing. It's not possible to know with anywhere near 100% certainty how a horse will perform, whether some health issue will suddenly afflict it (or its jockey) mid-race, etc.
It's possible I simply don't understand the mechanics of race betting well enough to see how you could nearly always be guaranteed to come out sufficiently on top to the point where you knew you could live on the resultant income. And anything less, to me, seems like a totally stupid bet.
Horse racing is intrinsically different from all other institutional gambling in one key aspect: odds are determined by the actual money being bet on the field, and not odds set by some bookmaker. The track takes its cut off the top of all money bet, and returns the remainder to the winners at whatever the effective odds were at post time. The House, in this sense, has no interest in who, or how many, people win - they simply take a cut of the action
( ... )
I missed this first time out. Sigh. I don't think my complexion is made for sitting out at the track all day long. Also, I've never had a mint julep, but I'll take a Vietnamese coffee as a substitute.
Yeah, as I mentioned above, it probably does have its origins in the gambling world, and has found its way into hip-hop vernacular in somewhat altered form. I'm sad to hear that you hate hip-hop, because... well... I have some plans for Season 9, and...
I like to bet on American Football. I lose a little less than the built in 5 percent....I used to have a problem with it, cause I have a vulnerability to addictive behavior. But somehow I got this one under control.
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You are seriously on a roll though!
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I don't think it has its *origins* in hip-hop. I suspect it probably does have Vegas-y origins going much farther back, but I'd never considered that possibility until I saw Gary's wording of the prompt.
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Totally stumped right now, but something will show up. Worst case scenario, I'll go so literal that this will look positively metaphorical in contrast!
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Now, horse racing, that I don't know. I do find that scene mildly interesting. I've certainly never met a person who claims to make their living betting on races, but I imagine that they do exist (and that certainly you're in closer geographic proximity to a more sizable populace thereof). But it seems much, much riskier to do this over something like card-counting even if you know what you're doing. It's not possible to know with anywhere near 100% certainty how a horse will perform, whether some health issue will suddenly afflict it (or its jockey) mid-race, etc.
It's possible I simply don't understand the mechanics of race betting well enough to see how you could nearly always be guaranteed to come out sufficiently on top to the point where you knew you could live on the resultant income. And anything less, to me, seems like a totally stupid bet.
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The chapter summary makes the entry :)
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