It is the nature of gamblers to be optimistic. If you have two dollars left in your pocket, you still have a chance. You are not out, until you are out….

I was walking about in the clubhouse race book, and found myself seeing the same faces for the most part. The players who love the game for many reasons. Each is different, and each is their own….

As I bought myself a bite to eat, I found “Railroad Bill” sitting in his same spot. If I could throw a rubble ball a hundred yards away, I could hit Bill in his seat. He brings his coffee, three packs of cigarettes, and programs to his seat. It will be tough not to find him there. He is retired, and his wife left him long ago. It was the track that brought him company. It was the track that was his companion. He has friends mind you, but there is no love that will fill the void in in his heart.

It was this day that Bill left his usual seat to chew on my ear as I ate a large hot dog for lunch. For Bill, it was out of his character. He never left his perch.

This day a man told me stories of many years that have been filled by photos and winners; close ones and bad runs. But the friend he always had, ran 10 times daily and never left him cold.

He said, “there have been days I have walked out of this place with a wad of bills that could choke a horse.” Some others left him with just gas money to get home. But the best part about being a player, is that you are never out as long as you have two dollars in your pocket. Having that deuce keeps you alive. Hope springs eternal; or at least every twenty minutes.

Bill is a gambler. Plain and simple…. He loves the game, and will play until he can’t play no more. Just keep that two in your pocket, and you are never out of the game.