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Intact Animal's avatar

I got hooked on the action. The illusion of confidence. Las Vegas is a city built on the overconfident and their losses. I helped. The irony of losing the biggest bet of my life was that I wagered against the team my grandfather had laced up his 1924 sneakers to play for. Betting against family history. Basketball is the bouncing heart of the state of Indiana. Especially on the campus of the Indiana Hoosiers.

So there I was at the counter of the Bellagio sportsbook sliding four grand in cash over to the teller. “Gimme Oklahoma minus eight,” I said, certain that the Sooners would cover eight points as the favorite against the Indiana Hoosiers in the 2002 Final Four NCAA Basketball Tournament. From the jump ball on, the game was never close. Papa’s alma mater dominated the overconfident Sooners from start to finish. After that, I gave up on gambling.

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Carole Duff's avatar

Growing up, I was the neighborhood tree-climbing champ, which translated well at school to the monkey bars. Confidence, more like showing off. Of course, I got my comeuppance. One afternoon, I was zipping across the indoor monkey bars in the gym. Everyone watched, and one of my fourth-grade classmates said, "She never falls off." Even the gym instructor had moved away, so sure I wouldn't need spotting. But then sweat like baby oil covered my hands, which slid on the painted bars. I boosted up, hoping to re-firm my grip, and fell half on the mat and half off. My left elbow cracked against the gym floor. The liability: eight weeks in a cast. The cost: my pride.

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