Luck, rituals, and fortunes

Gamblers belong to a special breed of individuals I have encountered. They adhere to numerous self-made rules and ‘pantangs’ (forbidden acts).

Are these merely old wives’ tales? Did Kenny Rogers capture this sentiment in his song ‘The Gambler,’ especially with the line “Don’t count your money on the table”?

Consider this scenario: when heading to buy numbers at the red, yellow, green, or blue counters and a beggar requests a donation, a ‘pantang’ kicks in, halting the number purchase.

While this can sometimes safeguard one’s funds and deny the counters extra profit, in my friend’s case, strict adherence to the ‘pantang’ cost him a potential additional ten grand.

He refrained from proceeding to the green counter in BDC. That same evening, his car number emerged as the winner.

Upon checking his wallet, he found a slip with RM4 noted for the number he refrained from buying due to the encounter with the beggar. Unpredictable, isn’t it?

In another instance, a lady, an avid Gin Rummy player, turned her luck around by wearing her panties inside out before a game. Initially successful, this ritual only proved fortunate once.

Here’s another tale: a couple checked into the Genting Hotel, which houses Casino De Genting, and paid an RM800 deposit for a two-night stay.

After losing over two thousand ringgit on the first day, the husband opted to check out, settling the bill for one night and receiving over RM500 as a change.

They stored their small luggage at the hotel free of charge. Handing his wife RM200, he used over RM300 to try his luck again.

Fortune smiled upon him — he not only recouped the RM2,000 lost the previous night but also won over RM3,000 of Uncle Lim’s money (a term patrons use for Genting’s casino, despite its founder, Tan Sri Lim Goh Tong, having passed away).

In Casino de Genting, my preferred game is Russian Roulette. Once, I wagered around RM600 on a single round, placing six RM100 chips on number 16 following a prior substantial win.

This was the maximum bet for one number at the RM25 table. It turned out to be my most significant win yet, with number 16 (red) emerging victorious, granting me a RM21,000 prize (6×3500).

That night, I amassed over RM38,000, marking my largest win at Casino de Genting. This occurred in February of 1986, shortly after the birth of my first daughter, Garcia Ann Kejuang (now deceased).

I excel at card games like Poker, Gin Rummy, Russian Poker (sam chung), sikipoi, Caribbean Stud Poker, Black Jack, Baccarat, and Three Pictures—three of which are offered at the casino.

Additionally, many games beyond the casino captivate me, though they can sometimes be bitter. On December 9, 1979, during a college break in Sibu, I pooled resources with a friend, Hilary Sering, a senior clerk at SESCO, each contributing RM150 for a poker session at the Capitol Hotel.

We were up by a thousand when I decided to join a pool exceeding RM5,000 for the fifth card, facing long odds with two Aces and two Kings against opponents holding triple 10s and triple 8s. Observing two Kings yet to appear, I aimed for either the King of Diamonds or the King of Clubs.

With Hilary and my brother Edward silently supporting me, I remained composed and ultimately drew the King of Clubs, securing a full house and claiming the substantial pot, the largest I had won in a poker game with friends.

Mahjong remains a personal favourite, alongside casino games like Russian Roulette. Although I’ve visited only a few casinos beyond Casino De Genting, including Sta Cruz in Manila in 1982 during a three-week course in the Philippines capital, my trips to Casino De Genting between 1984 and 2016 predominantly revolved around Russian Roulette, a game that had yet to disappoint me.

In 1989, I escorted my recently widowed father to Kuala Lumpur at the age of 79. This marked his first journey outside Sarawak in decades, as his last venture beyond was to Kuala Belait and Seria in 1960, accompanied by my uncle. My daughter, Garcia, and her mother also joined us.

After a night at the Federal Hotel in KL, we ascended to the highlands and settled at Genting Hotel atop the region’s highest point.

Intrigued, my father queried, “What is this place?” I replied, “This is where Malaysia’s most devoted gamblers spend their time.”

Reflecting on our shared passion for gambling, he humorously remarked, “So we are diehard gamblers, right?”

To which I chuckled, confirming, “Indeed we are.” Amidst these moments, Garcia, then four years old, and her grandpa cherished each other’s company at the hotel, while her mother and I indulged in the casino’s offerings.

A poker session with participants from Bintangor’s unique community, including a millionaire and a former communist known as Ah Ching, unfolded at a tuck shop opposite Rajang Teachers College, where I taught.

Engaging in poker—a village-style game—enhanced my linguistic repertoire with colorful Foochow expletives, acquired during my two-year stint at Methodist Secondary School Sibu in 1973-74.

The diverse cast of players I encountered, spanning from labourers to government officials, MPs, and even a former Malaysian High Commissioner, emphasised the universalizing nature of gambling, where individuals from all walks of life meet as equals, devoid of class distinctions.

The views expressed here are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the Sarawak Tribune.