High Stakes for the Future

"The Gambler"
(as sung by Kenny Rogers)
On a warm summer's evening
On a train bound for nowhere
I met up with a gambler
We were both too tired to sleep
So we took turns a-starin'
Out the window at the darkness
The boredom overtook us
And he began to speak

He said, "Son, I've made a life
Out of readin' people's faces
And knowin' what the cards were
By the way they held their eyes.
So if you don't mind my sayin'
I can see you're out of aces
For a taste of your whiskey
I'll give you some advice."

So I handed him my bottle
And he drank down my last swallow
Then he bummed a cigarette
And asked me for a light
And the night got deathly quiet
And his face lost all expression
Said, "If you're gonna play the game, boy,
You gotta learn to play it right.

You got to know when to hold 'em,
Know when to fold 'em,
Know when to walk away,
And know when to run.
You never count your money
When you're sittin' at the table.
There'll be time enough for countin'
When the dealing's done.

Every gambler knows
That the secret to survivin'
Is knowin' what to throw away
And knowin' what to keep.
'Cause every hand's a winner,
And every hand's a loser,
And the best that you can hope for
Is to die in your sleep."

And when he finished speakin'
He turned back toward the window
Crushed out his cigarette
And faded off to sleep
And somewhere in the darkness
The gambler he broke even
And in his final words
I found an ace that I could keep

You got to know when to hold 'em
Know when to fold 'em
Know when to walk away
And know when to run
You never count your money
When you're sittin' at the table
There'll be time enough for countin'
When the dealing's done

You've got to know when to hold 'em
(When to hold 'em)
Know when to fold 'em
(When to fold 'em)
Know when to walk away
And know when to run
You never count your money
When you're sittin' at the table
There'll be time enough for countin'
When the dealing's done

You got to know when to hold 'em
Know when to fold 'em
Know when to walk away
And know when to run
You never count your money
When you're sittin' at the table
There'll be time enough for countin'
When the dealing's done

Writer(s): DON SCHLITZ ​

Continuing my week of blog posts about my favorite songs, here is another of my absolute favorites.  I could not get enough of this song when I was a kid.  Again, I was born in 1975 and this song hit the charts for Kenny Rogers in 1978.  It was still so popular for Kenny that when I bought my first record album in the early 1980's, it was the album containing this song that I bought.  Kenny Rogers' Twenty Greatest Hits.  What a mind-altering experience for a kid to hear not only "The Gambler" but all the other hits like "Coward of the County" and "Scarlett Fever".  Wow.  

Well that's all great, but what does this have to do with estate planning?  Hear me out, folks!

The song is obviously a good story, in the oral storyteller's tradition, about a random man who meets another kindred soul on a train bound for nowhere.  The man met is a gambler, and he revels the only other person awake on the train with the story of his life.  It is a sad recollection of a life wasted (?) travelling around, drinking whiskey, and gambling.  Now here is thing--it sounds like the gambler is sad or melancholy when he is recounting his life to the stranger.  He may be happy with the life he has led.  But who knows for sure?  The only one who truly knows is the gambler himself. 

I always thought the gambler regretted the choices he made.  He had no roots, no "love of his life", nowhere where he belonged.  And certainly no one who would miss him when he was gone.  And I wonder now--even though it sounds silly--was what would happen to all of his things when he died?  We dont even know if he had anything--it could be that he was dirt poor and eking out a meager existence gambling his life away, it could be that he was rich beyond our wildest dreams--but if he truly was alone, who would memorialize his passing, and what WOULD happen to all of his stuff?  

Let me just say this.  If you die with no heirs, and no will dictating otherwise, your property may escheat to the state.  Meaning that everything YOU gambled for (and gained) in life will be passed to the Commonwealth of Virginia for its use and benefit.  Do you have heirs?  If you don't, do you have people you wish to distribute your estate to?  If the answer to the first question is yes, you need to contact me today.  If the answer to the second question was yes, you need to contact me today.  We can set things up so that things are taken care of properly and you are not gambling with your accumulated assets.

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In an interesting postscript, I will note that I always thought, based on the song lyrics, and general "feel" of the song, that the gambler DIED after "drifting off to sleep" at the end of the song.  Sad, right?  Why would I think this?   Well, I wanted to note that I have distinct memories of seeing Kenny Rogers perform this song on TV during an episode of the Muppet Show.  Everyone was dressed like robber barons and folks from the late 1800's, riding a fake train in the parlor car.  The gambler was some random Muppet.  And at the end of the skit, the gambler died in his sleep and before the end of the song, a ghost version of the Muppet was singing the chorus.  Yes, this was a kids show.  Come to find out that this was a REAL memory.  During the research for this article it turns out such an episode existed, did feature Kenny Rogers (and a ghost muppet), and the muppet gambler "died" and turned into a ghost.  Funny what one remembers from one's childhood.

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In yet another fascinating postscript, not only do I like this song, I enjoy most music by Kenny Rogers immensely.  I found out today that Kenny was born in Houston, Texas.   If you know your football history, there was a United States Football League team in the early 1980's named The Houston Gamblers.  I just found out that the team got its name from this song.  Furthermore, one of the star players of the Houston Gamblers was none other than Jim Kelly--who went on to QB my favorite team to four Super Bowls: the Buffalo Bills.  Small world, huh?