Railbirds Never Win

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January 11th, 2017
Back Railbirds Never Win

Railbirds are the unluckiest people in the world -- especially if they are in a gambling city that never sleeps.

I am assuming my readers know what a railbird is. By definition, a railbird is a person who is out of action because he or she is broke. All they can do for entertainment is to lean on the rail and watch the other players in action.

Believe it or not, I sympathize with railbirds. During the past, I have been one on a couple of occasions. It isn't a pleasant feeling.

I remember playing in a poker game in Las Vegas. As I got up to take a break, a middle-aged woman approached me shyly.

'Can I ask you a question?,' she said timidly.

'Go ahead.'

'Could you cash a check or lend me $40 so I can get back into the game?'

It took a lot of willpower, but I turned down her request. The check would probably have been good -- she didn't look like a shyster or a crook -- but I didn't want to add to her problem, which obviously was gambling. Any person who approaches a perfect stranger with a request for money obviously has a problem.

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I have met many railbirds over the past 40 years. When I played the horses at the Fremont or Binion's Horseshoe in downtown Las Vegas, they would be hanging around trying to cage free drink tickets. The sellers would only give the tickets to people who were wagering money.

Sometimes I would give a railbird a drink ticket. Other railbirds would approach me to give a tip on a horse. If I made a bet and the horse came in, I would give the person a tip. That was how I met Mike, a former A&R man for Motown's Berry Gordy.

I have written about Mike on this website in the past. He was a top handicapper who had fallen on hard times because of his addiction to crack cocaine. Mike was brilliant but his addiction wiped out his ability to make a success out of life.

Another railbird at Talking Stick Casino in Scottsdale, AZ. would make a $40 buy-in in an Omaha High-Low game, and then make 10 percent deals with players at other tables to share their winnings if their table hit a jackpot. She must have sold about 90 percent of herself to the other players. I know a player once hit the jackpot and then refused to pay her. The guy was a louse, but there was nothing she could do about it. Morally, she was a winner. Legally, she didn't have a case.

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If you have a winning session in a cash game or place in the money in a poker tournament, you are probably being observed by a railbird. And when you go to the cashier's cage to be paid, don't be surprised if a stranger approaches you, compliments you on your play -- and then asks for a loan.

This happened to me after I won a tournament at a Las Vegas casino. One of the players I knocked out came up to me with a big grin and complimented me on my play. Then he wanted to borrow some money from me. He promised to pay me back quickly. I gave him $40.

That was 20 years ago. Although I have approached him several times to be repaid, he always has an excuse. Railbirds often hustle, but they never win. Keep that in mind next time one of them hits you for a loan.

“Railbirds often hustle, but they never win.”

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