Life is a Roulette Wheel

Larrieann and I just got back from the JoCoSAR Christmas party where we were entertained with a raffle for some items local businesses had donated to SAR.  As the winning ticket numbers were being called out it reminded me of another raffle I was involved in many years ago while attending the annul OVFA (Oregon Volunteer Firefighters Association) Conference...

...after the fire training classes held during the daytime hours were over this particular years conference, held in Coos Bay, offered the firefighters attending from across Oregon a Casino Night, for the evenings fund raising entertainment.  I have never been a gambler type with my money but I joined in with the casino activities anyway because they were raising money for a worthwhile cause I fully support, the Shriner's Children's Hospital (burn ward).  After I purchased my poker chips for the evenings festivities I stepped out into the gambling arena.  The fire guys at Coos Bay had done a great job in decorating the casino up, it looked just like I had seen in the movies.  At this point in my life I had not yet traveled to Las Vegas or Reno to blow any of my hard earned cash before.

Not knowing how to play any of the gambling games I stepped over to the one that had nobody presently crowding around it.  It was the game with the "rollie wheel" thing.  How hard could it be to call out a number, roll a marble around, have it jump and skip a few times before landing in a slot with a red or black number in it and wait for the wheel to come to a stop?  I figured the quicker I lost my poker chips the faster those kids at the burn hospital would get my money.  I placed all my chips onto the table, cleared my throat and proudly announced "Red 21".  Red for the color of my fire engine and I had seen in a movie once that 21 was suppose to be a lucky number.  The female croupier at the wheel looked at me some what dumbfounded and asked me "are you sure".  I just calmly nodded back at her because I thought that would look cooler then saying I didn't know what I was doing.  So she gave the wheel, later I found out it was called a Roulette Wheel, a big spin.  A marble shoots in the opposite direction the wheel is spinning and I stand there waiting for my number not to be called so those poor burned children could begin receiving the medical care they desperately needed.  Finally as the wheel slows the marble jumps, bounces and skips before landing in a numbered slot.  I'll be damn if it didn't end up in "Red 21" where my hostess yells "WINNER" from her gambling station.  I am horrified.  I have just won money away from small burned children, as a crowd of firefighters and their wives begin to mill towards my wheel.  Desperately I look around, clear my voice again and in the deepest cowboy voice I could muster I say "Let her Ride".  I had heard that line in some John Wayne movie once and I always thought he was pretty smooth as I pushed my initial bet and winnings into the middle of the table.   Again my cheerful hostess asks, "Sir are you sure?"  To which I tipped my hat and said "Yep" but in a clever deep voice. 

By now a crowd had assembled around me watching as this crazy ass firefighting cowboy purposely tries to lose his pokers chips so unfortunate children in a hospital far away could receive the life saving medical treatment they needed.  The big wheel spins again, as a shush comes over the crowd.  With a jump, bounce, skip, the whole crowd erupts this time with "WINNER" as the wheel slows to a stop with the marble firmly lodged, again, in slot Red 21.  With the new winnings added the pile of chips heaped upon the table was enormous.

About then Larrieann saunters over to where a huge crowd had developed around me.  She asks "Bill, what's going on?"  I am almost in tears by now because I am stealing money from these poor burned children.  I told her what had just happened.  She gives me one of those looks like, "are you SH**ing me".  To where she begins to explain the rules of Casino Night to me.  Buy poker chips to use while gambling, turn your winnings in later for raffle tickets, where random raffle numbers would be called for gifts lining several tables along the side of the auditorium.

I had wondered what all the stuff on those tables was for. Lets just say it took several poker chip trays to carry away my winnings that night, several tables had to be cleared to line rows and rows of raffle tickets out on and my whole gang of fellow firefighters from I.V. to help find our winning numbers when announced.  Everybody went home with some great prizes that night, and the Shriner's Burn Center won big too.