Last weekend, I went to Reno. It was a drunken debacle of gambling, booze, smoke-filled casinos, hang-overs, all-you-can-eat brunch buffets, and whatever else. It is not a typical thing that I do for relaxation, however, I did it this weekend and had a great time. While I was there a nice and unexpected piece of advice for living unfurled.

The dealer at one particular Blackjack table put on one heck of a show. He was funny in an almost abusive (though non-offensive) way. A really tough line to walk, but it was working. We were laughing at him, at ourselves, at the idea of being in Reno and gambling, and of course at the play of the card game. He coaxed, coached and cajoled us through hand after hand of cards, and we all won money.

The biggest obstacle between you and winning at Blackjack is usually the other players, sometimes the alcohol, and most often a combination of the two. The dealer has an extremely limited set of rules for play that are, of course, based upon statistical odds in the casino’s favor. Luck, oddly enough, only manifests itself in tiny moments during a hand. A good set of rules will win more money for you more often than merely luck. If the other card players were SMART, they would adhere to a set of rules that were equally as strict as those followed by the dealer. When you can find a table where everyone is following these rules, sit down and do not leave–you are going to win.

At one point, the dealer turned his comedic attention towards me. I sat at the last seat before the dealer on the far left side–the infamous “third base.” I needed an strange card (like a 5) in order to beat the dealer, and my odds were poor. Someone else on the table asked for a card, and the dealer gave her the card that I needed. The next player asked for a card, and the dealer gave him a card that would have substituted nicely for the one that I originally wanted. And, each time that happened, I mumbled something like, “That card would have worked.”

Before the dealer gave me my card, he gave me a brief, but appropriate few words of wisdom. He said, “You have to have fortitude to sit at third base. You have to have the strength to see everyone on the table take the card that you need. If you can’t do it, you need to move.” He punctuated his last words by throwing my card at that very moment.

The interesting part was not the implications of his advice upon the card table, but rather the implications that it holds in all of life. When sitting at third base, you get to see more of the cards played before you get to play your own hand. You get to have more information to make your own decisions. That might make your decision easier, or it might make your decision more complicated. That is an externality of possessing more information.

The same is true with life. More information can make your decisions easier, or it can make them more complex. If you stay inside of your self, you may have an ignorant, happy life–but you will not get to see very much of the world. And, if you decide to pursue more information, or more of life, you have to have the strength to see everyone else take a card that you could have taken–making choices that could have worked for you.

He gave me a face card, and I busted. But, the table won . . . .