You play the hand you're dealt

I didn't bring my lunch to work yesterday, so I took a walk to the Rivercenter mall and their expansive food court.

A burger just didn't sound very appealing, but I didn't have much money. I had relegated myself to getting a Hunger Buster from Dairy Queen, when suddenly I spotted a Schlotzsky's sandwich shop. I looked through the menu and counted all the money in my pocket. I'd be able to squeeze out a sandwich and a drink.

So, I ordered my food and when I got my drink, it had this scratch and win thingy stuck to the side of the glass. I pulled it off and stuck it in my pocket. I didn't figure I'd win anything anyway.

I made the long trek back to the paper, my nearly bald head baking in the hot sun. There were puddles of tourists all over the streets. You can tell the out-of-towners by the sun beaten squint and way their mouths hang open in a sort of "I just had a lobotomy" kinda way.

Anyhow, I got back to work and sat down to eat. Toward the end of my meal, I remembered the scratch-off thingy in my pocket and grabbed a coin.

The game is like a hand of poker. You rub out the top layer to reveal your hand, then the dealer's and then you can see what prize you win. I like to do it all in that order.

So I scratch off my hand. I had to look at it closely because the letters are so small, but I had four queens. Four queens. That has to be a good thing. Then I scratched off the dealer's hand. A full house; 3's over Jacks.

I had to think for a moment whether four queens beat a full house, but I was reassured by a coworker that they did.

At that point, I was fully satisfied I'd won big. I mean, four of a kind is a hard hand to get on one deal. Let alone on some randomized scratch-off game. So I scratched out the prize and what did I find:

"75 cents off your next pizza purchase."

Never has a four of a kind felt like a losing hand.

-30-

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