As a follow up to the post of April 16th on the number 23 . . . . a few years ago, it was Groundhog Day. Donna and I were traveling with her sister and our brother-in-law in South America. We spent an evening in Port Iguazu, Argentina. The hotel – Casino Iguazu – featured a (duhhhh) casino. After dinner, we wandered off to the casino to check out the scene.

Now mind you – when I have gone to a casino or race track (which may occur once every five or ten years), I allot myself a few hundred dollars to spend s-l-o-w-l-y and to see what happens. I view it as an entertainment expense – as if we were going to the theater or special event.

As with Estoril, I gravitated to a roulette table – changed some bucks into chips – and began to bet. First off, I bracketed the number 23 on each of the four corners and each of the four sides. And I plunked one chip on the number itself. “Nada mas” said the croupier – no more betting – as he spun the wheel. And. . . . yep. . . . it hit on number 23.

To make a long story short, I hit number 23 three times in the space of perhaps one hour such that a security guard was dispatched to watch me place my bets. I was up a good chunk and ready to leave. My brother-in-law was playing Blackjack close to the door. I walked over and mentioned that I was pretty much ready. He had two or three hands to go so I sat down – by another roulette wheel. I glanced over and thought why not – and bracketed the number 23 with 9 chips. And – yep – DING DING DING DING!