I Fractured My Ankle Escaping a Poker Robbery. Then I Drove to Atlantic City.

There’s a story from my gambling years that still sounds unbelievable when I say it out loud.

I was playing in a summer poker tournament in Brooklyn. The game was on the second floor.

A robbery happened.

I escaped onto a roof, jumped to another roof, and eventually made it down to the street.

I fractured my ankle.

Then I drove to Atlantic City instead of going to the hospital.

The part that tells you everything

People hear this story and focus on the robbery or the jump.

I understand why.

But the part that tells you the most about my gambling is what I did afterward.

I had just escaped a dangerous situation. I was injured. There were obvious reasons to stop and get help.

I still went toward another casino.

I’m not telling this as a wild poker story. There’s nothing about that decision I want somebody to admire.

I’m telling it because it shows how far my priorities had shifted.

Gambling kept becoming the next step

Looking back, I see a man who kept moving toward gambling even when his life was giving him every reason to turn around.

The injury didn’t interrupt that pattern.

The fear didn’t interrupt it.

The fact that I had just escaped a robbery didn’t interrupt it.

I continued.

That’s difficult to explain to somebody who thinks compulsive gambling is simply liking casinos too much.

For me, it reached a point where consequences could happen right in front of me and I would still find my way back.

You don’t need a story like mine

I don’t want somebody reading this to think their gambling isn’t serious because they’ve never been in a robbery or jumped from a roof.

Your situation doesn’t need to become dramatic to deserve attention.

Missing sleep matters. Hiding losses matters. Being distracted around your family matters. Repeatedly breaking promises to yourself matters.

You’re allowed to ask for help while you still have things you want to protect.

I waited through consequences that should have been enough to make me stop. Today, I can admit that without pretending I had control.

Sharing the truth is part of how I stay accountable.

It’s also part of why GAORGO exists. I know what it’s like to keep moving toward the bet. I want people to have a clear place to turn when they’re ready to move toward support.

Find a recovery meeting at GAORGO.