The Diary of Isabelle Marquette

The only place to find every bad habit or addiction under one roof is in a casino. It doesn’t matter where you go. It could be Atlantic City, Vegas, or any of the Indian reservations. In the end it is all the same subculture, just in different locations. Casinos have no windows or clocks on the walls. They are designed to psychologically entice patrons to stay and lose track of time. All the glitz and glamour is merely candy to the eyes.

Sure, there are people who come and go, but it is a steady group that keeps the subculture in existence. There are compulsive gamblers who disappear for days without ever seeing sunlight. Many become familiar with one another while staying up for hours trying to win their various games. In the end the dollar amount for some was never enough. It was an addiction for many, I suppose.

Casino hosts offer the world to their biggest clients. Their goal is to make people feel comfortable instilling in each a sense of self-importance and grandiosity. Don’t let the VIP status and signature cards fool you. Anytime a VIP walks into a casino, it is that swipe of the card that puts the name on the radar screen. There is no hiding from your host. You will be found! Their job is to develop the player. The bets become bigger and bigger. The wins become larger, but the losses can be even greater. Once the comps are accepted, the brainwashing begins. The host transforms into a parasite. However, they were super-nice people, just doing their jobs and bringing in business. The goal is to get the high roller to give back what has been won and more. There is a cost that comes with being an elite or signature player. In the end all those wonderful comps are usually at the player’s expense. The players who survived were not whale players. Whale players would not stop and eventually would lose everything in many cases. We were the players on a different level who were able to control and manage our winnings or losses. Card playing, as enjoyable as it was, had to be treated like a business.

Sure, VIPs were all made comfortable. The casino was our home away from home. The drug dealers would approach, offering their pharmacy services. The high-end booze came out before it was even ordered. The prostitutes sat at the slot machines pretending to be patrons, or sometimes the high rollers would bring their entourage right to the table. Hell, if a loss was suffered, someone might even arrange to lift our spirits. The sky was the limit. The smart gambler would stay away from distractions.

Please, allow me introduce myself. Hi, my name is Isabelle Marquette. I have been studying casino life for years because I was fascinated with the people and my surroundings. I grew as a person and would not have the things I have today without experiencing my life in Sin City.

Finally, a female is sharing her experience of being immersed in the world of casino gambling. It has mostly been a male-dominated world, yet I managed to work my way into it. I was a blackjack player who became just like one of the guys; I played cards and tournaments with some of the best players in the world. I became a high roller, living like a rock star. At the end of the day, I realized that being a woman in a casino by myself was a dangerous place to be. However, Las Vegas became a steppingstone to advance me to the next chapter of my life. I began keeping this journal of my experiences because I knew that one day I, or someone else, would share my life with the world. Once again, my name is Isabelle Marquette, a.k.a. Lady Luck, and here is my story—the good, the bad, and the ugly.