Re: Son Pari Episode 180
Raingarda Krzynowek
Ngofeen: Loc went back to his home outside of Paris. He did a bit of research. At the time, with all his part-time jobs, he was earning minimum wage, roughly 1,200 euros a month. But he found out that a beginner croupier could earn as much as 3,000 euros a month. Loc decided he would give it a try, so he called the director of the poker tournament.
Ngofeen: Loic was told that in order to start working as a croupier, he had to do a special training, une formation, and then pass an aptitude test on calculation, dexterity, and general casino knowledge.
Ngofeen: Loc did not have the money to pay for croupier school. And without the training, he could not get the job. He had finally found something that he was good at, and that offered him a chance to see the world. But now, he was stuck again. For four months he tried to save enough money, but it seemed impossible. So in November 2007, he decided to take a gamble.
Ngofeen: Within four months, Loc had become one of the best croupiers at the club de jeux where he was working. But after two years, he felt he was outgrowing Paris, and wanted to see more of the world. Loc began eyeing the Mecca of casinos, where only the best croupiers in the world were invited: the Monte Carlo Casino in Monaco.
Ngofeen: In 2010, Loc was recruited to deal at the European Poker Tour organized in Deauville, a fancy seaside town on the Atlantic Ocean. This was a big deal. Deauville has one of the most renowned casinos in France. Loc would be traveling there to deal cards for people who paid 5,000 euros just to get a seat at the table.
Ngofeen: The tournament lasted ten days. Every day in Deauville, Loc wore a pristine white shirt, with a black vest and a black tie, and he put on his best smile while dealing cards and entertaining the patrons. But he also scanned the room for people watching him. He tried to see if he could spot, reprer, the talent scout.
Ngofeen: The nights wore on at the EPT Poker tournament in Deauville. First, there were 100 tables, with about 120 croupiers and 1,000 players. By day nine, only three tables were left, and on the last day, one table remained. Only the best players would sit at the last table. And only the best croupiers would deal. Loc checked the list of names to find out which croupiers had been chosen.
Ngofeen: Monaco is on the French Riviera, between Nice and the Italian Border. It is most famous for its Casino, its formula 1 Grand Prix car races, and its Royalty. But Monaco is not a kingdom. It is a principality, a state run by a prince.
Ngofeen: La principaut de Monaco is 2.1 square kilometers, roughly 20 blocks by 20. The official language is French, but English is widely spoken as there are tourists from all over. Within that tiny place, Loc found more wealth than he ever imagined.
Ngofeen: Loc practiced his English every chance he got. He knew he was not good yet, but he spoke to people anyways. By the end of the ten-day tournament, he felt that his hard work with the words and the cards finally paid off.
Mario David: I am a French learner since 2019, and it was since December of 2019 that I've been following along with the podcast. I really like it and the only thing that I would change about the podcast is for it to be produced twice a week, instead of just once a week. But I understand. I just wanted to say thank you and have a wonderful one.
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