The Zombie Apocalypse

27 February 2021

By Royal Flushes

CINDY: We are still struggling through the Covid-19 virus as we write this article. I never expected anything like this, although I have watched many movies and read several books where humans are almost wiped out by a virus of some sort or another. So I guess you could say that I was blinded by the habit of not actually thinking such awful thoughts even though I enjoyed experiencing such awfulness in my entertainment.

ABBY: I’m in the same boat. This came out of nowhere except it didn’t come out of nowhere. Our government knew for a long, long time about plagues. I mean such things go back all the way to the beginning of time. At least I guess that is so.

CINDY: So, if we gamble with plagues of various types in the real world, which ones are truly fun to think about in our fantasy world? Now, when I say “fun” I do not mean I want to see millions of real people infected or dying from such plagues. A story of the black death or the Spanish Flu is not fun to read about or see a movie about because millions of people were destroyed by these diseases.

ABBY: I know exactly the plague we enjoy thinking about because it will never happen but it is the stuff of true nightmares, the Zombie Apocalypse. Something suddenly causes dead people to become animated again and they have an irresistible urge to feed on those human being who are still left alive. Humans find themselves attempting to destroy the zombies and when we can’t do that we have to find ways to protect ourselves against them.

CINDY: I think the big question about zombies, of the George Romero type, is how did they become the walking dead? Were they infected with a virus? Were they changed by some weapon of war accidentally released on humanity?

ABBY: Or deliberately released.

CINDY: Still we never really know what caused this to happen. We can shoot these creatures; but you have to shoot or destroy their brains for the attack to stop. Why? These are questions left unanswered.

ABBY: You know this is something like casino games. Now while we all can figure out how the casinos get their edge over us plain humans, I think many players have no idea of why the casinos will ultimately win in the end. They haven’t bothered to look behind the games at the math of the games. They just play the games with little or no thought. So they are in some ways trying to beat back a zombie attack but they know little about what causes their losses.

CINDY: So you are saying the house edges at the various games are in and of themselves just like a zombie attack?

ABBY: Yes, from out of nowhere. You might have success at some times against the games; you can have long winning streaks.

CINDY: You’re beating the zombies back.

ABBY: For a little while until time and house edges take over. The zombies will ultimately win.

CINDY: What about some player who wins a monstrous jackpot that sets up him or herself for life? How does that fit into the zombie scheme of things?

ABBY: Such a winner represents the few humans who have found perfect refuge from the zombies, maybe on an island or something.

CINDY: They escape the zombie apocalypse but the rest of us have to deal with it every time we venture outside.

ABBY: Although there are players who even screw up monumental wins. They invite being destroyed by careless choices of play and spending.

CINDY: Not a bad analogy here. Zombies and casino gambling. We love them both but we have to be very careful in their worlds.

ABBY: Amen!