The "vibe"...
Coming back full circle, I think to those of us who enjoy casinos, a point can be reached where the rush of adrenaline from gambling can become just as addicting as a drug. For me though, it was only half about the gambling. The other half was the "vibe". We all know what the "vibe" is -- that feeling when you are planning a trip to Vegas, Atlantic City or some other destination -- the feeling that everything is at your proverbial fingertips. Determining which hotel we will stay at, what flights, how many days, which restaurants, which shows, etcetera etcetera. Then, upon actually checking into the casino, hearing the sounds, seeing the sights and smelling the smells, knowing that all of those chips are there - red, green, black, yellow, watermelon - waiting to be relieved of their positions in the rack. Anticipation is such a powerful feeling - the anticipation that anything is possible. To know you can sit down at a machine or a table and easily strike up a conversation with another player - after all, we are all there for the same thing - the thrill of victory (and to commiserate over the agony of defeat). On some level, we all "know" one another. Walking into an elevator in Vegas is an entryway into a world where each person's private finances suddenly become open topics of conversation - "Hey, are you winning? How much? Oh, you lost, damn, get it back after dinner - it will turn around for you!" These are conversations that would not take place anywhere else other than in a casino. The casino and the "vibe" connects all of us to each other -- the "vibe", I believe, is a camaraderie, a knowing glance, a secret handshake that grants you admission to a secret society wherein we are all attempting to be kings and queens for the time we are in the casino -- although most of us end up becoming Jokers. That is the "vibe" - that communal feeling, the anticipation of winning, the possibilities of life, love, entertainment, gustatory pleasures and electricity - all blended together into what I call the "vibe".