The Horseshoe Casino

[Lucid Dreams]

Josh sat at the Diamond bar on the second floor of the giant casino. With a drink in his hand and the game on his mind he sat and drank slowly on his glass of vintage rum. The sting of the rum going down his throat was soothing as he watched one of the flat screens upon the wall behind bar. He sighed softly as he reached into his pocket, knowing he was already through have the money he had brought with him. He was told he could get a 5,000$ advance down in the cage but he really didn't want to have to do that, but he knew he would end up doing it eventually. He looked back up to the screen, the patriots and the charger's were playing and it was the end of the fourth quarter. Patriots were winning by a field goal and the charger's offense was getting desperate. He laughed to himself, looking around for his buddy, who he had made a bet with. He knew he was going to have to pay up and he probably went wandering off as an excuse.

He didn't mind, he knew he would get paid eventually, and that was good enough for him. He rose from the bar, ordering a refill before he went wandering around. The place was massive, over 30,000 square feet of slots, cards, craps, and roulette. He had plenty of activities to choose from but he wanted to see the sights for a bit. He walked down the the basement level to check out the five star buffet. He had paid for a full day's worth of meals so why not grab a bite to eat?

He looked around as he slowly descended on the escalator and set his eyes on the large buffet. It was almost 200 ft in length and stocked full of fine foods. He smiled as he felt his stomach grumble at the sight of the feast. He walked up, showing his ticket to the waitress and grabbed a plate. He stocked it full of steak and french fries, a classic meal. He sat down at one of the near by tables and began eating. The meal was absolutely amazing, every bite melted in his mouth as he felt his stomach slowly start to fill. He felt his buzz begin to recede a bit also thanks to the food. It helped a bit, but he knew he would need another drink soon.

Drinking would of had to been his one weakness, he had been an avid alcoholic for years, but never let it effect his professional life style. He never wanted to lose his luscious job, but he knew if anyone ever found out how much he drank on a day to day basis, they would probably put him in the hospital.

After finishing his meal he decided to make his way back to the second floor, where the Diamond was located. He would grab another drink and head to the poker tables. It was one of his favorite games to play here at the Casino, but he had surely tried them all. He won a few and lost most but it was simply the atmosphere and woman that kept him around. He wished he could never leave.

 

[TragediansComic]

Vidalia was sitting at one of the tables, men on either side, most with a drink in hand. She liked to play with a clear head, she could her face better that way. It was nearing the end of their game, she had doubled what she came with so far and hoped to keep her luck, but she knew how fast the tables could turn and lose everything. It had happened enough times. She liked her current hand, a nice Full house.

She placed her bet, a third of her current total. She wouldn't bet it all, not unless she knew she was going to win. One man folded, giving up on the spot, the one beside him placed down a Flush hand. She put down her cards and the last man gave a smirk, putting down his hand. A Straight Flush, if he had an ace instead of a nine, he would've had a Royal Flush.

Now she was down some. She was glad she didn't put everything in just yet. The man who folded got up and left the table then, leaving with nothing but the lint in his pockets. Maybe she should quit while she was ahead and actually walk away with some winnings. 'Just one more round,' she told herself, 'Just one more. I'll be sure not to bet everything.'

She glanced at the empty seat though and wondered who would take it. Probably some high roller, if luck was on her side, an unlucky one and even better drunk enough to play, but not very well. But as it was just shown, Vidalia knew luck wasn't completely on her side, in fact, she was getting the suspicion the tides had turned on her.

 

[Lucid Dreams]

Josh was simply walking around eyeing out the tables, it seemed that quite a few people were enjoying the late night atmosphere. It also seemed that the alcohol was getting to a few more than earlier as well. He noticed a few people getting up from the tables with a bit of a sway, leaving half empty glasses behind. Those were the people he loved, willing to bet everything on a whim at the tables. He caught a couple of men standing from a table, a look of shame across their faces as they walked away with empty pockets. Noticing the woman sitting there he decided to take a seat. He put down a couple hundred dollars and was given the lot in poker chips.

The dealer introduced himself and started shuffling the cards. He didn't pay much attention the the few people sitting around the table and wasn't really worried about them either. Until, he noticed how much money the young lady had stacked in front of her, it was a pretty decent pile. He smirked softly to himself and sat up a bit. He took a sip from his drink and picked up the cards as they were dealt to him. A small smile caught his lips as he looked at the full hand. Two pair, aces high. It was a decent hand, and he raised, a solid fifty bucks. He didn't know if anyone would bite, it was an obvious reach for a quick pot, but he didn't care. The night was getting late and he had already gotten the advance. Another 5,000 wouldn't hurt his bank account, he would simply wire the money to the account tomorrow, and simply not worry about it.

He watched another man sit down as he waited for the rest of the table to make their move, but this man was obviously pretty drunk and had a full pocket. He sat down and ordered 5,000 in chips, after throwing that amount, on the table. Josh was delighted, he could easily make a nice amount of money off of this guy, but he couldn't be to obvious about it, big town drunks always looked for a fight before words, and this guy was definitely that type. So Josh sat, with that little smirk on his face, and watched. Waiting for his moment to make a move.