Page 137 of The Vacation Mix-Up
“So, how do we play?”
“Place your chips on what you want,” I say, gesturing toward the betting layout.
“Is that it?”
“Not exactly. But let’s start simple, yeah?”
She nods, eyes wide. “Okay.”
“This is a one-dollar table, so you have to bet at least one dollar each time.”
“And my chips are worth a dollar each?”
“They are.”
“Oh, good. That’s easy.”
She sucks her drink through her straw, so I take her chips from her hand and stack them on the table.
“What are you doing?” she exclaims, protectively shielding her stacks. “Someone might steal them.”
“Riles, there’s no one else here.”
Her eyes narrow suspiciously at the dealer.
“He’s not going to steal them,” I tell her.
“How do you know that?”
“I just do. Trust me.”
Relaxing, she sits back. “Why are your chips green and mine pink?”
“We have different colors so the dealer can tell whose chips are whose.”
She frowns. “Oh. Still… it’s sexist that I ended up with pink.”
“I don’t think it was intentional.”
She scoffs. “That’s what a man would say.”
“Do you want to swap colors?” I ask, knowing her favorite color is green, all while trying not to laugh.
“I do!”
After trading her chips for mine, I drape my arm around her shoulders and explain the different bets. “You can choose a single number, a range of numbers, or one of these three groups of dozens.” I point to various spots. “You can also choose these outside bets, either red or black, or odd or even.” I set a chip on Oddand place a few more on individual numbers.
“There’s so much to choose from.” She taps her finger to her lips, then places one measly chip on Black. “Always bet on black, right?”
I chuckle. “Yeah, something like that.”
The dealer spins the wheel, and Riles claps again, her head circulating as she follows the ball.
Leaning forward, I toss another chip down before the dealer calls, “No more bets.”
She frowns at the guy and whispers, “Did you just get in trouble?”
I chuckle again. “No. I can bet until he says that.”
