Friday, July 22, 2011

A Chance to be a Maverick of Chance!

Gambling has never been my cup of tea not because I am against it but mainly because half the time I just don’t get it. If you are on the slot machines you sit there and just press a button and things spin, colours flash and you have no clue where your money went or how it all of a sudden got back. When it comes to gambling on the tables, gosh that is just another ball game all together. Everyone seems so serious and calculated and it seems like big money is being made and also being lost. Well this past weekend I had the opportunity to step into the world of gambling at Montecasino and I walked away with my eyes, mind and heart wide open.

Montecasino’s new advertising campaign is called “Mavericks of Chance!” What they are really trying to achieve is a change of perception of gambling because most of the time people have negative perceptions or no perception at all.  I think their new TV ad really achieves this. Basically the commercial walks you through moments in life where people take a ‘gamble.’ When you watch it, I am sure you will relate to at least one of the scenarios whether it’s to wear no underwear with your cocktail dress, just to avoid the panty line; skinny dipping in the ocean; racing with shopping karts, whatever. But Steve Howell, Montecasino’s GM, also highlighted other scenarios in life where we gamble for example choosing which line to join in traffic and just hoping it is the fastest one.  The commercial then makes you really think by leaving you with a statement - something along the lines of “You think you are not a gambler….friend let me tell you have been one your whole life!”  You can check the ad here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_71WxEzkvFk

To get this message across to the public, Montecasino opened its gambling floors to a bunch of socially connected individuals from bloggers, to rap artists, to singers, to previous beauty pageant winners, spouses/partners and just some awesome characters.  You may be wondering which category I fitted in…um well I guess I was 20 % of everything. I just put on my social hat and went for it…pregnant and all, and what a blast I had. We got introduced to both the slots and the tables and had an opportunity to learn and experience what it was all about.


Kanya: "wow this is so exciting, all I need to do is press the button."

Kanya: "aaaa okay what just happened there."

Kanya: " Hey I think I won something? Um I think?"
Kanya: " I better tell some body :)"

 The slots were just as I expected…..confusing…..but the thrill I got was competing with other contestants. We had 3 rounds of slots where we were all given R100 and 90 seconds to gamble. It was hilarious watching us just pressing those buttons and hoping that something magical would happen which would double our money. It really was a hit or miss chance. If you were lucky, you would get with free spins which would allow you to go over the 90 seconds. Boy did those lucky buggers annoy me coz the credits would just keep rolling in. We attracted quite an audience when we were playing and I wasn’t sure if it was because we were loud or the fact that people recognised the famous people….or maybe it was the fact that we were given free R100. One lady asked me “How do you play this game!” I just replied “I don’t actually know….I think the game is playing me!”

Then we got introduced to the …drum roll please – TABLES! I must admit I think I was in the best group ever – Team Red. Most of us had no clue how to play on the tables but we were all there for a good time. I think the dealers also had fun trying to teach us how to play because we were all pure laughs. The first round of poker was a serious joke because we learned terms like – ‘all in’ and ‘fold’ ‘two pairs’ ‘flush’ but I don’t think most of us really knew what it meant with regard to the cards we were holding. But for some magical reason I won a whole lot of chips! My original R3000 worth of chips instantly quadrupled. On our sixth round of poker only 4 of us still had chips and our winner had R56 000…Yikes from R3000 that was quite cool if it was a real game of poker  but boy imagine if you had lost “R3000” that’s like petrol for the month, Ouch!  Black Jack and Roulette was just as much fun…but my luck seemed to be finished. At least now all the colours, lines, numbers and cards finally made sense to me. 
Look at how confused we all look....me sipping on my virgin strawberry something something. Yum

























So after the whole experience here is my heart-to-heart thoughts on gambling. Yes gambling can be a whole lotta fun but it should never be thought of as a source of income. This opportunity to learn how to gamble did increase my gambling confidence. No it wasn’t the kind of confidence that screamed “I am a gambler” or “I’m going there everyday” - it was more like this “I know what is happening and can make a wiser decision than before.” It also made me realise how much money one could lose/win - and so quickly too.

As much fun as it was I could also see how gambling could be an addiction which helped me relate to the people I knew who actually have a gambling problem. I could see how easily and quickly it could take over someone’s life and that gave me quite a chill.

Would I gamble again? Mmmm. Absolutely! BUT - I would have to have two major things in place before I hit the floor – 1) my husband, for accountability, AND a fixed budget, which I would expect to lose, and not necessarily double or improve on. But I think this should be the advice for any person that decides to be a Maverick of Chance. View it as entertainment - like going to the movies or going out for drinks…..and nothing else!

After a wonderful dinner at La Scala we ended our night at the Southern Sun hotel. It is a bit strange sleeping in a hotel when you live so close by but wow the experience was definitely worth it.....even though it was free. We were welcomed to a room with desserts and gifts, as if we were on honeymoon all over again. I don't know why it is so but food, sleep, entertainment ect is just so much more sweeter when you are not paying for it :). So thank you Montecasino for the chance to be a Maverick of Chance! I was dazzled :).


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Here are some photos of some of the other cool people of the evening:




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