Casino Nearby - gogetbobus.co

I grew up in a small mountain town named Eureka. It was founded in the late 1800s during the gold rush, but after the mines dried up the town began its slow descent into decay. Half the houses are empty or abandoned now.
You can see a picture of the kind of houses here in Eureka:
First house
Second house
When a massive construction project began nearby, it was the talk of the town for weeks. Why would they build something in a sleepy dying town like Eureka? It wasn’t until my sister Selene talked to a few construction workers that we discovered they were building a casino.
A casino up in the mountains, over two hours away from Denver. None of us could understand why they’d chosen here of all places. After a few months of work, the casino was done.
I took a picture of the town with the completed casino in the background to the right. The ten-story-structure sticks out like a sore thumb off in the distance.
Town+Casino
After the casino opened, they hired a few dozen members of the town, offering high paying jobs to work as dealers or cleaning staff. I was already employed as a firefighter, but my sister Selene got a job as a blackjack dealer. She’s a widow with two young kids, so the paycheck was a real lifesaver.
Still, something about the situation seemed too good to be true. The jobs over there paid far too well, and the management was far too accommodating. The fire station where I work is located high on a hill overlooking the town, so I began watching the casino from a distance each day.
I had initially thought that the casino was located in a terrible location, but I was apparently wrong. True, Eureka was hours from any major city, but despite that, a bus full of people arrived every morning and left every evening.
One night I was over at my parent’s house and had dinner with Selene and her kids. I asked her about her experience as a dealer.
“It’s Ok,” she said. “Just a little boring I guess.”
“Boring?” I asked. “I’m surprised you don’t have your hands full.”
“Why’s that?” she asked. “It’s like you said, Eureka’s too small. I never have people playing cards. The casino is almost always completely empty.”
I wasn’t sure what to make of that. If the place was always empty, what happened to the people who I’d seen arriving on buses? “I’ve been keeping an eye on the building,” I said. “A bus full of people typically arrives around 9 AM every day.”
“Really?” she asked, looking confused. “If that’s true, I’ve never seen them.
“I can see it from the fire station,” I said. “If you head out for a smoke break at 9 AM, you’ll probably see them arriving.”
“Interesting,” she said. “I’ll do that. If they’re being processed for their organs or something, I’ll let you know.” She laughed.
“Har har,” I said sarcastically.
The next night she sent me a text calling me over. When I arrived, she was nearly breathless with excitement.
“Orin, You were right,” she said. “A big group of people did arrive, but they didn’t walk into my part of the casino. Instead, they all walked into an elevator at the back of the building. I’m not sure where that goes.” She looked thoughtful. “It was weird. They looked… How can I say it? Desperate? Something about the whole situation was very off. I’m gonna check out the elevator tomorrow.”
I told her to be careful, though, to be honest, I was excited to hear about what she discovered. When I visited my parent’s house the next night, I found her two kids there alone. They told me that Selene had never returned from work.
I called all her friends, then all our neighbors, but no one had seen her since she left for work that morning. Our conversations regarding the casino flooded my mind, then a plan began to form.
Early the next morning I walked across town in my nicest pair of jeans and a button-up shirt. I pushed through the door to the casino and saw that Selene wasn’t lying. The place was all but deserted. Three dozen slot machines crowded the walls surrounding a few tables interspersed throughout the floor of the casino. The only players in the whole building were Bob and Donald, two locals.
I walked up to a nearby table where Bridget, a girl I’d gone to high school with, was shuffling cards. She broke into a grin when she saw me. “Hey Orin, you here for a few rounds of blackjack?”
“I wish,” I said. “No, I’m here to ask about Selene. She never made it home last night.”
Bridget’s expression darkened. “Really? Have you asked around?”
“I already called around. Have you seen her?”
She shook her head. “No, our schedules rarely line up. I’ll be sure to let you know if I--” Her eyes focused on something behind me, and she cut herself off.
I turned around to see the casino’s pit boss watching us both. He was a tall thin man in an impeccably clean black suit. When I turned back towards Bridget, she was looking down at the table and shuffling cards absent-mindedly.
“Well, if you hear anything, let me know,” I said.
She nodded, so I turned around and headed for the pit boss. I stuck out my hand. The temperature of his hand was so hot that I had to pull my hand away after a few seconds.
“Have… have you seen my sister Selene?” I asked. “She hasn’t been seen since her shift here yesterday.”
He smiled. “Sir, this floor is for players. You’re more than welcome to head to the tellers for chips, but barring that I’m afraid I’ll have to ask you to leave.”
I stared at him for a long second before stalking towards the door. When I looked back, he was talking with Bridget.
I checked my watch. 8:55 AM, just as I’d planned. I walked around the back of the building and waited as the morning bus pulled around the building. I waited for the telltale hiss of the opening doors and the sound of people descending before I rounded the corner and joined the crowd. None of them paid any particular attention to me as I walked with them into the casino.
The crowd walked through a side door down a hallway to an elevator. Small groups of people entered the elevator as the rest of us waited for our turn. I shot a glance at the casino patrons, surprised at their diversity. There seemed to be people from all different countries and ethnicities. I heard one speaking Japanese and another speaking what sounded like an African language.
My turn came along with a few other patrons in the elevator. A sickly woman hobbled into the elevator beside me carrying an IV that was still connected to one of her veins. We piled in and rode up to the top.
The elevator rose for a few long seconds. I wasn’t sure what I would find, but I steeled myself for something horrible. The elevator’s speaker let out a TING, then the doors opened.
We all walked out onto what looked like a standard casino. Another few dozen slot machines ringed the walls, but on this floor, they were almost all occupied by customers. I took in the scene, confused at why they’d have a ground floor that was almost completely empty when this place was almost--
Selene was dealing cards at a nearby table.
I jogged over and sat down at an open seat. None of the players around me paid me much attention.
“Selene!” I said. “Are you OK? Did you spend the night here last night?”
Her eyes were glassy and confused. She looked up at me with a dumb expression and didn’t respond to my question.
“Selene?” I asked.
“What’s your bet?” she asked me. “This table is for blackjack players only.”
“I…” I trailed off, looking at the players around me. None of them were betting with chips of any kind. “What’s the minimum bet?” I asked.
“Three years,” she responded.
“Three years then,” I said, not knowing what that referred to.
Selene nodded, then began dealing cards. I shot a look down at my hand. King and a 9. Selene dealt out cards for herself, showing a 9. I stood, then leaned forward again. “Should I call the police? Are you--”
“Congratulations,” she said tonelessly.
An almost impossibly warm hand grabbed my shoulder. I spun to see the pit boss I’d spoken to earlier. He gave an impressed smile. “Orin, was it? I’m impressed, truly. Would you mind if I had a word with you?”
I shot a look back at Selene who was dealing the next round of cards. Then I got to my feet, balling my hands into fists. “What did you do to her?”
The pit boss clasped his hands behind his back. “Nothing more, and nothing less than what I’m going to do to you. That is, offer you the chance to play.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
The pit boss nodded his head towards a nearby slot machine. A woman in a wheelchair pulled a lever and watched the flashing numbers spin. They exploded in a cacophony of sirens and flashing lights. “WINNER WINNER WINNER!” The machine screeched.
The woman in the wheelchair put her feet on the ground and stood up on a pair of wobbly legs that had clearly never been used before.
“As in any other casino,” the pit boss said, “you must wager for the chance to win.”
“She... won the use of her legs?” I asked, feeling light-headed. “Wait,” I said. “I played blackjack just now. ‘Three years,’ Selene told me. What does ‘three years’ mean?” I asked.
“Three years of life, of course. Did you win?”
My mouth felt dry. “I-- Yes, I won.”
He smiled warmly. “Congratulations. I hope you enjoy them. I can tell you from personal experience that watching the decades pass is a bore. Give it some time and you’ll be back to spend them.”
I watched the pit boss’s face. He couldn’t have been more than a few years older than me, and I was in my early thirties. I looked around at the casino. No one was playing with chips of any kind. “So what?” I asked. “I won years of life. That woman won the use of her legs. What else can a person win here?”
“Oh, almost anything. They can win almost anything you can imagine.”
A cold feeling settled in my stomach. “And what do they wager?”
His eyes flashed with greed. “Almost anything. They can wager almost anything you can possibly imagine. Anything equal in value to the item they want in return.” He nodded towards a nearby roulette table.
A man stood by the table, cradling his hands. “Another finger,” he called out. He only had three fingers remaining on his left hand. As I watched, the ball came to a stop, and another finger disappeared from his left hand.
The pit boss extended his hands. “Feel free to try any of our games. Bet and win whatever you’d like.” He reached out and snatched my hand. A feeling of intense warmth passed up my arm to my chest. “There,” he said. “I’ve even given you some house money to get you started. An extra decade of life, on me.”
I ripped my hand away, staring at him in horror. Then I looked back at Selene. Something clicked in my mind. “You offered her the chance to play. What did she want?” I asked.
“Her husband,” the pit boss said. “Quite the sad story. He died two years ago. She wanted him brought back to her.”
“What did she wager?” I asked.
“She wanted the chance to win a soul, the most valuable object in existence. I’m sure you can imagine what she needed to wager for the chance to win it. What she wagered is unimportant. The important question is: What do you want, Orin?”
I stared at Selene with a flat expression. “I’m sure you can imagine.”
His eyes flashed with greed again. “How wonderful. The casino could always make use of another dealer. Feel free to make your wager at any one of our games; I’ll be eagerly awaiting the results of your night. Oh, and do take advantage of our waitresses. We always supply food and drink for ‘high rollers’.” He walked away.
I spent the next few hours trying to decide which game to play. I was going to be wagering my soul, so I wanted the highest chance possible. Slots and roulette were out. I’d done some reading online about counting cards, so I figured that blackjack gave me the best odds.
I walked up to Selene’s table and sat down. “Bet?” she asked with that same toneless voice. “Three years,” I said.
I spent the next hour or so doing my best to remember how to count cards. I knew that low cards added one to my count and high cards decreased it by one, but the casino used three decks. I had read something about how that was supposed to change my calculation, but I couldn’t quite remember how.
Every time I won a hand, I cursed myself for not putting everything on the line. Every time I lost, I breathed a prayer of thanks that I’d waited. And all the while, I kept track of the count.
I had lost fifteen years of life when the count finally reached +5.
“Bet?” Selene asked.
“I wager my soul so you can be free,” I said.
The table around me fell silent. Selene’s eyes flickered, but she showed no other emotion as she dealt the cards. I watched my first card, punching the air in excitement when I saw a Jack. My excitement turned to ash when my second card was a four. Fourteen.
I looked at her hand. One card was facedown, but the faceup card was a King. I swore loudly, staring down at my hands.
“Hit?” she asked. The entire table was silently watching me.
“Hit,” I said, not looking down. The table erupted in cheers. I looked down to see a 7 atop my two other cards. 21. Blackjack.
I looked at Selene who flipped over her facedown card to reveal a 9. 19. I won.
The glassy look left her eyes immediately. She looked around in surprise, then her eyes locked on mine. “Orin?” she asked, then almost immediately began to cry. The entire casino broke out in cheers.
I grabbed her hand and headed for the elevator. The doors had begun to close when the pit boss reached out with a hand to stop them.
“Congratulations,” he said, beaming. He seemed to be honestly excited.
“Shouldn’t you be upset?” I asked.
“Not at all. Casinos love it when we have big winners. It inspires the other players to make larger bets. I imagine I’ll gain two or three dealers before the night is through from your performance.”
“Great,” I said flatly. “Now let us go.”
“Not yet,” he said. “You didn’t just win, Orin. You got a blackjack. And blackjack pays out 1.5 times your bet. You won your sister’s soul and more.”
I stared, not sure what to say. “What are you saying? I won half a soul extra?”
The pit boss grinned wildly. “Just remember what I said. You’ll find living for decades and decades to be a boring experience. After a few centuries, you’ll be back to gamble that half a soul away. Congratulations!”
He removed his hand, and the elevator doors slammed shut.
I helped Selene back to her house. Her children were relieved. I watched them cry, then moved into the kitchen to start making dinner.
It’s been a few days since that experience. The casino is still out there, and buses full of people still arrive. I… I cut my hand pretty bad a few days later. When I checked it an hour later, it had already healed, no scar or anything. I’m not sure exactly what I won at that casino, but there’s no way I’m ever going back.
X

I grew up in a small mountain town named Eureka. It was founded in the late 1800s during the gold rush, but after the mines dried up the town began its slow descent into decay. Half the houses are empty or abandoned now.
You can see a picture of the kind of houses here in Eureka:
Abandoned House
Non-abandoned House
When a massive construction project began nearby, it was the talk of the town for weeks. Why would they build something in a sleepy dying town like Eureka? It wasn’t until my sister Selene talked to a few construction workers that we discovered they were building a casino.
A casino up in the mountains, over two hours away from Denver. None of us could understand why they’d chosen here of all places. After a few months of work, the casino was done.
I took a picture of the town with the completed casino in the background to the right. The ten-story-structure sticks out like a sore thumb off in the distance.
Town+Casino
After the casino opened, they hired a few dozen members of the town, offering high paying jobs to work as dealers or cleaning staff. I was already employed as a firefighter, but my sister Selene got a job as a blackjack dealer. She’s a widow with two young kids, so the paycheck was a real lifesaver.
Still, something about the situation seemed too good to be true. The jobs over there paid far too well, and the management was far too accommodating. The fire station where I work is located high on a hill overlooking the town, so I began watching the casino from a distance each day.
I had initially thought that the casino was located in a terrible location, but I was apparently wrong. True, Eureka was hours from any major city, but despite that, a bus full of people arrived every morning and left every evening.
One night I was over at my parent’s house and had dinner with Selene and her kids. I asked her about her experience as a dealer.
“It’s Ok,” she said. “Just a little boring I guess.”
“Boring?” I asked. “I’m surprised you don’t have your hands full.”
“Why’s that?” she asked. “It’s like you said, Eureka’s too small. I never have people playing cards. The casino is almost always completely empty.”
I wasn’t sure what to make of that. If the place was always empty, what happened to the people who I’d seen arriving on buses? “I’ve been keeping an eye on the building,” I said. “A bus full of people typically arrives around 9 AM every day.”
“Really?” she asked, looking confused. “If that’s true, I’ve never seen them.
“I can see it from the fire station,” I said. “If you head out for a smoke break at 9 AM, you’ll probably see them arriving.”
“Interesting,” she said. “I’ll do that. If they’re being processed for their organs or something, I’ll let you know.” She laughed.
“Har har,” I said sarcastically.
The next night she sent me a text calling me over. When I arrived, she was nearly breathless with excitement.
“Orin, You were right,” she said. “A big group of people did arrive, but they didn’t walk into my part of the casino. Instead, they all walked into an elevator at the back of the building. I’m not sure where that goes.” She looked thoughtful. “It was weird. They looked… How can I say it? Desperate? Something about the whole situation was very off. I’m gonna check out the elevator tomorrow.”
I told her to be careful, though, to be honest, I was excited to hear about what she discovered. When I visited my parent’s house the next night, I found her two kids there alone. They told me that Selene had never returned from work.
I called all her friends, then all our neighbors, but no one had seen her since she left for work that morning. Our conversations regarding the casino flooded my mind, then a plan began to form.
Early the next morning I walked across town in my nicest pair of jeans and a button-up shirt. I pushed through the door to the casino and saw that Selene wasn’t lying. The place was all but deserted. Three dozen slot machines crowded the walls surrounding a few tables interspersed throughout the floor of the casino. The only players in the whole building were Bob and Donald, two locals.
I walked up to a nearby table where Bridget, a girl I’d gone to high school with, was shuffling cards. She broke into a grin when she saw me. “Hey Orin, you here for a few rounds of blackjack?”
“I wish,” I said. “No, I’m here to ask about Selene. She never made it home last night.”
Bridget’s expression darkened. “Really? Have you asked around?”
“I already called around. Have you seen her?”
She shook her head. “No, our schedules rarely line up. I’ll be sure to let you know if I--” Her eyes focused on something behind me, and she cut herself off.
I turned around to see the casino’s pit boss watching us both. He was a tall thin man in an impeccably clean black suit. When I turned back towards Bridget, she was looking down at the table and shuffling cards absent-mindedly.
“Well, if you hear anything, let me know,” I said.
She nodded, so I turned around and headed for the pit boss. I stuck out my hand. The temperature of his hand was so hot that I had to pull my hand away after a few seconds.
“Have… have you seen my sister Selene?” I asked. “She hasn’t been seen since her shift here yesterday.”
He smiled. “Sir, this floor is for players. You’re more than welcome to head to the tellers for chips, but barring that I’m afraid I’ll have to ask you to leave.”
I stared at him for a long second before stalking towards the door. When I looked back, he was talking with Bridget.
I checked my watch. 8:55 AM, just as I’d planned. I walked around the back of the building and waited as the morning bus pulled around the building. I waited for the telltale hiss of the opening doors and the sound of people descending before I rounded the corner and joined the crowd. None of them paid any particular attention to me as I walked with them into the casino.
The crowd walked through a side door down a hallway to an elevator. Small groups of people entered the elevator as the rest of us waited for our turn. I shot a glance at the casino patrons, surprised at their diversity. There seemed to be people from all different countries and ethnicities. I heard one speaking Japanese and another speaking what sounded like an African language.
My turn came along with a few other patrons in the elevator. A sickly woman hobbled into the elevator beside me carrying an IV that was still connected to one of her veins. We piled in and rode up to the top.
The elevator rose for a few long seconds. I wasn’t sure what I would find, but I steeled myself for something horrible. The elevator’s speaker let out a TING, then the doors opened.
We all walked out onto what looked like a standard casino. Another few dozen slot machines ringed the walls, but on this floor, they were almost all occupied by customers. I took in the scene, confused at why they’d have a ground floor that was almost completely empty when this place was almost--
Selene was dealing cards at a nearby table.
I jogged over and sat down at an open seat. None of the players around me paid me much attention.
“Selene!” I said. “Are you OK? Did you spend the night here last night?”
Her eyes were glassy and confused. She looked up at me with a dumb expression and didn’t respond to my question.
“Selene?” I asked.
“What’s your bet?” she asked me. “This table is for blackjack players only.”
“I…” I trailed off, looking at the players around me. None of them were betting with chips of any kind. “What’s the minimum bet?” I asked.
“Three years,” she responded.
“Three years then,” I said, not knowing what that referred to.
Selene nodded, then began dealing cards. I shot a look down at my hand. King and a 9. Selene dealt out cards for herself, showing a 9. I stood, then leaned forward again. “Should I call the police? Are you--”
“Congratulations,” she said tonelessly.
An almost impossibly warm hand grabbed my shoulder. I spun to see the pit boss I’d spoken to earlier. He gave an impressed smile. “Orin, was it? I’m impressed, truly. Would you mind if I had a word with you?”
I shot a look back at Selene who was dealing the next round of cards. Then I got to my feet, balling my hands into fists. “What did you do to her?”
The pit boss clasped his hands behind his back. “Nothing more, and nothing less than what I’m going to do to you. That is, offer you the chance to play.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
The pit boss nodded his head towards a nearby slot machine. A woman in a wheelchair pulled a lever and watched the flashing numbers spin. They exploded in a cacophony of sirens and flashing lights. “WINNER WINNER WINNER!” The machine screeched.
The woman in the wheelchair put her feet on the ground and stood up on a pair of wobbly legs that had clearly never been used before.
“As in any other casino,” the pit boss said, “you must wager for the chance to win.”
“She... won the use of her legs?” I asked, feeling light-headed. “Wait,” I said. “I played blackjack just now. ‘Three years,’ Selene told me. What does ‘three years’ mean?” I asked.
“Three years of life, of course. Did you win?”
My mouth felt dry. “I-- Yes, I won.”
He smiled warmly. “Congratulations. I hope you enjoy them. I can tell you from personal experience that watching the decades pass is a bore. Give it some time and you’ll be back to spend them.”
I watched the pit boss’s face. He couldn’t have been more than a few years older than me, and I was in my early thirties. I looked around at the casino. No one was playing with chips of any kind. “So what?” I asked. “I won years of life. That woman won the use of her legs. What else can a person win here?”
“Oh, almost anything. They can win almost anything you can imagine.”
A cold feeling settled in my stomach. “And what do they wager?”
His eyes flashed with greed. “Almost anything. They can wager almost anything you can possibly imagine. Anything equal in value to the item they want in return.” He nodded towards a nearby roulette table.
A man stood by the table, cradling his hands. “Another finger,” he called out. He only had three fingers remaining on his left hand. As I watched, the ball came to a stop, and another finger disappeared from his left hand.
The pit boss extended his hands. “Feel free to try any of our games. Bet and win whatever you’d like.” He reached out and snatched my hand. A feeling of intense warmth passed up my arm to my chest. “There,” he said. “I’ve even given you some house money to get you started. An extra decade of life, on me.”
I ripped my hand away, staring at him in horror. Then I looked back at Selene. Something clicked in my mind. “You offered her the chance to play. What did she want?” I asked.
“Her husband,” the pit boss said. “Quite the sad story. He died two years ago. She wanted him brought back to her.”
“What did she wager?” I asked.
“She wanted the chance to win a soul, the most valuable object in existence. I’m sure you can imagine what she needed to wager for the chance to win it. What she wagered is unimportant. The important question is: What do you want, Orin?”
I stared at Selene with a flat expression. “I’m sure you can imagine.”
His eyes flashed with greed again. “How wonderful. The casino could always make use of another dealer. Feel free to make your wager at any one of our games; I’ll be eagerly awaiting the results of your night. Oh, and do take advantage of our waitresses. We always supply food and drink for ‘high rollers’.” He walked away.
I spent the next few hours trying to decide which game to play. I was going to be wagering my soul, so I wanted the highest chance possible. Slots and roulette were out. I’d done some reading online about counting cards, so I figured that blackjack gave me the best odds.
I walked up to Selene’s table and sat down. “Bet?” she asked with that same toneless voice. “Three years,” I said.
I spent the next hour or so doing my best to remember how to count cards. I knew that low cards added one to my count and high cards decreased it by one, but the casino used three decks. I had read something about how that was supposed to change my calculation, but I couldn’t quite remember how.
Every time I won a hand, I cursed myself for not putting everything on the line. Every time I lost, I breathed a prayer of thanks that I’d waited. And all the while, I kept track of the count.
I had lost fifteen years of life when the count finally reached +5.
“Bet?” Selene asked.
“I wager my soul so you can be free,” I said.
The table around me fell silent. Selene’s eyes flickered, but she showed no other emotion as she dealt the cards. I watched my first card, punching the air in excitement when I saw a Jack. My excitement turned to ash when my second card was a four. Fourteen.
I looked at her hand. One card was facedown, but the faceup card was a King. I swore loudly, staring down at my hands.
“Hit?” she asked. The entire table was silently watching me.
“Hit,” I said, not looking down. The table erupted in cheers. I looked down to see a 7 atop my two other cards. 21. Blackjack.
I looked at Selene who flipped over her facedown card to reveal a 9. 19. I won.
The glassy look left her eyes immediately. She looked around in surprise, then her eyes locked on mine. “Orin?” she asked, then almost immediately began to cry. The entire casino broke out in cheers.
I grabbed her hand and headed for the elevator. The doors had begun to close when the pit boss reached out with a hand to stop them.
“Congratulations,” he said, beaming. He seemed to be honestly excited.
“Shouldn’t you be upset?” I asked.
“Not at all. Casinos love it when we have big winners. It inspires the other players to make larger bets. I imagine I’ll gain two or three dealers before the night is through from your performance.”
“Great,” I said flatly. “Now let us go.”
“Not yet,” he said. “You didn’t just win, Orin. You got a blackjack. And blackjack pays out 1.5 times your bet. You won your sister’s soul and more.”
I stared, not sure what to say. “What are you saying? I won half a soul extra?”
The pit boss grinned wildly. “Just remember what I said. You’ll find living for decades and decades to be a boring experience. After a few centuries, you’ll be back to gamble that half a soul away. Congratulations!”
He removed his hand, and the elevator doors slammed shut.
I helped Selene back to her house. Her children were relieved. I watched them cry, then moved into the kitchen to start making dinner.
It’s been a few days since that experience. The casino is still out there, and buses full of people still arrive. I… I cut my hand pretty bad a few days later. When I checked it an hour later, it had already healed, no scar or anything. I’m not sure exactly what I won at that casino, but there’s no way I’m ever going back.
Interested in more? Support me on Patreon at any level!
My Patreon backers will get early access to my horror stories, free copies of my horror novels, and an exclusive story each month.
Become a Patreon supporter here:
https://www.patreon.com/WorchesterStreet
Thank you to my lovely Patreon Backers:
Brooke Tang Private Castle Lilith Scyther Peter Jamison MADman611 Lily Bain Vivienne Hoai Claire Shabbeer Hassan Maranda Mae Madeline Budd Lauren Ashley Luna Vaughan Stephanie Jennings, Krystin Molina
and my new Patreon backers, Carter B, Yazz Ledgister, and an especial thanks to newest backer Christina! Your support is invaluable!

Hey guys!! Looking to travel out to Colorado for the first time I'd like to go snowboarding and get to a casino. Is there a city that has both nearby. Or maybe even a resort that has both on the same property?? Thank you for the help!

Hi,
Visiting from NYC. Want to check out a casino (or two). Which are the best ones nearby?
Thanks!

Hello my degenerate golf friends!
I've been searching the subreddit but can't find juicy deatails so......
I am getting married next year and id love to have my bachelor party at a stay and play Michigan. I'm from Ohio and would love to play the great courses up north, but unfortunately it's too much to ask all the guys id like to share the experience with.
I was wondering if any of you would be so kind to give me some advice/recommendations to stay and plays more towards the Ohio border.
Thanks all!
Edit. Forgot to add, a casino nearby would be a very big plus!

Looking for a poker game tonight. Anyone locally have games rolling or any casinos nearby open with rooms? Don’t know well.

Long rant coming.
So I'm just going to get into it.
I have ADHD. I have some other diagnosed mental disorders, but ADHD is the most severe of them all. It seriously impacts every aspect of my life. I've always described it to people who don't have it that it feels like I have to try twice as hard as everybody else just to get by. It sucks, a lot.
My room is always dirty, the dishes pile up, I forget everything, I lose things constantly, I put off important tasks (my car has needed an oil change and some work done on it for months and my tags have been expired for like 8 months), I can't focus on work...
I want to go to school, but just the thought of filling out the applications is mentally draining. I actually kind of enjoyed high school, and now that I'm 24 I feel like I'm running out of time to do the things I want to do and learn the things I want to learn while I'm still young. All my friends are graduating and I haven't done anything since high school, which I graduated in 2015.
I have a terrible sleeping schedule because I feel like all of my day is taken up by work so I stay up super late, and then on the weekends I stay up late because, well, it's the weekend. I feel like there just isn't enough time in the day to do the things I want to do. This just causes even more stress because then it's all I think about. It's already 4:35, so it's almost 5, which is almost 6, and then I have to go to bed at 12 (although I'll put it off till at least 1) because I have work in the morning. It's like 50% of what I think about.
It kind of extends into phobia territory - my biggest fear is dying. I don't want to die, and I honestly think I'll look into freezing myself to try to avoid it. It's so scary to me, and people with ADHD tend to die earlier because they take up harmful habits more often. We sleep a third of every day and work another third, we only really live a third of our lives, and that's not counting errands and shit.
But back on the topic of ADHD and how else it affects my life: My room is a MESS. There is cat litter on the floor (I did clean my cat's litter box but there's some on the floor and I just haven't cleaned it because I keep putting it off). There are a ton of dirty clothes. My walls are blank even though I have tons of stuff to put on them, I just don't do it. There's boxes because for some reason I hate throwing anything away. There's like five empty bottles of marble soda because I wanted to get the marbles out of them but I put it off. There's half drunk water bottles everywhere. There's paper on the floor, a broken headset, it just goes on and on. It's so damn stressful to look at, to think about, and I can't seem to ever bring myself to clean it.
Sometimes I get hyperfocused and will take care of a lot of it, but that quickly wears out and it'll take months till I can do it again.
The worst thing is my job. I work in a call center for a health insurance company and I make $15 an hour. I'm on corrective action because my stats are terrible. I sit around in between calls for a long time, I don't do everything I'm supposed to, and more. My boss talked to me about it once before and said that HR was moving to have me terminated, but she convinced them not to go through with it because my stats were improving.
But that was because I was hyperfocused then, I guess. I really want and need this job. I have a lot of bills, and thankfully I've managed to save $13kish, but that will go away fast if I get fired because I won't get another job for a long time.
I remember in 2017 or maybe it was 2018, I quit my job at a casino nearby where I was making $12/hr because I intended on moving to Chicago to be with my girlfriend. But my mom made such a big deal over it that I ended up not doing that. Then I moved into my own apartment and lived for 6 months until I ran out of money (I had $10k saved at the time).
Then I got hired where I work now and admittedly I've never been a good worker, but my old boss didn't care that much. My new one stresses me the fuck out and it's not like I don't know I'm doing bad, I'm trying, I really am, but I don't think she believes me. If only she knew what it was like to actually be me. All of my coworkers joke about how bad they are, but their stats are so good, I'm one of the worst. I can do well for a month and then I'll just turn to shit because it's just so taxing.
I don't think this job is for me, but where else am I going to get a job that pays well in the middle of a pandemic in the middle of nowhere? On top of all this, in about 3 months I have to move out because my roommate is moving to Kentucky, and my other friend and I plan on living together. How am I going to afford that without a good paying job? My schedule says I have a meeting with my boss at 10am on Wednesday. I'm not prepared for what I know she's going to say. The other day she said I was already on corrective action and if I slide any further then I'd be fired. What if she tells me it's too late? I've explained all of this to her, but she doesn't care. She says she had ADHD, but she seems to function so much better than I do. Maybe she's medicated? I don't know. And since she say she dealt with the same things I do, you would think she would understand how I feel, but it doesn't seem that way at all.
The obvious solution to all of this is getting medicated, but I hated being on medication because it felt like I wasn't really me anymore. I like who I am, I just wish I didn't also feel like I was a dysfunctioning robot that was never meant to make it off the product line.
If you read this far, thank you, I really just needed to rant and didn't know where to go.

I read so many of these stories and can relate to almost all of them. I don’t know how many can relate to me because I literally lost thousands upon thousands of dollars all within weeks. A few weeks ago I won probably $20,000 and within two weeks ive lost it all plus several more thousands. Currently, my bank account is $4000 overdrawn! I have an entire Ziploc bag full of 1099 ‘s! For those of you who don’t know what that is, it’s basically every time you win anything over $1200 you have to pay taxes on it. I live in Henderson Nevada which is right next to Las Vegas. I can literally walk to the casino from my house. Unfortunately, I’ve been gambling since I was 17 years old and I’m currently almost 55 years old! I started out gambling and my parents took me to Las Vegas when I was 17 years old. They told me is the greatest place and so much fun and they would give me money to gamble. I never got carded or anything I just got to play on my parents money. Typically, I would be the only one coming home with money at the end of each trip. My parents will often ask me for gas money to get home. It’s different when you’re not playing with your own money. Several years later after having children and getting divorced, I started playing bingo. I was living in California at the time where there wasn’t casinos nearby. I started getting hooked on bingo and then started frequenting an Indian casino within about an hours drive away. First it was bingo which I won $1200 the first time I was there. Overtime I started playing slot machines and then really got into video poker. Long story short, in 2008 I ended up moving to Las Vegas with my new husband. All of a sudden The opportunity to gamble was literally at my fingertips. I would have to spend my lunch hour from work at the casino across the street. In the evenings, my mom lives with me and is also a gambler and I would go to the casino. My husband, although when I met him didn’t really gamble much, really got into it too. Between all three of us we spend several nights a week at the casino. I am by far the heaviest better of all of us and I’ve gone from playing nickels to quarters to now dollars! At the beginning of the year I won $10,000 and one video poker hand. One night I won probably almost 20 grand just playing video poker. I’ve had stacks up on stacks of money to where I can’t even close my wallet! This was just a few weeks ago and now I don’t even have enough to cover All of the advances I’ve gotten from the casinos over the past week. I finally come to a place where I know this has to stop or I’m going to lose everything including my marriage and my gorgeous home! I have made a decision to finally get help! I really want to go to GA but right now there are no actual face-to-face meetings and I’m thinking that the virtual stuff probably wouldn’t work for me. My husband is fully aware of my struggles as well as my mother and they are both willing to help me even though they are both gamblers but not to the extent that I am. I’ve been listening to a podcast that directed me to Reddit And I’m hoping this is A form that will help me stay accountable by reading other peoples stories of gambling addiction as well as success and overcoming it. I welcome any advice anyone has to give and support because God knows I need it!

My manager is out of town this week so I'm working days for the first time in 3 months, getting to deal with lots of interesting people.
One of my check ins for the day is a crazy old lady, think hippie turned trailer trash. Frazzled hair, wallet tucked in sweaty bra, constantly twirling around and waving hands in a perpetual state of being overwhelmed. Getting a straight answer to a simple question is next to impossible. Trying to check her in has already dragged on way too long, having to explain things 3-4 times, when she finally notices the mask I've been wearing the whole time.
Crazy Lady, stepping back and putting hands on hips: Oh CL: Ooooh. Hmmmm. So. Let me guess. They're making you wear a mask??
Me: Yeah that's policy.
CL: Wow. Just wow. You know, this whole thing is just so-
Me, cutting her off: So to log on to the wifi you need to...
I manage to cut her off and finish checking her in. After she gets her keys she asks me if there are any casinos nearby.
Me: Yeah, -Casino Name- is about 20 minutes away from here.
CL: Oh good. And would you say that the people at the casino are wearing masks? I mean I assume the workers are being forced to, but like, the other people. Are people around here wearing masks?
Me: I mean, yeah, most people have been pretty good about wearing masks.
CL: WELL THEN, we can cross THAT one off the list. You know this is all just such BULLSHIT. It makes no sense!
Me: Ma'am..
CL: I'm from Seattle. Have you been watching the news??
CL looks around and leans in: Those damn Ni-
Me: MA'AM!
CL recoils in 'shock' and gives her best over the top old lady gasp
Me: Ma'am, with all due respect, I don't want to talk politics at work, now is there anything else I can help you with?
CL: Oh wow. I wasn't talking politics! I just think that-
Me: Ma'am! I will not talk politics, and I will not be discussing masks any further. I am choosing to wear one, you are not, and that is fine. Nobody here is telling you what to do. I am done with this conversation, the elevator is down to hall to the right.
Cl walks away and keeps exclaiming the whole time.
Cl: Oooh my. Wow, oh my. I've never seen anyone get so riled up over nothing! Wow. Interesting. So interesting. Hmmmm.
The cherry on top was five minutes later when one of my long term guests who is immunocompromised and wearing an N95 everywhere comes in with a baffled look and says that some crazy lady started yelling about his mask as he came inside.

There's an acquaintance of mine who let's just call him Joe. Joe is a nice guy, friendly, always cheerful and can't really say he's a bad guy. Except for him being full of it. Most people who know me don't really know I have much experience in MMA. They just know I coached wrestling for a while and maybe know I had an unspectacular college and international career.
Joe isn't aware of that. He knows I have a lot of coaching experience with wrestling and that I competed in college but that's it. So he was telling me about his BJJ background and foray into MMA. Honestly when somebody says that I'll believe them, around here because we had MMA basically being unregulated until 2001, there were a few shows here that people fought in, me included, and a lot of guys who thought they were tough might have stepped in once or twice and gotten mangled by somebody who actually trained. There's probably a whole book you could write about the various types who showed up to fight. So even if somebody was a jobber who consistently lost back then, guys improve and get better if they keep at it. One example was a guy who was an average high school wrestler who was like 1-7 in fights, took about a year off and trained and ended up beating a pretty good BJJ purple belt by TKO.
So Joe is telling me about how he switched to BJJ in 1991 after he moved here. Red flag immediately, because I am pretty sure BJJ wasn't really a thing outside of Southern CA or maybe a few isolated places in the US. I live in a fairly backwater city, or it was then anyway. The BJJ/MMA scene here was pretty small until maybe like 2004. You generally knew who was who since there were only a handful of legit places to train. I think the first real BJJ place we had came into existence around 93 and was in a very different part of town from where Joe described.
Then he says he had his neck popped with a guillotine choke in 1994 at an MMA event held at a casino nearby. Problem is I don't think there were any official MMA events besides the UFC or Extreme Fighting back then. I know there were some underground fights allegedly, Don Frye supposedly KO'd an unidentified Gracie at one of these in the 90s. But these things weren't amateur hour, it was closer to what you saw in the movie Lionheart from what I've been told, fights being held privately for people to get on. So I don't think that a guy like my buddy Joe would be doing those kinds of fights.
I hear this with regularity too, which is sad. Guys come to the gym say they fought or want to, then claim to be out of shape when they struggle with warm ups, then can't even do the basics correctly. And you think you're going to fight if you can't do basic skills? I let them talk and then watch them get demolished by guys who diligently have trained for 6-8 months and aren't fighters. There's actually a pretty funny story about this I'll post later because it's exactly the kind of wannabe Instagram "fighter" thing I can't stand.

I'm fairly successful and want to actually experience it in person at the casino nearby. I'm very nervous about it though as I have no clue about live poker etiquette. Any advice would help because I'm nervous as hell that I'd fuck up somehow.

I've been meaning to get into light betting to make the non seahawk games fun to watch. I used to go to the casino when i was living in albuquerque but now I'm in idaho, no casinos nearby. Bovada won't let me sign in since I'm in idaho, you guys know any way around this? Or an offshore site I can use? Someone recommended betonline but its not working, the site keeps freezing. Whether I use the old or new site

DM: Ethan M. Players: Ethan J. (Naeron), Jacob S. (6B), Thomas S. (Nikola), Derek M. (Ice Sculpture), Austin G. (Orville), Cameron P. (Cirio)
Dear Mom and Pop,
I’m so sorry I haven’t written more. So many things have been happening and with every day I forget to write. I’ve met more people like me, I’ve seen new places, I’ve met so many new people and made so many friends, I’ve even discovered some things about myself and my powers. So far I’ve been on 6 quests for the guild so far and my most recent one was quite fun. It was in the city of Radchai, about 2 weeks from Cliftorden, it’s really nice. The architecture is stunning. I was with some old friends and some new ones as well. There was an Elf name Naeron, a warforged named 6b, and human named Nikola. These are the ones I’ve met. I also made new friends, I think, with another warforged named Ice Sculpture and an Elf named Cirio. Both were quite but were very nice. So once in Radchai we met the priest that told us about some wailing in the woods(I’ve been here before so I knew of this already). We decided to wait until the morning came the next day so we went around town and had some fun. Me and Nikola went to the casino nearby and actually did pretty well. I’m thinking of opening my own casino in Cliftorden I just need some investors. The next day we went into the woods and followed some strange markings on trees until we found many fallen trees in the the forest. From there we heard a scream a few minutes off and rushed over to find 4 lumbermen fighting 4 scarecrows. We easily defeated the scarecrows(Nikola’s fire was a big help) and save the lumbermen. With that the wailing stopped and we left the forest. We told the guard stationed outside about what happened and he said there shouldn’t be any lumbermen in the woods. I have a feeling Radchai will need the guild once again but for now it’s safe.
I will try to remember to write you more Love, Orville

Ask me anything. I will answer everything I legally can. (Even though Im no longer employed there are still legal things I can't share.) Or don't ask me anything, tell me how much dealers suck I don't care lol just let's have a entertaining thread.

Finding a hotel in Marshalltown, Iowa where you can have a good stay at a fair price can be a challenge, but life just got a lot easier for you if you follow my advice: Stay at Best Budget Inn, a pleasing place with a good location and ample amenities where budget-minded travelers find the experience they want.
This Marshalltown, Iowa motel offers amenities that include in-room fridges and microwaves, modern televisions with cable service and about 60 channels, free on-the-go breakfasts with snacks designed to start your day right and with fresh beverages including individually brewed morning coffee, powerful free wifi and affordable laundry service – all designed, the management says, with making sure every kind of visitor gets the experience they need for a successful stay that will have them coming back again and again.
If you’ve explored US Highway 30 Marshalltown hotels in the past, you already know that there are some bad choices – places that cost too much for sensible travelers and places that provide such a low-quality experience you don’t even feel comfortable spending the night. But all will be well for you if you select Best Budget Inn.
Why not make it your pick of Meskwaki Casino nearby hotels? So many others have and have gone away totally satisfied with the plan to return and stay at this well-rated, constantly refreshed property again.
You’ll like this agreeable accommodations choice when you’re seeking a budget hotel Marshalltown, Iowa travelers can confidently depend on. You’ll see that for yourself when you book and stay in a single or double king room at this well-lit, pleasant and affordable place.
Book Best Budget Inn confidently on this recommendation and be ready to be impressed. You’ll surely thank yourself for your decision when you do. In fact, why not book right now?

For context I (18F) woke up today at 6:30 in the morning to tell my crush that I've had a crush on for two years that I love them (finally). Happened about 10 hours ago. Technically didn't happen today by this time, but does it matter?
After a long time of redditing and watching youtube later (about 1:45pm) I told them I loved them. Which lead to me getting rejected, but we're still on cool terms. Ofc I was a bit disappointed with the outcome, but I think anyone would. I wasn't going to let it hold me back too much, I just needed a bit of time. So after eating half a carton of Ben and Jerries ice cream, I decided I was going to go outside to take some pictures of the area.
First thing that happens is that my face mask hates me because I wear purple glasses, so I kept trying to put it on until I realized that putting it on upside down actually made it stay on for the most part. I then put on my sunhat, I grabbed my two phones, one has the sim card (Samsung Galaxy J3 Luna Pro) that I've had for a year and a half, and the other is my new phone I got last week (Google Pixel 3a), and then I grabbed my water bottle. Mom wants me to bring hand sanitizer with me, but my pockets were full so she tied it to my hoodie's zipper. Boom I was off, for an unexpected adventure.
My destination was my city's waterfront.
Not even a minute into my adventure, my hat blows off my head due to the surprisingly extremely windy wind. I had to retrieve it. About 1/3rd down my street later my glasses fell off and my face mask was being stupid. I picked up my glasses and fixed my face mask. I walk down another 1/3rd down to my street and had hat issues so I held onto my hat. Then right after that I noticed my hoodie's zipper was down to the point where my (luckily) shirt underneath was extremely exposed. Glad I wore a bra today otherwise things would of gotten awkward.
I finally then make it onto the next street, which is on top of a small hill. My hoodie zipper falls down again due to the hand sanitizer, so I used the strings of my sunhat and put it under the hand sanitizer. This stops the problems I have with both of them. As soon as I make it down the hill, my glasses drop again, so I pick them up. About 45 seconds my glasses drop and **BAM** the right frame falls off. Unfortunately for me, I get super motion sick when I don't wear my glasses. So I forced myself to walk forward a bit so I wasn't going to block anyone wanting to walk by. I spend like 3 minutes snapping my right glasses frame back into acceptable condition for now (the right frame falls off if I bend it now unfortunately). Somehow didn't have anymore trouble until I arrived at the waterfront. Except the normal entrance I normally would use has traffic cones in front of it, but the other two entrances weren't closed as people were casually in the waterfront. The other two entrances were at least a four to six minute walk for either one.
That's when I told myself "Fuck it, this can't get any worse." Which is when I decided to walk across the bridge which was next to waterfront entrance I wanted to go in. As soon as I tried to cross the bridge some asshole ran a red light when I had the green crosswalk signal, nearly running me over. I walked across the whole bridge dealing with an annoying hat trying to blow off into the traffic. I eventually made it across to the city and walked to that city's waterfront. I was the only one wearing a face mask. I relaxed for a while at the waterfront took a lot of photos. Eventually I decided I wanted to walk to the Casino nearby to show some online friend's the ridiculous name it had. When I was about halfway there the road was closed due to construction. It was the only street to the casino without having to take a huge loop around everything. So I headed home.
After a bit of walking, I somehow got stuck underneath the bridge I came on, which lead me to finding a weird shady street. Which had the only person who was wearing a face mask that I saw in this entire trip (looked about 4-5 years old) who was told to take it off by her (assuming) mom when I walked past her. I then decided to try the bridge that would admittedly take me closer to home but had more traffic. So I walked onto a street which should of taken me there and then right when I was about to cross a street that would take me to the bridge's street I realized I was at a dead end. There was no crosswalk where there should of been one and the closest one was way too far up to bother going for and would put me on the wrong side of the bridge I needed to be on. So I looked both ways and start crossing, turns out a car that must of just turned from a side street nearby was coming my way. Which almost ran me over as well. I then proceeded to take pictures after walking a bit further up.
Upon returning to my city, I had to cross two traffic islands, for the second one I dropped my water and had to kick it across halfway through. Then it turns out there was no crosswalks until the middle point of the long street, at around the same area I crossed for the bridge to go to the other city. So I walked all of the way down, crossed the street, my water fell out again, and had to kick my water again. Eventually leading me to walk back down to my street without any problems. My hat was full-on trying to escape me when I got to my street, but I held on tight to it. Then I (finally) returned home. Later from looking in a mirror I had gotten bruises from my walk all over my arms which I'm not going to question at this point. I am done for the day.
tl;dr I went on a venting walk, damaged my right glasses frame, nearly got ran over twice, and bruised myself all because I got rejected and thought it would be a relaxing time to walk for the first time in a long time.

Anyone in the Chicago area know of any live games up and running yet? Some of the casinos nearby are open (4 winds, Hammond) but card rooms are closed.

EPISODE	DIRECTED BY	WRITTEN BY	ORIGINAL AIRDATE
S06E03 - "Fear and Loathing on the Planet of Kitson"	Jesse Bochco	Brent Fletcher & Craig Titley	Friday, May 24, 2019 8:00/7:00c on ABC

Episode Synopsis: It's a wild night out on the planet of Kitson for the agents. While Fitz and Enoch try their luck at the casino, nearby, Daisy and Simmons find themselves in a much ... groovier situation.
Jesse Bochco has worked on Prison Break, Nip/Tuck, Dallas, and a ton of other television series.
He has directed ten episodes for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. before:

• Girl in the Flower Dress
• Heavy is the Head
• Love in the Time of Hydra
• 4,722 Hours
• Watchdogs
• Deals with our Devils
• Wake Up
• Orientation - Part One
• Rewind
• Rise and Shine

Brent Fletcher is primarily known for his writing on Lost, Angel, and Friday Night Lights. He was also a writer and story editor on Spartacus: Blood and Sand.
He has written twelve episodes for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. before:

• Girl in the Flower Dress
• The Magical Place
• Providence
• A Hen in the Wolf House
• Love in the Time of Hydra
• The Dirty Half Dozen
• Closure
• Failed Experiments
• Broken Promises
• Farewell, Cruel World!
• Fun & Games
• The One Who Will Save Us All

Craig Titley is most known for his work on the Scooby-Doo movie, and Percy Jackson & The Lightning Thief. He has also worked on TV shows, like The Cape, and Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
He has written ten episodes for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. before:

• The Writing on the Wall
• Afterlife
• 4,722 Hours
• The Inside Man
• Emancipation
• Uprising
• Hot Potato Soup
• Rewind
• Principia
• The Force of Gravity