My most hectic hit-and-run foray into Vegas was in the early 1960s, when I arrived in the midst of a taxi strike. I have a driver's license, but damned if 1 would take a chance renting a car for a few hours in Las Vegas, even if a rental car was available. Large Army-style buses awaited arrivals, taking visitors on a casino-to-casino route, a round-robin of a trip, and then back to the airport. What could I do? What I did do was, every time the bus made a stop, I'd race into the casino, make a quick bet or two at the first open blackjack table nearest the door, and race right back to the bus. Sure, I had a couple of close calls, nearly missing the bus, but I insured my bet with the driver by tokening him with a green chip from the first casino and promising him another one when we reached the last casino on his route. I made about a thousand dollars over expenses, but I lost five pounds with all the to-do, and I have to record it as the hardest buck I ever made in Las Vegas.

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Before we talk about what and what not to do when you gamble in casinos, let's first pay tribute to my personal Patron Saint of the Green-Felt Tables, Louis G. Holloway. Mr. Holloway lived and raised a family in Las Vegas, where he gambled for his livelihood. He also wrote a splendid book entitled Full-Time Gambler. Holloway was a low-key, low-profile player, who made the rounds of the Vegas casinos for an hour or two daily, winning a few dollars here, winning a few dollars there.

When his MIT-graduate son insisted that no one can beat the casinos, Holloway replied, "Son, do you see this house? The car outside? The nice clothes we're wearing? Gambling paid for all of it, including paying for your college tuition."

• Im Not A Gambler (0)
• Im Not A Gambler Part2 (0)
• Blackjack Hit And Run Part3 (0)