One of the best beginners' luck stories I've heard. I received a phone call from a father who took his son to a casino for the son's 21st birthday. They were playing from a common bankroll, alternating hands. On the first hand the son ever played in a casino, he drew a royal flush. Father and son collected $500 apiece. Later, playing on his own, he drew another one, good for his own $1,000. Level head on his shoulders, he put about $1,400 of it in the bank.

I'll be expanding on this in my regular columns. Watch for the Chicago Sun-Times, Casino City Times, and others.