How to Gamble (And Win)

Our days are coming to an end. It's hard to believe that we only have two days of class left and it's back to the West Coast we go. I'll really miss my friends here... but that's beside the point. Lets talk about today.

The day started off with the bustling of nervous students studying for the excel quiz this morning. In the midst of studying, Shanti and Matt, our classmate, invited the class to sing “Happy Birthday” to our Amanda, our classmate. It’s great how everyone joins in on the birthday song here. Once the clock struck 8:30, Mark and Reneta went over the schedule for the upcoming days. Their speech continued for the next twenty minutes, so our class wiped their brow, relieved that they forgot about the excel quiz. Our hopes got too high, because Mark called our group into the computer lab for the excel quiz. On top of everything, the quiz was extremely difficult. It was a multiple choice with only one answer. I still remember the question, blaring in my face as I racked my brain for notes. The computer screen read: “Who is your favorite teacher?” with the options of Mark and Reneta on the bottom. Our class burst into laughter at the sight of the problem, but our smiles were quickly turned into melancholy grins when Mark mentioned that this would be the last class we would have together.

Time flies when you’re playing with excel.

The rest of the day was relaxing. We got back to the classroom and finished watching Undercover Bosses featuring the CEO of Choice Hotels. Before we knew it lunch came by and then more lecture. This time, we were talking about a big city in the west—Vegas.

Being from California, I thought I knew a good deal about the city of gaming, but there’s a lot to learn,

A hands on lesson on Blackjack.

especially in the hotel aspect. Reneta gave us a good lesson about how Casino Hotels operate. We explored some of the largest casino hotel cities and discussed their tactics and robust architecture. Finally, it was time for Mark to take the stage with his lesson on Casino Hotels. Mark is more for the hands-on version.

I’ve played Blackjack once or twice with my father, but Mark didn’t teach us how to play; he taught us how to win. We were given a chart about how the player should react in a given situation. Mark called up three students to the front of the room to join him in a demonstration, and the whole class broke into a giggles and gasps when cards were revealed or chips were lost. We even learned how to play craps. During the demonstration, Mark discussed how playing with chips creates a disconnection between the player and reality. In addition to this, the casino’s employ many other tactics to lure and maintain

At the Pho shop.

their customers.

We spent our office hours working on the rest of our final report. Afterwards, it was time for our Cohort dinner. Everyone met up in College Town where we left for a Pho shop down the street. It’s sad to think that my time at Cornell is coming to an end… but I’ll enjoy the rest of the time I have here to the fullest.