When I was 11 I lived on the beach with a good friend who was 12. His mother was supposing to be watching us, but she played the horses, so she would leave us alone in the house for days at a time. Since this was Seaside, N.J., there is a great boardwalk that had gambling. I would play the wheels that people gambled on for cigarettes. I had statistics in school that year, and law of chance, so I watched where the ball played. When it hadn't landed on the 3 packs, the most plentiful squares, I would bet. I won cigarettes by the arm loads. He and I would go up and down the beach selling the cigarettes at half price. Then we had a fair amount of money to play the games, buy junk food, go to the movies, and have a ball. Those were the great days!