The Corvette energized close to a 7-Eleven convenience store in Phoenix, Arizona. The year was 1997.

I wanted to purchase a pack of cigarettes. Because there weren’t any vacant parking spaces in front of the business, I drove around the block and parked, parallel to the curb, near an intersection, not far from the convenience store. Two street signs were posted on a pole, which was located at the corner of the intersection. One sign, signifying North and South, read “Las Easy Street;” the other sign, signifying East and West, read “El Pipedream Avenue.”

As I walked toward the door of the 7-Eleven, a male clerk came out of the store with a stepladder in hand. The young man positioned the ladder by the entranceway, directly under an outside neon sign. He climbed the ladder and reached up and changed a light-bulb in the dimly lit, green-and-white-and-red sign. The four big bold words on the neon sign read “Scratch ’N Sniff Here.”

“What an omen!” I exclaimed to myself. I went into the store and walked up to the counter. I asked the clerk to give me a pack of Tomarlburys and a one-dollar, “White Knights,” scratch-off, lotto ticket.

Right after I strolled out of the store, I stopped to look at the scratch ticket. The top portion of the little rectangular card read “Get three matching symbols on any one row to WIN prize shown.” I uncovered all three rows of symbols. Pictured on the first row were: dragon / star / wizard hat—no matches for what could have been a $5 prize. Pictured on the second row were: crescent moon / curled snake / black cat—no matches for what could have been a $1 prize. Pictured on the third row were: white knight / white knight / white knight —three matching symbols—a WINNING ticket, good for a $10,000 prize!

“Oh, thank heaven for 7-Eleven!” I yelled, jumping for joy. “I’m headed back to Las Vegas!” Before I left Arizona, I stopped at the Lottery Office in downtown Phoenix to cash my winning scratch ticket.

I set the time and place controls in the Vette to Las Vegas, Nevada, in the year 1977. I marched into Binion’s Horseshoe Hotel & Casino, which was located on Fremont Street in fabulous downtown Las Vegas. The popular casino was hosting the World Championship of Poker.

I meandered around the casino for a few minutes, and I went into the gift shop to purchase a cowboy hat. Then I strolled into the lounge, and I bellied up to the bar, which was located right next to the poker parlor. I ordered a bottle of Zapmeister. The bartender was kind enough to bring me an ice-chilled mug, along with the bottle of beer.

A moment of generosity must have come over me. I tipped the bartender a couple of dollars for his superb customer service. Then I sat down on a bar stool and proceeded to drink my beer.

After a minute or so, the bartender walked over again. He asked, “Do you smoke, Sir?”

“I never did until fairly recently,” I replied.

“Would you like to try one of my ‘Uncool Heavys’?”

“I didn’t know that cigarettes could be ‘heavy’! No thanks, mister! I think that I’ll just have one of my Tomarlburys.” The bartender grinned and walked away.

As usual, I was dressed in my silver-plated armor wardrobe. But I wore the cowboy hat that I had just bought, in place of my helmet, which I had left in the car. The tan, broad-rimmed, cowboy hat enabled me to fit in better with the rest of the crowd on hand; Binion’s Horseshoe Hotel & Casino presented an informal, country motif and a laid-back, casual environment.

As I had cashed the $10,000 lotto ticket before I left Phoenix, I had a bundle of bucks with me. And I was ready for “action.”

One heck-of-a poker game was going on at a big round table, right behind me. I anxiously watched the action among a star-studded cast of players. Sitting around the table, clockwise, were: James Garner, (the late) Jack Kelly, (the late) Steve McQueen, (the late) Robert Shaw, Kenny Rogers, and Paul Newman. All of the players dressed casually, except for Robert Shaw. Mr. Shaw was decked out in a dark-blue business suit.

At Mr. Shaw’s request, all of the players at the table wore ties. Newman’s tie hung loose around his neck. He was slouched down in his seat, and he looked sloppy and drunk, similar to how he appeared in another poker game with Mr. Shaw—the memorable occasion when they played poker together on a train in The Sting, a blockbuster film that debuted in 1973.

A vacant wooden captain’s chair sat between James Garner and Steve McQueen. An extra black tie was draped over the seat of the chair. Of course, the table-top was loaded with poker chips, mostly black ($100) chips; all the players had several piles of chips, either stacked up or scooped up in front of them. Players’ drinks—various glasses, shot glasses, and bottles of booze, some empty and some partially empty and some full, were scattered around the top of the table. In addition, the table surface was cluttered with cigars and cigarettes, some fresh and some already smoked. Furthermore, the messy table was littered with several ashtrays, some of them overloaded with rubbed-out cigar and cigarette butts. And the table was filthy from cigar and cigarette ashes, which had been carelessly discarded or haphazardly smeared into the dirty, alcohol-stained, green felt.

I took a drink from my frosty mug of Zapmeister and said to myself, “Poker’s really my game. I’ll parlay this $10,000 windfall into a small fortune. These guys don’t look like card sharks to me!”

With a cane lying across his lap—the same cane he used in The Gambler, a popular, western, made-for-television movie—Kenny Rogers peered over at me, a look of curiosity on his manly, full-bearded face. I looked back toward Rogers and his poker-playing pals. I inquired, “Hey, gents, do you mind if I join in?”

“Sure, stranger,” Mr. Shaw said, “but this is a gentlemen’s game. You have to wear a tie. And NO CHEATING is allowed. . . . DO YA FOLLA?” I slid off the bar stool and ambled over to the empty chair. Then I lassoed my neck with the black tie, sat down, and confidently scooted up to the table.

“What’s your game, friend?” Garner asked.

“Five card stud,” I promptly replied. McQueen and Kelly slyly smiled. (Author’s note: the late Steve McQueen played Eric Stoner “the Cincinnati Kid” in the popular 1965 movie The Cincinnati Kid. James Garner played Bret Maverick on the comedy/western TV series Maverick, which aired from 1957 to 1962 and co-starred the late Jack Kelly as Bart Maverick.)

About an hour later, McQueen and I were the last two players left on a hand that had already been fully dealt. Both of us were “all in”—no money left in front of us. There must have been close to $30,000 in the pot. We had just “called” each other, and it was time to show our hole cards.

I turned over an ace of spades, giving me a FULL HOUSE—aces full of eights. “Try to beat that!” I exclaimed, a cocky tone in my voice.

McQueen’s four exposed cards were: ten of diamonds, queen of diamonds, king of diamonds, and an ace of diamonds. He flipped over his hole card—the jack of diamonds! He filled out his STRAIGHT, “ROYAL” FLUSH! McQueen’s better poker hand took me by surprise and quickly wiped the smile off my poker face.

Appropriately, I titled this episode “‘Knightmare’ on Fremont Street.” On the other hand, I could have called it “How I Got Royally Stung By a ‘Gambler,’ a Couple of ‘Mavericks,’ a ‘Queen,’ and Two Stars from The Sting!” Either way, I was disappointed beyond belief. With a definite frown on my face, I said, “Nice hand, Sir Steve. You guys are too tough for me!”

I retreated to an empty seat back at the bar. After I ordered and received another beer, I asked, “Lord, will I ever find true wealth and prosperity?”

When God appeared, She wore a cowgirl’s outfit—a brown-suede cowgirl hat, a red bandana, and a long-sleeve, predominately burgundy-and-blue-plaid, western shirt. She also fashioned a pair of chaps over Her brand-spanking-new, pre-faded, blue jeans. When God sat down on a vacant bar stool, right beside me, I couldn’t help myself from admiring Her tan, suede-leather, cowgirl boots.

The Lord said, “Howdy, partner. We both look right at home here at Binion’s Hotel & Casino, wouldn’t you agree?”

A little disappointed by God’s western shirt, which featured pearl buttons that were snapped shut, clear up to the collar, I just nodded, affirmatively, in response to Her frivolous question.

God said, “Wantsalittle, it doesn’t seem like you’re in a very good mood, today. What’s the matter with you?”

“You wouldn’t be in such a festive mood, either, if You had just lost nearly $10,000 on one hand of poker!”

“Maybe I can offer you some advice that will help to cheer you up. At least, My divine message may enable you to find true wealth and prosperity. . . . Mohammed wisely stated, ‘A man’s true wealth is the good he does in the world.’ The universal law of prosperity is governed by harmony and order of abundance. Your mind is a lot like earth’s atmosphere. You will gravitate toward that which you think about most. If you want more material wealth, put yourself in harmony with universal abundance. Sharply image wealth and prosperity all around you.”

“Lord, I’ve been imaging for success, as You have so often suggested that I do. And I’ve had some good things happen to me. But I haven’t accumulated enough money to get me over the hump.”

“Wantsalittle, how much money do you or does anybody really need? In your case, you might have more money and more material things if you didn’t partake in gambling ventures! Your ill-advised patterns of risky behavior are not helping your cause. With respect to money and financial matters, you shouldn’t look for any overnight, get-rich-quick solutions. If lack of money and being in debt has been your way of life, try to change your lack-minded attitude. Develop new wealth and prosperity habits.”

God had to stop talking for a few seconds. She had to cough and clear Her throat after She had inhaled too much of the secondary smoke, which filled the casino area. Then the Lord said, “Constantly think of yourself as being debt free and without financial problems. If you become preoccupied, daily, with images of prosperity and abundance, your prosperity-conscious thinking will lead you toward actions that will result in your achieving these objectives.”

“God, I’m really lacking in material things. Just once, I’d like to be able to ‘put on the dog’—to show some real class and live with a little higher lifestyle.”

“Wantsalittle, all the money in the world wouldn’t buy you true happiness or necessarily make you a successful person. More important than any measure of material wealth, keep these wise words of Henry Ward Beecher in mind: No man can tell whether he is rich or poor by turning to his ledger. It is the heart that makes a man rich. He is rich according to what he is, not according to what he has.”

“Yes, Lord, I suppose that you’re right. I feel a little bit better about my financial problems, already. Thanks for helping me to ‘see the light’!”

“Wantsalittle, as you think with the objective of being in harmony with the universal law of abundance, you will attract true wealth and prosperity. . . . I have to go now. Good luck to you! Please remember to form wealth and prosperity images!” The Lord disappeared into the smoky atmosphere at Binion’s Horseshoe Hotel & Casino.

Soon after God left, movie director Ron Howard sat down, next to me, at the bar. Ron reached over and gently tapped me on the shoulder. “Aren’t you Sir Wantsalittle Morefromlife?”

“Yes, how did you know that?”

“You’re becoming a pretty famous young man. My name is Ron Howard. I’m a movie director. I’ve been looking for you. My business associates in Hollywood would like to purchase movie rights to your unusual, inspirational story. Would you agree to sign with us for a million dollars?”

Immediately, I experienced a mental flashback. I thought about the flowerpot, which had sat on the window ledge in one of my recent adventures—the episode that taught me how to develop more personal “inspiration.” As I was talking with Ron Howard, I daydreamed, for a couple of seconds, about finding my pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Moments later I said, “Sir Ron, I appreciate your generous offer, but no thank you. I’ve got a serious gambling problem. I’d probably just blow the whole bundle of bucks. Besides, you’ve just made me FEEL rich at heart. Right now, that means much more to me than any amount of money or material wealth! Perhaps we can discuss a movie contract at a later date.”

“I admire your honesty, Wantsalittle. And I respect your circumstances,” Ron replied. “Here’s my business card. Let me know if or when you change your mind.”

“Sir Ron, it was great to meet you!” I exclaimed. “I’ll get back in touch with you if I should have a change of heart about the movie arrangement. By the way, I really enjoyed watching some of your exceptional acting performances, first as Opie Taylor in the Andy Griffith Show and later as Richie Cunningham in Happy Days.”

“Sir Wantsalittle, thanks for making mention of my acting career. It’s been so long ago. Sometimes I wonder if anybody remembers me for anything besides my more recent roles as a director. Anyway, I better run. I hope to hear from you again!”

(The moral of this episode: As Mohammed wisely said, “A man’s true wealth is the good he does in the world!”)

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