King High Diamond Flush, I said boldly as I laid my cards out on the table.

Despite my strong hand, my heart still thumbed to my chest as I waited for the only other player in the hand to reveal his cards.

Although my odds of winning were good, I was nervous.

If my opponent had the ace.

Ace High Diamond Flush My trainer thought was disrupted and my heart sank.

My opponent had the goddamn ace.

Unlike any other time I'd played Texas Holdam at the Casino, I had no idea what to expect.

See, I wasn't at a normal Casino.

I was at the Holy Grail Casino, where one does not gamble with money.

My opponent had waged a finger, and I thought that that had been some colloquial way of making

a small bet.

Just as we say frequently, an arm and a leg figuratively for an exorbitant

cost, I thought that finger was being used in the same context. I was proven brutally wrong

when the dealer, without a hint of emotion, pulled a large knife out of

some concealed location and chopped my pinky finger off.

I screamed, both in pain and disbelief.

I had been expecting the most intent gambling experience of a lifetime,

but I hadn't imagined anything of this magnitude.

I had finally found a form of gambling even I bought that.

I'll come clean and say it. I'm a compulsive gambler.

I've had an enduring fixation on Lady Luck as early as I can remember.

As a child I loved making bets, even small and petty ones with my peers.

...