Tico Time Zone – All In On Costa Rica • The Gambler Part 2

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Tico Time Zone – All In On Costa Rica • The Gambler Part 2

Johnny Lahoud - JAN 05, 2019

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Tico Time Zone – All In On Costa Rica • The Gambler Part 2

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Part 1 of “All in on Costa Rica” recounted how I managed to get fired from the hometown summer job that was so hard to leave. It was off to Costa Rica for good. Or so I thought: a few days before I was to leave, I hit the jackpot! My bartender friends and I had won a trip to Las Vegas!

Earlier that summer, five of us had signed up with Budweiser in a team competition to sell the most Buds in three months. I had forgotten the contest ended the week before my dismissal from the job. When the final tally came out in September, our Team Landing had taken the crown. Our prize was a four-day, three-night stay at the MGM Grand Las Vegas in October. As my buddy Melvin so aptly put it: “I’m headed to Sin City baby, and I’m a sinner!”

“I was on fire
and was
feeling
no pain.”

So with Costa Rica clearer in my sights than ever, I was ready to double down during this detour and head there afterwards with some real dough. The first obstacle was at the Boston airport check-in lineup. Someone had the bright idea to bring a few Buds in his golf bag. Lo and behold, the security dogs came along and sniffed him out. Then our whole party was asked to step aside for a thorough sniffing over. My first lucky break — the local officers took pity on us Budweiser champs and let us go on our way.

Once we landed in Vegas, it was all systems go. My initial 48-hour roller coaster ride almost broke me. By the time I was down two grand, Costa Rica was looking grim, to say the least. On day three, I awoke thinking, “It’s now or never, baby, so I’m going out swinging.” That was when it all came together!

I walked down to the sports book and bet $200 on the Marlins and over in game 4 of the World Series. Next, I headed to the tables and played Let It Ride poker for $100 each and hit a full house for $2,000. Then I went over to the golf course with a buddy and we watched Tiger Woods. We bet birdie or bogey on alternating holes for the front nine. I was up $400 on the ninth and needed him to make a birdie. That’s when he teed off and nearly picked me off with a 3-wood that whizzed over my head and hit a tree next to me! Needless to say, I won the hole and was well on my way to having the day you can’t lose.

That night, I won another $2,500 at blackjack and hit craps for $500. I was on fire and was feeling no pain. By the time the Marlins won the game and I collected another $600, I was up over $8,000 and well on my way to Costa baby! Most importantly, I was smart enough to quit while I was ahead and didn’t even try to bet on the way out the next day. I headed back to Rhode Island, packed my bags and was even further on my way to all in on Costa Rica. Stay tuned for the outcome of getting Super Pura Vida off the ground in Playa Grande.