Young American, John Gamble’s life is as lucky or unlucky as a roll of the dice. John, age 28, also known by his last name Gamble (both parents worked as casino dealers); can be found working at Aces Up Poker Club in Dallas, Oregon most weekends. Born in Alaska, he moved to Helmetsheim, Germany at the tender age of 6. The first thing Gamble did when arriving in Germany was to punch a full bird Army Colonel right, square in the “man parts”. This one event could set the demeanor for this young man in a scary new world.
Gamble is one of the few select individuals who earn their life by the seat of other Poker players. When nights are fast and players are abundant, Gamble and his co-workers take in as much as they can, earning a living off of player tips only. What makes Gamble so unique is the way he grew up, his experiences, choices, and where he is going. He’s not your typical suburban grown white boy spoiled from day one. Instead he is a survivor who learned to grow up on the rough streets by becoming self educated, focused, and street smart.
When I asked Gamble: “What’s the most significant event you can remember as a young boy?” he didn’t hesitate one second to tell me. “The Berlin Wall.” A young boy of 7, he told me that he didn’t quite understand what it meant, but that he was there to see it in person. Not soon after that experience young Gamble had another first in his life. “I had my first beer when I was 7, Seussbeer is what it was”, Seussbeer, also known as sweet-beer, is typically a beer made out of fruit fit for the youth of Germany. With events such as these, it is now wonder he remembers growing up at a fast pace.
Gamble’s father, a sniper in an undisclosed Special Operations Unit, enrolled his son in Self-defense classes from a young age. (Sen Chon Bai Sifu Yit Bai) also know as (Student or all, master of one) is the discipline of Kung-fu young Gamble started with. He tells me he has studied several other martial arts disciplines, and is currently learning how to blend them together so that when he fights his movements are more seamless and fluid. He states that these disciplines have helped him remain focused and collected even under great times of pressure in his life.
Not everything is so easy to this young man. Behind the scenes I suspected that there might be a darker side to him, and I was right. One time when Gamble was growing up, a neighborhood boy named Florian moved in to kiss his kid sister. Feeling enraged, Gamble took preventative measures and continued to fight the boy until he gave up. Although Gamble has not engaged in many fights, He is what some might consider overly protective of his family. But what girl wouldn’t want a protective brother; especially in our society today? When his sister was married, he felt like he could be enraged again. However this time he turned the cheek on the fight, and leaned on Jim Beam for a shoulder of understanding.
The most striking characteristic about this young man is the fact that he does not quit. He is tenacious about everything he does. When asked what his most endearing quality is, John Hawkins – fellow coworker and friend – did not hesitate to say one word: “Loyalty”. Gamble is above all loyal, not just to his job, but his family, friends, hobbies, and everything else he gets himself into. He considers himself a “Jack of all trades”, not good at just one thing but well to do with most anything.
I was struck by his story, moved by the passion in his voice when he described events that went on in his life. I didn’t know how interesting he would be when I first interviewed him, however, Gamble turned out to be that silent guy in the corner with the most interesting story in the room.
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