Neither Lender Nor Borrower

Ben Franklin was famous for his wise sayings, one of them being, 'Neither a lender nor a borrower be.'

Ben could have made a fortune selling that advice in Las Vegas. That's where one of the most famous saying in town is, 'Say, buddy, could you mind lending me a little cash. I'm busted.'

I lived in Las Vegas two years. I can't tell you how many people approached me for that loan. While I turned down many requests, I made a few loans and gained some valuable insight into human nature in the process.

I discovered for one thing that the dealers know who is trustworthy and honorable as opposed to someone you can't trust. Often when somebody would approach me for a loan, I'd tell him to wait a minute. Then I'd have a conference with Josh or Randy or one of my other favorite dealers.

If the answer was, 'I wouldn't trust that guy's intentions from here to the wall,' the person would not get the money. But if the response was, 'You can take it to the bank,' the person got the loan.

I remember the night I was playing well in a $4-8 game at Binion's Horseshoe. I was up well over $700 when someone tapped me on the shoulder.

He was a tall slim black man in his 30s. Well dressed with fashionable jewelry, he seemed to be somebody in the know in the City that Never Sleeps.

I took a break in the game and walked over to him. He took a card from his wallet and handed it to me. It read CAPTAIN KIRK: THE ONLY FRIEND YOU WILL EVER NEED.

Kirk told me he was a dealer, temporarily down on his luck. He also said he played poker on other people's money.

'If you give me a buy-in, I'll return the buy-in to you plus half my profits,' he said, adding, 'I don't squirrel away any chips if that worries you.' I told him, 'Just a minute.' I conferred with one of the dealers. He said, 'Kirk's okay. He won't burn you.' And so I gave Capt. Kirk $40 for a buy-in.

Before he left, I warned him, 'If you aren't as honest as you claim you are, your bank is out of business.'

'I'll remember that,' Kirk said, smiling.

Two hours later, I felt a tap on my shoulder. It was kirk. He wordlessly handed me $370.

'I got lucky,' he said. 'Is my bank still in business.' I smiled, tucked away the money and said, 'With a AAA rating.'

Ben Franklin was right when he admonished the world to 'Neither a lender nor a borrower be.' Except in a few exceptional cases.

I once won a tournament at the Gold Coast Casino and pocketed around $1,200. As I left the cashier's window, a young man wearing a cowboy hat and a swagger sidled up to me and began praising my poker play. I fell for it and lapped up the praise.

He said his name was Tex, that he was a good upcoming player, and that he was busted. He said he wanted to get into a game and if I let him $40...

I gave him the money.

That was approximately seven years ago. I still haven't collected from him. Each time I see him, he's either broke or the chips on the table are 'in play.'

Truth is, the guy is simply a bum. My dealer pal Randy said, 'Forget about Tex ever paying you. There's something in his genetic makeup that makes it impossible for him to part with money to repay an honest debt.'

I get it, Randy. A word to the wise is sufficient.

Author: Geno Lawrenzi Jr.

(Geno Lawrenzi Jr. is an international journalist, magazine author and ghostwriter and poker player who lives in Phoenx, AZ. He has published 2,000 articles in 50 magazines and 125 newspapers. If you want to share a gambling story or book idea with him, send an email to glawrenzi@gmail.com ).