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Show Page 12 Wednesday, April 19, 1978 People, Places And Th ings By fioc M unlock PCHS Third At Drama Meet Las Vegas. On a Saturday night a half a million ' humans may be found within its boundaries. Yet only a hundred and some thousand call it home. ; Hotels with ten thousand rooms, each occupied, oc-cupied, thrive within feet of each other making .. money only because each hotel houses a casino. The biggest stars in show business play twice a night to the folks from Iowa and New Hampshire and Arkansas. The stars attract the folks and the folks stop for a while in the casino. It all runs on the potent fuel of money. The money is brought to Vegas by people not gamblers; gam-blers; just ordinary people who gamble knowing full well they will lose. But the spectacle of it all ! The sheer moneyed madness that could create a t city for no other purpose than to play the game. That's what attracts them; attracts them to the . neon, bright-as-day streets from all over America and from lands beyond. But these people are not really gamblers. Ma "and Pa who drop their nickels in the slot machines don't see themselves that way. They ; expect to lose. They are having fun. So where are the real gamblers? X Are they the quiet and serious 21 players who nlflv apainst fixpri house ndHs at thp pame of blackjack? A game so ritualized that it can be played in total silence using only hand signals and specified bets. These players, too, must usually lose. They certainly couldn't make a living at it, no matter how carefully they play, in the face of the casino odds that built these magnificent hotels. Are they, then, the noisy, free drink guzzling, high rollers who risk big money with a single roll of the dice? Sometimes these characters win a pile, but more often they lose it all. The house still has its edge. I These are not the gamblers. These are the tourists. In Las Vegas there are people who are waiting for the tourists. These are the gamblers. The pros. They don't play the slots and they don't play against the house odds at the tables. They play against the tourists. You can find them at the casino poker tables, in the casino sports betting bet-ting rooms, even out on the casino golf courses. They make their living by betting but they only bet to win because they must win to eat. The professional gamblers play when the odds are on their side, not the other way around. Recently, I met a man who considered himself to be such a gambler. He lives in Las -Vegas. Sometimes. He lives there when he is gambling there. If he is playing poker in the legal draw poker clubs in Gardena, California, he lives there. But he keeps a place in Vegas because, he says, that's where the action is. He said his main thing was poker. He plays at the various big casinos along the "strip." Wherever the tourists are. He plays tight, cautiously tight, so he plays for hours at a time. He may be dealt a hundred hands but drop out, waiting for those one or two good hands that he is sure he will win. He waits. He says it is not enough to have a winning hand, the tourists must also have good enough cards to stay in the game and they must be ready to bet. There's no doubt it's a remarkable skill: to be willing to wait for that right moment and to recognize it when it comes. The gambler says he rarely is willing to play against the other pros. They sit at the same table, and they know each other, but they give no sign of recognition and if one bets, the other is likely to drop out until the next hand. They are not there, he says, to engage in a contest of skill, they are there to win money. The surest way is to take it from the tourists. I asked him if he enjoyed it? Did he feel guilty about taking money from others who really don't understand the game? His answer was memorized. "Guilty? Would you bar a player from the game just because he is better at it than the others? The same person who sits down at the casino poker table may have just lost a hundred at the casino's craps table. Does the casino feel guilty? Is there a difference between the man who loses fifty bucks at the 21 table expects to lose it and the man who gets a fifty dollar lesson about gambling with strangers who become golf partners at the casino's plush 18 hole course?" So, that is the gambler's reason for being in Las Vegas. His philosophy, he says, is the same as the casino's: let the tourist have a good time, but make sure he leaves without his money. I asked him one last question. If I got in my car and drove to Las Vegas, sat down at a casino poker table with him for one night, could he take my money? W7ould he always win? "Yep!" Could he do it even if I knew he was a pro and if he was to point out to me the other pros who were in the game? "Yep!" He was friendly about it but he was also absolutely positive. I would lose. Before he left Park City we came to an agreement. I would drive down to Vegas at first opportunity to try it. I would meet him for one full night of poker at one of the casino's stud poker rooms. I'll report in a later column what happens. Park City captured 68 points to take third place in a Region 11 drama meet held last Friday at Park City High School. Over 17 Park High dramatists participated partici-pated in each category. Dugway took first with 100 points. St. Joseph took second with 81 points. South Summit was fourth with 39, South Rich, fifth with 9 and Utah School for the Deaf was sixth with 8 points. Wess Jolley received a first in the "monologue" category, receiving superior ratings in all three rounds. David Sargeant placed fourth. Also taking firsts, as well as receiving firsts in all three rounds in the "scenes" category, were Tony Mago-zslovich Mago-zslovich and Paula Putman. .Mike Jarvis, Kim Weaver and Sony a Ratcliff posted thirds and Susan Byer, Janet Ailborty and Shelley Stover olaced fourth. Angie Orwig received eighth in "dramatic reading." read-ing." Renee Farwig and Colleen Burns placed third and fifth respectively, in pantomime. Susan Mann and Kerri Gunderson placed seventh and eighth in "humorous readings." In "retold stories," Kirk Dearden took third, Marty Wright, sixth and Sea ton Prince, eighth. Kelly Utley received the "best actress" award for her performance in the one-act play "Lovers.Winners." Gavin Packard received honors as "best supporting actor." Park City will be entered in 13 categories in the state meet slated for April 28 and 29 at Weber State College in Ogden. "Potentially we could beat Dugway at state," said enthusiastic drama coach Brenda Benseh on Monday. cFIREPLACES Glenn Masonry & Fireplaces Rock work, glass jronts (fireplaces & accessories) 1-392-4922 or 1-825-4772 (Ogden) Puppets Come To KAC Sat. Magic, wonder and fantasy fan-tasy come to life when the Dragons Are Too Seldom Puppet Theatre presents "Journey to the Black Edge" at the Kimball Art Center on Saturday, April 22, at 7:00 p.m. "Journey to the Black Edge" is the whimsical voyage to the dark unknown by a bunch of dragons, wizards, elves and other assorted creatures including Tlapjaw' the dragon and his sidekick "Erv' the elf. Their travels lead to encounters with 'Onion Dome Gnomes,' 'This and That,' 'Echolalias,' and finally the dreaded evil force 'Hittilla.' A mystical and musical adventure comedy, "Journey to the Black Edge" is designed for the enjoyment of young and "H .'like. The Dragons Are Too Seldom Puppet Theatre is made up of three creative puppeteers from Deadwood, South Dakota, who will be in Park City with their colorful array of hand, rod and body puppets ranging in size from one to five feet tall. The Dragons Are Too Seldom Puppet Theatre is presented in cooperation with the Utah Rural Arts Consortium and the Western Arts Foundation. Tickets are: children (under 12) $1; Kimball Art Center members $2, all other adults $2.50. The Dragons Puppet Theatre requests that children under eight years of age be accompanied by a parent or supervising adult. For information and reservations, call 649-8882. I GLASS SERVICE Mobilglas Company Salt Lake City 486-9731 auto glass - insurance claims - licensed contractors - aluminum & wood windows for new construction - mirrors - shower & tub enclosures - insulating glass I I CAVATJON Jeff's Backhoe Service Footings, water and sewer, grading Call 649-8421 after 8 p.m. Happy Birthday To You! "HEATING' Heber Heating 684 East CenterHeberCity .-.-. Installation, sales and service, also 1 'service 6n commercial refrigeration.' PARK CITY'S 2ND ANNUAL 5 I April 19 April 23 J I i Frank McDonald L Jim.Gilchrist 4 II KABL ) Clint Maaee I I jj April 20 Haml'n (Jjv ff l l SUSanMenCh JScottaothier JftJJfc I 1 1 J a fnend or y'w would like lo congiawlalpd in Iht Birthday )f m0mjjjr4 I I I J''' 1 i Column' Send ihra nb.ni'lsl and dales of birth Idau and motlih only) toBirth Wnv 1 Mondav I Ci ; 3 .. APR,L24 j yef I sssaasaX. Doors open at 6:30 f Gourmet Sandwiches n show starts at 7:30 jf 'if m ns m ff Luncheon Salad Bar X?,, I ff Homemade Soup ij Ice Cream Soecialties II I i MAINTENANCE Park City Maintenance Carpet cleaning, window washing, house cleaning, etc. Full janitorial service, 649-9055, Suite 2010, Mt. Air Mall Clegg's Building Maintenance Every type of building maintenance and cleaning. All kinds of landscaping and fencing. Free estimates 649-9096 iYlaintamx, Inc. 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Box 1210649-7870 Licensed Contractor Interior and exterior, wood finishing Residential and Commercial 323 Main Street 649-8682 T jVfontaTergsa 430 Main Street Pork City, Utah 649-8277 TWO FREE DRINKS That's right! Upon presentation presen-tation of this ad, we will give you two free medium sized soft drinks with any purchase of a medium or large deep dish pizza. Or one free drink with each purchase of a small pizza, sandwich or dinner s present this coupon when ordering I BIWDING MATERIALS Heber Lumber 700 W 100 S Heber City 654-1170 We Deliver Anderson Lumber Co. nxgnway 24869-8477 7 Everything for your building needs ELECTRICIANS Alpine Electric Licensed contractor, just call Fat Back 649-8779-P.O. Box J355 SS0 Woodcuts by Thomas Bewick and His School. courtesy General Pub Ci Ltd.. ed. Blanche Cirker I I I fa (Offer void after 52578) J |