Usually, bad lessons learned from gambling result in money lost and sad people. But that is not how this story ends. This is the story of a couple of lucky friends who made poor decisions and were rewarded for it.
Ken and I were gambling buddies. There was a time when we would go to Atlantic City once a month. We’d play craps and blackjack — but mostly craps. We played blackjack when we wanted to relax. We were “smart” gamblers – we had read the books and we knew our odds.
We usually fared pretty well. We were disciplined. If our allotted money ran out, well, we were done. But not on this particular Sunday. Our money ran out way too fast. So, we did exactly what you are not supposed to do … we hit up the ATM. We agreed to each take out $20. When playing craps properly, that is basically one bet.
So .. we put our money on the line and we put it behind the line. Dice were rolled. We won right away. Another roll. Another win. We placed bigger bets. We kept rolling the dice. We played craps for two more hours. We were high fiving and giggling and our mantra was “this is such a bad lesson!”
By the time we left, we had each recovered our original losses and then each netted a profit of over $400. We sheepishly grinned as we left the table, knowing full well that we were not supposed to be rewarded for making those decisions. But I was indeed rewarded – I bought a set of wrought iron furniture for my deck (nutty gambling purchase, I know). That was 22 years ago — and I still have the furniture and I still have a great gambling story!
As I See It 
Isn’t it funny how “bad” decisions and not following the rules can be profitable.
I’m always fascinated how people look at their wins and losses in gambling. It is as if the losses don’t really count, and the wins are what it is all about. My friends who gamble tell me, their losses are an investment in having a good time, but I am not a gambler and maybe I just don’t understand that in the end, this is why losing more money than winning doesn’t really matter.