Sometime in the late 1960s, Irwin invited me to join himself and his brother in law, Joel, to a gambling junket. I had never heard of a “Junket” or a “Gambling Junket”. I asked how does it work? Where does it go?
Irwin replied, “This one is going to “Bonaire” an island in the Southern Caribbean”.
How much will it cost? Irwin explained that it cost nothing … hotel, food, everything was “on the house”! WHAT … Why? He explained that this was a “gamble” for the hotel-casino owners as well as the players ( the suckers, I found out!)
On a Friday afternoon we left Newark Airport and after a long five hour flight, we arrived at this desolate fishing village island next to Aruba and not far from Venezuela.
Well there were 88 guests aboard the airplane who were taken by two old 1940s buses.
We arrived in time for a late afternoon session at the tables. I was winning at Black Jack at first, but when the dealers changed, I started to lose. I quit just in time when they were starting to serve dinner in the dining room. I had just about broken even.
I met Joel and Irwin who had both won. Others I heard had lost, many, “big time”.
We had our meal and I decided to hit the sack early. The next day, I thought will try the Craps Table.
Sure enough I got up at 10:00 am, all refreshed and ready to go! I hit the table by 11:00 am and immediately started to go downhill. I got up from this table at about 1:00 pm and went to the restaurant for lunch. Irwin wasn’t there but Joel got there earlier than I did. He had lost a few hundred bucks while had lost about $100.00.
A half hour later Irwin sat down at our table with at least twenty $100 bills in his pocket. He had won last night at the craps table and when the dealers changed he doubled his bets. The owner (or Manager) of the Casino became the dealer and Irwin seemed to embarrass him.
That Saturday night, I was approaching my $500.00 limit (that was the amount which I thought was the real value of the airline ticket and the weekend hotel stay). Sunday, I played a few dollars and quit. I had lost everything except the ride home carfare.
Joel said he lost about $1,500.00 which he had brought with him. I lost my limit amount of $500.00.
Irwin, on the other hand won so much money, he treated us both to the ride home and put money in an envelope for each of us.
On the airplane we found out there were 88 guys on the plane and 87 were losers! ONLY ONE WINNER >>>>>>> IRWIN LEVINE, OF COURSE!
When we were on the airplane trip going home, Irwin was in the middle seat I was on one side and Joel was on the other side. Irwin asked Joel to take a card from an actual casino deck which Irwin was given at the hotel and not show him the “face side”. Irwin, said, “The Jack of Clubs” … IT WAS!
Then, for the next card, he said, “The Five of Hearts!” …. Again IT WAS!
Two more cards and Joel and I looked at each other …. Together we asked, “IS THIS A MARKED DECK?” …. Irwin replied, “Do you think I would cheat?”
IRWIN MIGHT NOT HAVE DONE EVERYTHING BY THE BOOK, BUT HE NEVER NEEDED TO CHEAT. HE WAS, IN FACT, AND IN PRACTICE, “THE LUCKIEST GUY I EVER KNEW”!