If there was one thing that kept casinos running, it was the fact that people never knew when to walk away. The gentleman sitting across from Yutaro at the blackjack table had bought in for 100, and had somehow managed to transform that into 300. That was 15 minutes ago. He lost a little, vowed to stop once he won that back, lost a little more, and now he was down to his last chip. Of course Yutaro had nothing to do with it -- that was just the way the cards came -- but as a dealer, his players' luck branded him as either a demon or a saint. Today was one of those demonic days, but what the players didn't understand was that it was just as bad for him as it was for them. After all, nobody tips a dealer that they lose to no matter how charming his smile was. 

The gentleman had a hard 16 against Yutaro's 6, a pretty crappy spot to be in. Given all the low cards that had been dealt the past few hands it would probably be better to-- "Hit," the gentleman said, tapping lightly on the table. Well, at least Yutaro could confirm that his player was no card counter. With a showman's grace, he flipped the next card from the deck and revealed... the queen of hearts. A bust. With a humble shrug, Yutaro finished dealing to the other players, then scooped up his last chip. Rule number 1 of gambling: the house always wins.

Perhaps that fact was what drew Yutaro to this business in particular. He had always loved games as a kid, and loved winning money from games as a young adult. But casinos were unique in that they stacked the odds against the player, and yet the player never felt cheated. Statistically, most people who step inside the casino lose, yet everybody who steps inside thinks [i]they[/i] will be the one to win. If that wasn't a perfect business model, Yutaro didn't know what was. And, no matter what state the economy was in, people always manage to scrap together cash for two things: booze and gambling. 

When Yutaro's shift came to an end, he stuck a dollar in a slot machine and pulled the lever, as was his ritual. The lights flashed and the wheels spun... but he had no luck today. It wasn't that late yet, so he decided to take a little walk through the streets to unwind after work. Shine city had a pretty good night life, and you never knew who you might meet.