I am not good at writing even though I am an American.... Bear with me.
How to start this? I will make this short as possible. Still it is a story of the abuse I went through. So grab a snack or a drink if you want to read this. Its long. Real long.
My father, mother and I never got along. I was the black sheep when it came to the family mentality. I was a rebel. An outsider. My father would think beating me would set me right but, really it didn't. This began in New York City when I lived around Avenue K.
My first time remembering his abusive ways was when I was a little kid, going to school (P.S 115.) I cried that I did not want to leave on my first day... This embarrassed my parents, so when I got home my father tied me up (Hands and feet), and placed a chair before me. He broke a broom in half. Not the aluminum ones. This is the end of the 80s and the start of the 90s when brooms sticks where still made of heavy wood. He would raise my tied up legs so I was in a L pose with my back on the floor. He sat in the chair and my legs are now between his legs. He used the stick to hit the soles of my feet, as hard as he can. I do not remember what happen after.
Also we had this dirty furnace room. It was tiny with a water heater and other things. I think a air central conditioning unit. He would throw me in there when I do something bad and the furnace would make sounds that I did not like. My father said there is a monster in there lurking and he hoped it eats me. This traumatized me as a kid.
I also remember him holding my head. He is a pretty big guy. His hand did wrap around half my head. He picked me up and smashed my cranium through the dry wall.
Another punishment he does that is a slightly passive was this. Imagine you are made to face a wall. You put your hands high over your head touching the wall and made to stand on one leg... for hours.
Last thing I remembered before we moved to another area was that my father took the same broom stick and beat me like a pinata on my right hip. There was massive bruising there. I was limping. My teacher noticed and suspected abuse when I showed it to her. I lied though. My father made me lie.
Then we moved to Sheepshead Bay. I kind of liked it there. On weekends my mom and I go out. She will check out the fish market, where fishermen sell their catches. However, the abused of course continued. My father slapped me around for playing with a worm. I was 10 at the time and I know now it is normal for boys around my age to play with creepy crawly things. When my father slapped it was not the ones that make your face turn. No. He does it as hard as he can knocking me to the floor.
I misbehaved at school again, and my father woke me up at 1 in the morning. This was my first time being awake this late at night. He asked "You know what time it is?" And I remember shaking my head. He replies. "Its 1 in the morning." and I was confused. As a kid I thought night meant darkness and morning means when the sun rises. I remembering replying. "Its not morning. Its still night." I am not sure what what said after that but I do remember my father made me do the hands up and stand on one leg on the wall thing for the rest of the morning until the sun rose. I was tired as a overworked mule when I went to school.
There were fights between my mother and my father. Sometimes the fights got so bad, he spends the night at a friend's place leaving my mother in tears. Sometimes he got physical. Rewind to when I was a child, before I went to school. I remember I saw my first fight between them. I had to be maybe 3 or 4 years old. My mother took scissors out to defend herself and I can tell now my father is holding her back from stabbing him. It was brutal. I was hiding in the shadows, the far side of the living room watching. I did not understand what was happening that time.
When the fight was over my father took her to the bed room and locked the door. I came out of hiding, and saw drops of blood for the first time. It was on the floor. I did not know what it was. I remember thinking it has to be rubies. Like the jewel on one my mother's rings I like to look at when she held me. She wears three rings. I touched it and it was water, and I thought to myself "Water rubies?"
Now fast forward back to me being 10. I was tied up a lot, beaten, punished for the slightest misbehavior. Children around my age love to explore things and touch. My father hated that. When I would go shopping with them I would touch things, to see how they worked. I had a knack for touching things, looking, exploring with my hands. Taking apart my toys and see the inner workings and understand how it worked. It was my way to explore the world. I understood engines and car maintenance at such a young age. My father would take me to the junk yards a lot to look for car parts. As he is busy I would mess around with things. My hands covered in rust and grease.
If I was caught touching things in stores, when I got home I got a beating. Another way, he would make me hold out my hands, palms up. Then use a spatula. He would hold the flat end and hit my hands as hard as he can with the handle end.
I had a hard time focusing, cause of ADHD. My father would give me assignments during summer vacation. Such assignments are like, memorize the capital cities of each country. Where each country is at in the world. Multiplication, division. Making me write everything in a book he highlighted and it was a lot. It was hard. I just couldn't focus. He beat me if I didn't get it done or properly memorized. He will not stop until I was broken in spirit and refuse to get up.
One time he spat in my face for not getting a chapter in a book written down on paper. The mucus was all over my face. When I went back to school new school year, math was getting harder. Words and literature was becoming advance. Cause of this I could not focus. I was placed in special ed for this reason. I was bullied a lot too.
I wanted to be normal. I wanted to be like the other kids. Have a normal life. I even begged my parents to put me on medication to help me... but they refused. Because of the abuse, and how empty I felt, and realizing I wasn't a normal kid at the age 11, I wanted to commit suicide. Some serious people got into this and I had to attend therapy and special classes to deal with this for awhile.
Also my father is a Muslim, and around this time forced me to memorized things in the Quran. He'd tortured me, like placing a pencil between fingers and squeeze down on my hand. I can feel the finger bones around the pencil bending causing a great surge of pain. He'd do this if I get one thing wrong. What is worse, I did not speak Arabic. So to me, I had to memorize gibberish.
Age 12, we moved from New York City to Columbus, Ohio. There is a strong Islamic presence there and my father wanted to be around that. Shortly after the move, my mother who is a Chinese Buddhist converted to Islam. My father got her tapes that talked about the Quran in Chinese, so she can understand.
I was failing at 5th grade, and I did my best, but it wasn't enough for my father ofc. I would hide my report cards and lied to them I lost it. I did not want to show him my failing grades. When he found them, oh I was in for a world of pain. He told my mother to get out of the apartment. She protested but demanded her and she relented. I forgot to mention my sister, she was 4-5 around that time. So my mother took her too with her.
My father went to town on me. Tied me up with rope and tape. Gagged my mouth so I could not yell and started wailing at me with fists. He even picked me up and threw me across the living room a couple of times. Cause my legs and hands are bound, I was like dice getting tossed at a casino. I landed whatever side was facing the ground. He knocked my bottom left canine tooth out.
Thankfully that was a baby tooth. A new one replaced it, and its longer than the others. A reminder where the tooth had broke.
Another time I am not sure what I did, but I remember him tying me up and placing a knife to my throat. Threatening me to slaughter me like a lamb. He has put a knife to my throat so many times. Even now as a adult if my neck and throat is touched by someone, I wig out. I go from 0 to angry and scared when touched there.
Still I got into trouble. Still I was a trouble maker.
Age 15, my parents moved to Florida. In New Port Richie my uncle convinced my father and mother to moved there. Also the Islamic presence there is strong too. So it convinced my parents to move and try to make it work there.
The beatings have almost stopped. Like literally almost stopped. My father worked long hours and only saw him at dinner before I did homework and went to bed. The first time I was able to focus in school better. I was much more well behaved. My self esteem shot through the roof. I made friends. The hot weather, I enjoyed it! My uncle took me almost every weekend fishing. He would even get me rental videos for VHS to watch. ((One video was a anime that show tits. Oh god my parents would have flipped if they saw that))
I was a happy teenager! The higher taxes there made my mother work too. Both my parents are too busy working. I was okay with this as I barely had to spend time with them when I got a loving uncle. I got to spend time with my friends. The only trouble I would get into was messing with fire ant hills as I love pissing those things off. I had awesome teachers at, Seven Springs Middle School. My grades shot up, as well as my mental and physical health was getting better and better. I was tan and lean and was a handsome young man. Everything was looking good for me.
However, it was not to last. We did not stay even for a year. Because how my parents had to work like dogs, they decided to move back to miserable Columbus Ohio. My uncle gave my parents a massive roll of paper to use as packaging for the frail items like dishes and vases. This thing was heavy. I brought this up as this is important later.
In the middle of cold autumn too. The sudden climate change screwed my body up. I got the chicken pox again. So literally I got the chicken pox twice! Once when I was a kid and then as a teenager.
Cause of the school I had to go to, it was in the ghetto. I was bullied a lot. My father is less busy so the beatings came back. I was very miserable. Suicidal. Reckless. What even crazier, my father was a trucker. How he supported the family since I was 11. He take me in the truck on weekends and lecture me and beat the crap out of me while I seated in the passenger seat.
Then this day I will never forget. It's the day that changed me forever and I know it. Big story short, the day I got in trouble for climbing the open cafeteria windows to flirt with some girls eating lunch. When my father got home and heard the news... He loses it. Remember that big roll of paper? Well he took that and threw it on my head. I had to be rushed to the E.R and get 13 stitches. So much blood. I was concussed. Confused.
My mother begged me to lie. So I did to the doctor saying a large china dish fell on my head as I was horsing around.

The beatings and punishment got worse and worse. My father would make me stand in the middle of the living room all night some days. If I fell asleep on the floor, he'd kick me on the sides like a dog. He prohibited me from moving that sometimes I would be asleep on the floor and I accidentally urinated on my myself. So I had to run to the bathroom to pee out the rest before I made a mess. I would then go back to standing in the middle of the living room in the dark until my body and mind is too tired.
I couldn't take it anymore. I was cutting myself. Shop lifting. Stealing bikes. Causing trouble for the neighbors. Smoking. I was venting my frustration, my anger, and my sadness out by doing crimes. When I steal, I did not steal cheap stuff. I stole gameboys and games. I stole from stores, friends and so on. Each time I did it, I got better at it. I felt hollow inside once again and doing these things made me felt alive. I bury my head in games I stole to drown the world out. Make me forget my problems. My mental problems decline real fast too. I was spiraling out of control.
I was bullied a lot at school, so as petty revenge some of the bullies played football. I would pretend to go home. Once most the students left I would return in different attire I had in my backpack. I would sneak into their locker rooms while they are at practice and my fingers got real sticky for their money. Most did not use locks on their lockers and I did this a handful of times. Cause of this, people wonder who the thief was and no one suspected it was me.
I started to run away from home too. The frequency picked up on the runaways. If I had $100 for every time I runaway from home, I could afford a house or a super car by the time I was 18. I was caught a lot by police and they would send me though different children services. One place I visited more times I care to count was called the, Huckleberry House. A short term living place for troubled children and teens. It was like a short stop so children services can figure out what to do with the children.
Another time I was caught I was sent into a mental ward for kids and teens. Where I was diagnosed with ADHD and bipolar. The medication help... but just barely.
Then I did the biggest crimes in my life.... I wanted to go back to Florida. I wanted to feel safe and free again. I needed money though. So, one morning I skipped school, and went to a supermarket. I set fire in the car isle where I know all the flammable stuff was... My goal was to rob the registers as people left the store for safety, and use the money to get to Florida.
I was caught.... Police took me home with a court date and everything as there was no substantial proof I did it. They had to look at evidence and footage. My father was at work, and he threaten to kill me as soon as he got home. I tried running away again but my mother blocked the door. I never touched my mother, but in desperation I had to. I pulled and dragged her from the door and ran out.
I was lost and confused and very scared for my life. Night settled, I was still determined to get to Florida. That is all on my mind. Get to Florida and be safe. I felt like I died inside. So night came, and I broke into a small collectibles store. Broke the door window with a log i found, I got in and took the register and got out quick. It was locked, so I took it to a feild and tossed it around and banged it with rocks till it opened. Nothing but change, but I took every penny, nickle, dime and quarter. Then I walked for an hour, and I went to Meijers when they started having those coin counters. I manage to get over 200 dollars. I tried shop lifting for supplies I needed on my trip but was caught.
I was sent to Juvenile jail in the Franklin County District in Columbus. I was let out a few weeks later, given probation for a year with some community service. It was to school, work and back home. Still, I did things if I knew I can get away with it, to feel alive. Stealing. Smoking. That kind of stuff. My father got more violent with me and tried to drill Islam into my head even harder. He thinks that it should help me with my problems. Beatings and abuse still continued and I was powerless.
Then the neighbors kids started to bully me. Beating me up and so on. On the last two weeks of my probation.... I made a Molotov cocktail. I was planning to threaten the bullies with it if they do not leave me alone. Well... they ran away to a cop that was rolling down the streets. Yep... busted. So I was given another year of probation and this time with an ankle monitor. Because I was still causing trouble in school, and I was bullied and I am violating my probation time to time, my lawyer stepped in. I was about to go to Juvenile detention once again, instead she manage to get me into a place called the, Buckeye Ranch.
A place for trouble kids to stay long term to see professionals for help and therapy. First day there, they cut the ankle monitor off. I stayed for about a year. There I learned to improve on my social skills and other things. I was taking my medication and making some strides. My behavior was improving. Because of the lack of abuse, I was happier. Not as happy as in Florida but never the less I felt safe and secure. I still caused trouble but, the stealing has stopped and I stopped smoking. I learn to grow plants, and take care of horses, and how to find a career.
I let out my feelings a lot more. A lot of pent up rage and sadness was in me. Later, time to time I get to visit home on the weekends before I had to return.
When I return I was 17, and my parents bought a house during my stay at the Buckeye Ranch. They promise not to hurt me anymore and things will be better. Boy was that a big lie.
Again the beatings did return and my father had to use more force as I was a bigger guy by then. Also, I drew a lot. And in Islam, drawing people and animals is prohibited. My father would find my drawings and burn them in front of me. So much art I had was lost. So, I kept them hidden. In my room's vent. The vent grill was coming out the floor and was not bolted down. Do I hid my drawings... and some naughty material in there..... What? I was a young man still going through puberty! Sue me!
My father had no idea. He would raid my room invading my private area randomly to search for things but never he looked in the vent. Then I would keep my drawings in a binder, in plastic sheets to protect them. I almost always leave that binder in my school locker.
The house was in Hilliard, Ohio and I went to Darby High School. I realize I was also bisexual around this time. I met my first guy crush there and he liked me back. He given me a necklace of a arrow head and a wolf to show his fodness for me.. My father found this necklace and thought it was offensive to Islam and took it away from me. He later admitted he took it with him on his long haul drives in his truck and threw it out the window somewhere in Indiana. I was devastated. It pissed me off to no end. Another chip on my shoulder I will never forgive him for.
I wanted to learn how to break dance, and I joined a club for that. My father did not approve and wanted me home on time. I defied his orders staying late at school to do activities. I wanted to do something with my life and in a more productive fashion! My stealing days was long behind me. Oh this did not set well with him.
Surprisingly, the day I came out the closet he did not do anything to me. I think the shock was too much for my father to do anything. Instead he tried to talk to me about it. It felt awkward. Strange. To be honest. I was expecting to be buried alive. That was short lived as my father would call me a faggot and other demeaning names cause of my sexuality.
I was a couple of months from my 18th birthday, and on this day was another event that turned me differently. I was practicing break dancing at school with my brothers (close friends at this point) and I called my mother to pick me up as usual. However my father was home early and she said he is coming to pick me up. I did not want to deal with my father because I know he will never approve of me staying after school and lecture me and smack me around. Instead I decided to walk home.
When I got home I wanted to just go upstairs and be in my room. No as soon the door closes my father attacked me. He punched me to the floor and dragged me across the hallway into the living room by my hair. He started to wail at me with his fists. He beat me until he was out of breath. He sent me upstairs, no dinner and after crying for a good hour, I slept it off. Next morning I ran away from home.
Another friend heard the news and told me he knows a family I can stay with a little bit until I turn 18. I took the chance. And for privacy I will say the husband is J and the mother is K. They had three children. Two twins and a young baby that was approaching toddler hood. They had a older daughter near my age we will name her R, who I thought was nice but was a bitch to me.
I took care of the young kids as payment for my stay. Fed them. Babysit. Put them to bed. I had to be careful though as they had a head lice problem and I was letting my hair grow out. I would comb and take care of my hair and check for any signs of lice in my hair. I did get infected with head lice only once and because I caught it early I was able to treat it right away. I was that careful. J kept his hair short as possible, so he can spend time with his girls without worry. The day when I turned 18.... I was free from abuse....
Oh I was so wrong on so many levels.
Living with J and K for awhile... about 6-8 months. I found a guy I liked online that lived in Dayton, Ohio. I went to go live with him and he WAS AN A$$HOLE!... The f%$#er forced sex on me a lot! Even when I was sick as a dog with the flu, he forced me! What is worse... he got another guy and tried to have a three way. This new challenger was even a bigger asshole... but you know what they say about guys with small dicks beings an asshole? It is very true with this new guy. My thumb is bigger than his "you know what!"
One day I had enough. Boyfriend tried to force his way on me, and tried hitting me. I upper cut him in the solar plexus and told him "No!" which made him cry like a little girl as he heaves in pain. Then I dumped him there. When he realize I wasn't going anywhere and I will fight back, he moved out. Leaving me with small dingle dong man.
Also the Landlord was gay with a boyfriend and they were Zoophiles. I walked in one day on him and his boyfriend having sex with a dog! It's. Still. Burned. Into. My. Brain. To. This. Day. God. Help. Me.
Also it was hard for me to land a job too. So I helped by looking after their dog and some other chores. Whatever... I needed a roof. One day the dog got loose when I went outside to do some yard work to earn my keep. The landlord came home and got furious. He started beating me up on the porch for everyone to see! Which later got him arrested.
His boyfriend got arrested too for harassing the police.
His mother later came to kick me out. A friend was helping me pack my things. We told her what her son (the landlord) has been doing with animals and she refused to believe it. Oh well...
I had a friend's mother come pick me up and take me back to Columbus, Ohio where I again lived with my parents. My father was sorry for everything and bought me new clothes and a cell phone. Because Social Media was becoming a thing around this time I had a lot of online friends. Two weeks living with my parents I was stupid to post my new number online and day and night I got texts. So 4 am I woke up to text chimes and I get up to go online to make a post to my friends not to text me on such and such hours.
Then my dad walked in. I am on a computer.... 4 am.... doing nothing wrong.... Yet he lost it. He went from 0 to psycho very fast. He grabs the keyboard and pulls it away from me so hard the cable snapped before my eyes. Time seem to slow down for me there as I witness this keyboard cord just snaps in front of me.
Then we had a shouting match. I realize... "He is not trying to hit me. Oh yeah! I am 18!" So I decided to shout back and we got into our first shouting match. He told me to get the F&@% out and never come back or else he'll call the police. I packed up my things and left him, calling him all sorts of obscenities. It felt gooooood. I was in tears but it felt good at the same time.
I stayed with a friend, until I manage to get a hold of some people I can stay with in Saint Louis, Missouri. They took me in, and lets just say.... their house.... should have been condemned as unlivable by the city ages ago. I am not joking. The basement floods, the house is falling apart. Bugs everywhere. Oh and they let a crazy cat lady live with them with dozens of cats and they were infested with fleas!
Summer is approaching and I am close to the age of 19. Then I met this man who later becomes the love of my life I am still with today. We dated and he shown me kindness and love. Honestly I wasn't use to this. I thought he was trying to butter me up and let my guard down. Sometimes in my head I am like "Okay what does he really want? There has to be something. This is not normal for this to happen to me." But, trust came slowly and I learned to love.
As for the situation I was in that time. I had a minimum paying job that barely covered my part of rent. I was behind. I need new shoes badly as I did not have a car or a bike. So everywhere I go was with my own two feet. When I bought new shoes and my own watch for the first time I earned with my money, she flipping lost it. I tried showing her my old shoes are falling apart. I had them for about 2 years give or take. No she wasn't having any of that. She kicked me out.
Around this time I was having a infection grow under my right armpit. It was getting bigger and bigger each day and turning all sorts of shades of red, blue and purple.
Also funny enough, the house I was kicked out of was condemned by the city three months later and everyone in that place had to move out.
After I got kicked out. My boyfriend got me to stay with a friend who was cool. He was out in Saint Charles, Missouri. Few months later we got our own home. We live together and happily.
However, my father would not let go of me in his clutches. My siblings would find me on social media and beg me to talk to him. I would cave and call and my father would try to guilt trip me into coming home. I would reject his offer and again would go from 0 to psycho that we have a shouting match over the phone. This would happen every two to three months as I tried my best to avoid talking to my family. Each time we talk, he would beckon me to come home and make many promises. When I reject he would mentally and verbally abuse me.
Age 24, my father really hit me in the heart. We got into another fight when I refuse to come home when I am already home with a man I love and treats me well. He knows I like guys and he used that against me with homophobic talk. Calling me all sorts of homophobic names. He finished it off with "I HOPE YOU GET AIDS AND DIE!"
Next two days it really impacted me. I felt shattered. This would go on and on. I would talk to him trying to set boundaries but he kept crossing them.
Also age 24 I got my first car. Even my father was critical, and verbally abusive. He told me I should have given him the money and he will find me a nice car. Now at this point in my life I knew something was amidst. He could have put the car under his name with mine and used it against me to come home. Nope. Not falling for it.
Also I denounced being a Muslim as I want to follow my own path in spirituality. My father and mother do not know this. I know they will both flip out. I tend to keep them in the dark about this.
Age 27, totaled said car in very bad and wet conditions. Got good insurance money out of it, and put it as a down payment for a Nissan 350Z. Again my father became critical saying I am too stupid to drive something that has so much horse power. Still have the Z to this day.
Also I was not being treated for my depression, and over the years I had no clue I was a ticking time bomb...
About 3 years ago, I had a mental break down. My depression got suddenly worse. Depression can not only make one suicidal but also homicidal too. That is what happen to me. I was terrified as I felt extremely suicidal and homicidal. It was not for attention. I felt it like the way I was starving for food or thirsty for water. I wanted to. The urges were powerful. I realize something is very wrong with me. I ask my spouse to hide my handgun. He did at his company he owned. Locked and hidden.
Also his company is protected by fencing and cameras and alarms. So I know there is no way I can find them in case I become more of a basket case.

I thought it was a phase and I tried to wade it out for 4 days. When I realize I wasn't going to win, I turn myself into the E.R and got into a mental ward. I felt shattered, broken, as if my true kind self is going to fade into the abyss forever.
The next 7 days they concluded I suffered PTSD, major depression and possibly boarderline personality disorder from my past of being abused badly. I was evaluated by 4 psychiatrist. A leader and three students. You know its bad when a psychiatrist (The leader) says "Because of your past Mr. *******, its not surprising you feel homicidal." I was taken back by this. Took me a moment to accept that... yeah it is possible I was feeling this way because of all the harsh abuse I've been through.
Also it did not help I turned myself in at the start of OCTOBER and people were watching HORROR FILMS with blood and people stabbing other people at that ward.
After I got out, I started to see a psychiatrist and take therapy for my BPD. I am taking a a pill to help with my symptoms and I am back to normal... mostly. Still get the urges to maim someone or jump off a building but its very much controllable.
Then my father called, and we get into yet another fight... I had it with him trying to guilt trip me home. When he got angry that I refuse to come home I stopped him. "I know why you are pissed I wouldn't come home! I left you like your father did!" And hung up the phone.
I mean it is true. His father bailed out on him shortly after he was born.
And here is the crazy part. Someone pinch me to make sure I am not dreaming. After that when we talked, he started to respect my boundaries and became more understanding. We do not fight any longer. I told him what I told you reader about my mental breakdown and he feels fully responsible for it. He even brought up Florida. He mentioned he noticed my sister and I were very happy to be there. We were healthier and flourishing. He mention regretting moving from there.
Reader, to me this is very strange. I am not sure if its old age or something with my old man. I am 32 and going to be 33 this summer. There is a little peace and a hint of solace in knowing my father realizes the damage he has done to me. Still, somethings he did I can never forgive him for. I know I given him WAY more chances he deserves. I still do not trust him at all, and I am keeping very cautious. I do however have slight optimism that he maybe changing just a little for the better.
Ah reader, my journey has been hell, but I am happy. Still with the man I fell in love with when I was 19. I have my own car, and trying to open my own small business thanks to the enormous help from my spouse.
To be honest, I want to cut all connections to my father. I want nothing to do with him anymore. Reader, what do you think about all this?

Everyone wants to be special- Mr. Giustinian

Everyone wants to be special
Everyone wants to be special: we are raised hearing that we are special, we grow fearing we are not
special and one day we realize we really aren't and start to hope we will be.
We never ask ourselves if being 'special' is something that we really want. There are many kinds of
'special' and most of them aren't exactly 'a good way to be special', in the end what we really want is
a purpose, something to justify our existence, something to reassure us that we mean something.
Let's talk about John Kanisky, he was special: he ended up being the only case in human history of a
disease that never affected anyone else, a disease that is beyond rare and that has not even a name,
he died suffering in atrocious ways.
We could talk of Watanabe Keiichi: he was the first direct victim of an atomic bomb explosion.
We could talk of Roy Sullivan: the man was struck seven times in seven different occasions by
lightnings, the man in recorded history struck more times by the fury of Zeus.
We could list many more special humans that we would not desire to emulate in their specialty: if
we sum the grossly special and the tragically special we would realize that the 'happily special' are
so rare that they defy the concept of 'special' and enter into the concept of 'unique'.
Even our legends and folklore narrate of special people that have lived special existences that were
truly horrific: all the chosen by some god or great spirit lived tragic lives, even mundane heroes
became heroes only because they lived special tragedies and, most of them, became heroes in the
moment of their heroic death.
We know that being special is a good way to earn a great deal of suffering, all our history tells us
this truth yet, we still want to be special. Probably on a subconscious level we realize that life is, in
any case, about suffering and it is way better to suffer to be special than to suffer to be nobody.
The question than is: if we want to be special what about the others?
We look at everyone around us and we know, for a fact, that no one is special. We are driven to
consider those not special in a detrimental way, that is why we have heroes, gods, celebrities... they
are special and they are worthier than the masses, we even call them VIPs: Very Important Persons,
meaning that they are important above the others, in other words that they are important and others
aren't.
Now we usually delude ourselves saying “a special person is more important than those not special”
but, deep inside we know that we can't admit that there is no 'more important': you are important or
you are not, if we were to admit this simple truth we would find ourselves in a very difficult spot, so
we just ignore the logical issue and continue our lives trying to be special without worrying of what
this makes of us on an ethical level.
Someone may say “everyone is special”, a good way to avoid the issue of facing how selfish and
deluded we are, that is like saying “everyone is taller” but, in the first case we would appear to be
very empathetic and kind and altruistic, in the second case we would appear like idiots; to a more
accurate analysis we can realize that both sentences are idiotic in the same way and there is nothing
special in idiocy.
Marina wasn't special and, for a change, she didn't even desire to be special, yet she could be
special.
Marina had an average troubled life, if it had to be written in a book the literary genre would be
'contemporary drama', yet there are billions with far worse lives, nevertheless her life was peculiar
in one aspect: someone, against all odds, noticed her.
Marina could have been created by a random generator, one of those found online, or maybe
spawned by a bored writer without talent: she was raised by her mother, she had a troubled youth,
ended up in the hands of social services, then did some time in a reformatory, then did some school
working double shifts, dropped out of school when her mother got ill, ended up in a strip club, then
in a cat fight club, then in hospital, then her mother died, she was evicted, then she lived on the
streets for a couple of months and finally she started to pay the medical bills of her mother and hers

working again double shifts.
She doesn't have friends, worth mentioning, her sentimental life was and is sterile like a desert and
completely meaningless, she drifts through life without expectations, without ambitions, she is a
survivor.
Now the question would be: why talk of her at all? A good question.
As in every good story the protagonist isn't much until something or someone makes him special,
that's usually when the worst begins. For Marina the worst began sometime ago, five years ago to
be precise, when someone was given the task of finding, among the millions living in the area,
someone with the exact profile of Marina.
Marina didn't know that many of her troubles were not of her own making, she didn't know that
someone was making her life even harder, she survived as always.
What will be of her? Once was said that the journey is more important than the destination, I
believe that the journey doesn't mean much until it gets to its intended destination, Marina is in
transit, waiting to reach her unknown destination...

The golf club was empty this early in the morning, only 2 men on a course followed by their
caddies. The sun was bright, no clouds on the sky and the grass was still wet from the morning dew
shining a vivid green. In the distance the skyscrapers were like gigantic monoliths of glass
reflecting the blue of the sky and the burning solar globe, a mythic aura surrounded them, a sort of
reminiscent feeling of the lost stone age when wise men raised similar structures inspiring awe and
devotion into the unwise.
“Thank you sir for this game.”
“Don't mention it, I come here every Monday before going to work, I heard you liked golf and I told
myself I could relax and have a chat with a promising man.”
“Well I like the game but I am not exactly good at it...”
“Don't worry! This game is so boring and stupid that the only sport in this is to walk with a stick in
hand while someone else runs around getting the balls.”
The first man was in his thirties, lean, perfectly trimmed, perfect posture, he was an handsome man,
in his eyes a mix of anticipation and fear.
The second man was slightly overweight, almost sixty years old, with a bald patch on his head and
grayish hairs like a bay wreath around his head, he could have played the roman senator in any
movie.
“So how are you faring in the new office?”
“Well sir, when I arrived I expected to be put in some kind of under stair, a closet or such, an office
is an extremely welcome surprise!”
“That office is so small you have to watch what you eat son, put on a few pounds and you will need
a ton of lube to get inside and those two sharing it with you are the kind of people you want to stay
light years away from.”
“Mmm, why should I stay away from them? Not that I have a choice anyway...”
“Because they stink of failure son.” The older man stopped and turned to face the younger one.
“They are paper pushers, they have taken roots inside that moldy office, if you stay too much with
them the stink of mediocrity will stick to you for the rest of your life! I hope you have some
ambition son!”
“Yes sir, I consider myself ambitious...”
“Good!” the older man resumed his walk toward the next course, “Ambition is good, it's what
differentiate man from worms. You have potential.”
“Thank you sir.”
“Your curriculum is spotless, you advanced quickly, so quickly that you had to do dirty things for
sure.” The man placed a ball meticulously, took the club and got into position rising and lowering

his eyes between the ball and the hole trying to judge the distance, the wind and the perfect
trajectory to his goal.
“I was only lucky, I always...”
“Don't bullshit me son, I was in your shoes once: you do what you have to do to get on top, to move
up the ladder. If needed you pull down the one above you, you cheat and say the right things, lick
the right ass and if needed you give your ass or mouth to the right person. That is ambition!” The
man stroke the ball with a mighty swing, as to underline his words.
“Well sir, I am here.” The younger man smiled, he was gambling but he was confident.
The older man laughed, his belly vibrating under the shirt.
“Yes you are son.” he patted on the back of the younger man. “Yes you are! Well let's talk of serious
stuff.
You have potential and I know potential when I see it, there's a spot for someone like you, you
aren't like all the others, you are like me! Well you are like me when I was your age, you have a
great distance to cover before you can be like me.
What do you say? Do you want to get to the upper floor?”
The young man placed with care his ball mimicking the older man, he was good at noticing how
people move and talk, how they think and especially what they expect from others.
“Yes sir, I am astonished that I have been noticed so quickly and from a man like yourself.”
“Good, keep at it, I like the feeling of a tongue between my buttocks.” The man laughed “Anyway
tomorrow you get to the upper floor, remember you can do great things if you stick by me, I have
great plans for you if you keep up the good job!”
“Thank you sir.” He stroke the ball with a mighty swing.

“I'll split the eights.”
The casino wing of the Faestus was, as always, filled with people playing and throwing away their
fortunes, waitresses moved professionally between the tables and the slot machines bringing trays
with spumante, champagne, wine and cocktails to the customers. The lights of the games and the
electronic sounds mixed with the laughs and cheers of the players were creating the unique concert
typical of the casinos, the air was perfumed with scents specifically and scientifically designed to
excite the mind and push customers to spend more money.
The man was seated at a black jack table, dressed with a fine suite he was in his forties, he was
quite inebriated and his face was red with both excitement and alcohol.
He was the chief analyst of the finance board of a bank: his job was to tell the difference between a
good investment and a bad one, predicting the odds of a gain or a loss, judging were money was
likely going to flow, who was likely to be ruined or become rich, who was worth something and
who was worth nothing, a gambler by trade and vocation.
He had won a premium promotional ticket for a VIP night at the Faestus with five thousand dollars
to spend in the casino. He always believed he was a winner and when the promotional tickets
arrived at the bank he was sure he was going to win and now he was sure he would have left the
Faestus with a good amount of free cash in his pockets.
He had worked hard, endured much, God knows how much money he gained for others, now the
wheel of fortune was turning in his favor, the blind mistress of fate was smiling and he didn't want
to disappoint.
“The dealer goes bust.”
He exploded in a volcanic cheer, from the deepest of his chest his lungs contracted so quickly that
his head felt light and dizzy. He was winning!
“Thank you, I think I'll take a break.”
The man was smiling so much, he couldn't help it: his cheeks were pulling his mouth on their own
volition, he thought to himself 'I must look like an idiot' and the thought made him smile even
harder. He seated on a stool at one of the many bars, waved his premium pass and ordered a

Negroni, one last cocktail for the winner, the night was still young and he had already drank a lot,
wouldn't be wise to spoil the night puking his soul in the bathroom.
Two beautiful girls joined him at the bar: they were a mix of sensuality and grace with just the
promise of kinky thoughts in their smiles.
“Hello, what are you drinking?”
“This? A Negroni I believe, I don't know what's inside it but it's good.”
“Well then a Negroni for both of us.”
The bartender quickly served the drinks, the two girls payed in cash with a hundred dollars bill.
“We arrived in town just two days ago, this hotel is fantastic! We still have much to explore but we
would like to see the city too. Are you a local?”
“Yes, I live here. I mean not here in the hotel, in the city...”
“Wonderful! So you can guide us to the local attractions!”
“Uh... Well yes. There is much to see. Were are you from?”
“We are from Russia. Her dad and mine are on a business trip and we tagged along.”
“To dads' business trips then!” He rose his glass to toast.
This truly was his night! Two beautiful girls in search of adventure, a wallet exploding with cash
and a VIP pass for all the extra luxurious facilities of the most exclusive hotel/resort of the city!

The night was humid, a light rain was falling on the city, on the cars small pearls of water
shimmered under the city's lights.
Jason was seated on the front passenger seat of his patrol car, his partner driving into the traffic and
chewing an energetic bar.
“You know what? I should ask her out.” Jason's partner was one of those body building zealots,
always on a strict diet and always pumping their muscles, to Jason those kind of people reminded
him of some kind of religious fanatics, fanatics of the Muscle God.
“Why not? She is single, she seems nice enough.”
“Yeah, I thought about it and who cares? Right? What's the worst that could happen? If she says 'no'
it's not going to be the end of the world! I have plenty already to entertain my schwarzie... It's only
that I would love to fuck her you know...”
Jason couldn't care less but, that was his partner and you support your partner, no matter what.
“With your muscles and charms I am sure she will not resist.”
The patrol car waved in and out in the traffic moving quickly into a part of the town were police is
notoriously unwelcome. Hostile gazes followed the car from the sidewalks.
“And here we are...” Jason's partner pulled over in front of a pawn shop.
The shop's window was behind an iron grate, on display various baubles, plates, chinas, even
musical instruments and toys.
The two cops got out of the car and strode toward the entrance.
Jason wasn't a small guy, he was well built and fit but, compared to the amass of muscles of his
partner he appeared almost insignificant.
The door bell rang as the two entered into the shop, rows of scaffoldings filled the small room, the
air was tick with the smell of grease, rubber and dust.
Behind the counter a fat sweaty middle aged bald man raised his head from a clock he was intent
fixing: he had strange glasses on his face with many lenses and what appeared to be some kind of
magnifying apparatus, in his hands small metal tools completed the look of the mad doctor intent
into some kind of terrible experiment on a living and unwilling subject. The man visibly became
paler has he saw the two cops, his sweating increased.
“Good evening my friend.” Jason's partner walked over the counter passing his hand on various
objects on display.
“Hello officers, how may I help you?”
“Timothy you know what we want, it's that day of the month.”
Jason surveyed the room, peeking behind the scaffoldings and the counter to check for trouble,

when he was satisfied he started to get a look at the merchandise.
“Already? Sorry I lost track of time...”
“Ha! That is why you are messing with that clock?”
“Oh, yes, exactly... hehehe...” The owner laughter was so strained that probably his conscious brain
was fighting an epic battle against his reptilian brain that was screaming 'RUN!'.
“So, you know the drill, as they say in the army, it is time to pay.”
“Officer... I am... I...”
“Hey Timothy, do I look like I give a fuck? 'I-I-I-I-I am' what the fuck man!”
“Yes, well, I know that I shouldn't but, you see... I have been in a tough spot of late... I was
wondering if I could pay you the next month...”
“Timothy do I look like a charitable man?” Jason's partner grabbed the shirt of Timothy pulling him
over the counter, his strange glasses fell and clanked; meanwhile Jason found something interesting:
a nice big teddy bear of 40cm, his daughter would have loved it.
“Listen officer there's no need to get angry, I'll pay I'll pay!”
“Good.” Jason's partner released the owner that quickly ran to the cash register, fumbling with his
hands he took a handful of bills and trembling he put it on the counter, Jason's partner casually
picked up the ball of cash and pocketed it.
“Wasn't so hard eh? See you next month Timothy.”
“How much for the teddy bear?” Jason was holding the stuffed animal and looked like a normal
customer, both Timothy and his partner had a puzzled look and were looking incredulously.
“What? Can't I buy it?” Jason seemed completely out of place.
“Yes officer, well for you is free, a present you know, thank you.”
“If you insist, thank you Timothy.”
Both cops went back into the patrol car, Jason carefully put the teddy bear on the back seat.
To passersby the scene must have been comical: two cops arresting a giant teddy bear.
“That Timothy is getting bolder and bolder, I don't like it. Next month we need to break a thing or
two, just to remind him his place.”
“I expected you to punch him, better now than later, if he gets the idea we are getting soft things are
going to get ugly.” Jason was distant, in his mind he was already at home giving the teddy bear to
his daughter, he was excited to see his little princess jumping around hugging the stuffed animal.
“Yeah, maybe you are right... well next month... It's nice that bear you know? How's your family
man?”
Jason sighed “Mary is recovering, thank God the therapy is over, the doctors say she will be fine
and she only needs to take a few pills and get checked every six months. My little princess is
growing restless, with her mother feeling better she is now full of energies and almost trying to
recover the time lost with her.”
“I'm happy to hear that partner. I was scared shitless when you told me she had cancer.”
“Yeah... well it's over now, I plan to try to take some vacation from work as soon as she regains her
strength.”
“You do, you need to relax man, you have earned it.”
Jason was finally home: the house wasn't much but was a proper house of a respectable family, the
garden on the front was a little bit wild but soon he would have had time to fix it.
He parked and got out, took the teddy bear and went to the door, he rang the bell and knelt behind
the bear.
The door opened and Lucy froze, her eyelids beating quickly at the unexpected bear, than she
launched herself on the stuffed animal.
“Daddy!”
Jason hugged both the bear and his daughter and rose on his feet: “My sweet special princess!”

The SUV was moving fast, the woosh of passing streetlights was the only sound.
Mr. Costanzo was seated in the passenger seat, thinking, remembering. It was unusual for him to

dwell on the past, he was a man of action not a reflexive type, yet in the last few months he had
been so busy that his brain was now finding some relax in his memories.
He came from an humble family, grew in a difficult neighbourhood and risked a couple of times to
end up in jail, the call to serve in the military had been a blessing: he learned discipline and found
structure, when the time came he decided to stay and joined the special forces, there his nature
wasn't a flaw but a resource, they nurtured his aggressiveness and taught him so much.
After his first tour of duty on foreign soil he distinguished himself and was promoted and decorated,
after the second one he was politely asked to resign to avoid issues with the press and public
opinion after some ugly necessary operations.
As soon as he arrived back home he immediately found work for a local family and again his skills
and nature made him the top killer around. One day he received a work offer from a big shark and
since then his life changed, he now was a supernatural killer, one of the best.
He was shot at countless times, he was stabbed, beaten but, he never surrendered, he never took
anything personally, was just part of his life to be a target for someone, the life of a predator is
about killing or be killed, everything he was, everything he had he gained it through excellency in
one of the oldest arts of humanity: murder.
He once taught that he was wrong, some kind of monster or nature's mistake, with time he realized
that nature had put a lot of effort to forge him, evolution gave him the tools to excel and he
embraced his gifts. Civilized hypocrites shun those like him, they call them psychos, deranged but,
when they were needed to protect the weak, to kill to protect the weak, they became heroes, after
civilization used those heroes they quickly locked them away. Not him though. He found someone
that appreciated his gifts, his skills and even gave him tools to improve them.
This war was exciting, intriguing, so many enemies, so many dangers, so many chances to excel, to
do what he was born to do.

I'm building a peer-to-peer poker game in Javascript that uses Bitcoin

Slaughter Theatre

Listen, mate. Something is rotten in the State of Victoria, Australia.
From the muddy banks of the Yarra, up and beyond Sydney Road, to the Dandenong mountain ranges….down to the borders of Port Phillip Bay where the fibreglass Luna Park clown, old Mr Moon, grins contemptuously over the brothels and slums of St Kilda. Fuck me sideways. Pernicious humidity followed by a spell of rain, and a sky perpetually overcast with moral decay. Something is wrong, and it rhymes with girder.
Yeah, see....in St Kilda, in July of 2017 a dead body was found in the Triangle construction Site near the Bay, adjacent to where the Palais theatre once stood —before it burnt to cinders. Body had also been burnt, and was unidentifiable, charcoaled as it was. Funnily enough...Nobody seems to know who is to blame. As daily race riots and brawls break out on St Kilda streets, and the cops impose tougher alcohol restrictions, this gaping wound remains untended.
J D Williams and the three Phillips brothers from Seattle had their part;— left their American legacy in Australia, no doubt about it— the Coney Island style theme park of vices, a carnival of underground crimes which led to that precise moment —a swamp of intertwined histories beyond my capabilities to research thoroughly or summarise accurately. Nevertheless, I swear to you old chum, like a moth to a flame, I was drawn into the tangled investigation of that mangled female corpse near Luna Park,... an investigation which would near drive me insane.
My name is Pharlap Dronefire, a Private Investigator based in South Yarra.
I’m not normally inclined to investigate murder cases, but this particular private client had a list of seemingly unrelated things he wanted me to research, the St Kilda murder being just one of them. As I didn’t have access myself to the police files, I resolved to meet up with my police contact, Andrew Barrington, and get the facts surrounding the case.
Officer Barrington consented to meet at Luigi’s; a video game themed bar on Acland Street. It was a hot Saturday, and the St Kilda crowds were wild and varied; thousands of English, Irish and American tourists flocked to the beach, whilst teenagers vomited on the rickety roller-coasters of the seaside theme Park. The scenes were impressionistic, with Bosch-like crowds, bollards lined with palm trees. Myriad junkies asked for change and cigarettes of passers by— on the street, whilst bips and boops sang out from customers playing the vintage arcade machines behind me.
I sat at the outside tables, drunks brushed by me on the cramped and cracked sidewalk, car pollution and smog slept thinly at knee level over the scene, as the green and orange blur of a passing tram flashed by.
I saw officer Barrington approaching from a distance and waved as he crossed the road, shortly he sat down at the table and we ordered two Pale Ales.
‘Thanks for comin’ Bazza’ I said with genuine appreciation. Barrington scratched his face, and muttered a kind of ‘no wukkers ’ through his chin.....he seemed to have a lot on his mind. ‘So what have you got on this St Kilda killing?’ I asked directly, ‘There’s almost nothing online about it, barely made a dent in the press.’ ‘Jesus Pharlap.’ Barrington sighed, ‘Haven’t you got anything better to do than dig up old corpses?’ ‘You know me Baz—’ I said, ‘I’m determined to end up a chalk outline myself. But this corpse is still pretty fresh i’d say. Why are the cops choking on this chicken anyway? What’s the unseen bone?’ ‘Look…’ Officer Barrington sighed, as our beers arrived and I took a big swig of lager; ‘The murder made the papers when it happened, toured the news for a week or so...but because the body has never been identified there hasn’t been much for the press to chew on. There’s no suspects, no motive or cause. We’ve only been barely able to piece together what actually happened.’ Barrington took a sip of beer, as I jotted down some notes. The officer looked down at my ex—left-hand for a moment, noticing the bandaged stub from the accident that had happened to me recently. ‘What happened to your hand?’ He asked. ‘My own bones have been chewed…You and I...’ I replied, ‘....Work in a dangerous line of work.....sometimes the danger of your profession leaks over to mine in unexpected ways ....probably best leave it at that. So what exactly DO the police know about this barbecued girl?’.
I noticed an extraordinary amount of discomfort in Barrington’s face as he discussed the girl. Being partially involved in the murder investigation, it seemed to have particularly disturbed him. He struggled uncomfortably in his seat, Barrington was a large muscular man with thick, black-rimmed glasses and layered, thin hair. His eyes seemed permanently tinged with paranoia.
‘Officially?’ Barrington replied nervously, ‘Nothing...... But unofficially....’ ‘You’ve got your own theories about who did this, don’t you?’ I asked making my own deductions. Bazza sighed and massaged the back of his neck; ‘Look’ he said, ‘Whatever I tell you here is completely off the record. You understand?’ I made an affirmative gesture.
‘You know well— I’ve been investigating various unsolved gangland killings for a long time.’ Said Officer Barrington, ‘We’ve discussed previously my unofficial research and interests.’ I nodded, motioning him to continue. ‘Well. Hexton Police Station is full of officer’s hunches. We’ve always known of these criminal families running things, and what not, but sometimes you don’t have the evidence to put the bastards away. This case goes back years....’
Another tram chimed past in the street as Bazza continued his story; ‘There was the Walsh Street Massacre in 1988; that set a wave of anxiety through the ranks. You’ve head of it?’ ‘Sounds familiar. That’s what ‘Animal Kingdom’ was about, right?’ I said. ‘Right. Before Howard took the guns away, you had the crime families, bank robbers, strings of crimes done with sawn-off shotguns in broader Hexton. Cops shot Greame Jensen, and Victor Pierce promised two cops would die in revenge attacks. After those two young coppers were murdered in Walsh Street, the cops fought back. Executed a bunch of the gang leaders. Then there were the trials of the Walsh Street killers, that bitch Wendy Pierce didn’t testify. Half the buggers never done time. I was trying to nail Peter McEvoy for a long time in the nineties. He moved up to NSW after he was freed.’ I furiously recorded notes as the officer spoke.
‘After the gangland killings of the nineties, and the Purana task force, it took years to catch up on who was doing what. Well that’s when I really went down a rabbit hole in my research. Started trailing these rich crime families who’d been running tricks over the NSW/Victorian border for over a century unchecked. I’m not talking about Gangitano, Gatto or the Manillas. Used to be all the crime was comin’ in from the docks, you know? The Painter and Dockers union, that’s where Victor Pierce worked, the Walsh Street murderer, the Moran family and the Carlton Crew, they were all running drugs through Port Melbourne. The Calabrian mafia, AKA the honoured society, the Ndrangheta—now they also got their claws into Australian society way back then too, they come down from Queensland, had their racketeering going through the fruit and vegetable markets. Everyone remembers the key events— Frank Benvenuto was killed in 2000, but even without their leader the ’Ndrangheta was obviously still operating —because in 2008 the cops seized 15 million ecstacy pills hidden in tomato cans from Calabria. Now, Frank Benvenuto rang Victor Peirce the day he died. You want my opinion— That’s because the thugs that organised Walsh Street, weren’t just acting on some petty revenge motive. The whole thing was planned from higher up, maybe Frank was fronting up to Peirce before he was shot, and maybe Peirce knew too much when he was blown away in 2002. You catch my drift?’
‘’Im trying my best to follow—’ I replied, still anxiously scribbling notes.
‘Keep up mate… Anyway listen, after the terrorist attacks on September 11, people have been too hung up on Islamic extremism to pay attention to what’s really happening with the Mafia and these other organisations, these crime families. Now there was way more knowledge of this in the police force, the internal corruption was proven to go right to the top….in the end — we know the Wood Royal Commission only really exposed the affairs of the Kings Cross Police in Sydney, barely scratched the surface of mafia interception and corruption within the government. Yeah, they brought in some regulations, hell… even that snake Roger Rogerson got done eventually,…the Labour party dealing with Mokbel was partially revealed… but all the while, secret meetings of the same groups were happening; members of corporations, corrupt police, board members, Australian politicians. I was still trailing them, I had addresses of mansions where these figures lived and hung out. Just waiting to catch a lucky break. This wasn’t just a few career criminals. It was like an underground cult.’
I polished off my beer and motioned with my hand to the waitress to bring out another one. ‘So you think this St Kilda killing was perpetrated by these underground crime families?’ I asked intrigued.
Bazza grew more paranoid still, almost sweating and glancing about him as if he was afraid of being watched. ‘There’s this urban legend among ...those interested in crime ....in this city. Have you ever heard of the the ‘Slaughter Theatre’ trilogy?’ ‘The what?’ I asked cluelessly. Barrington seemed peculiarly begrudging to keep telling me information about what he knew, nonetheless he obligingly indulged me;
‘Back in the days of Walsh Street there were rumours of these VHS tapes existing, you know?… It was rumoured that Peter McEvoy, Victor Pierce and other murderers involved in the police killings— used to film their crimes. Snuff videos —which would prove their identities in various murders —nail the Walsh Street killers, and hundreds of other crime figures….. these VHS were alleged to have been seen by multiple witnesses. The stickers on the old video tapes were supposed to be labelled ‘Slaughter Theatre’ in red permanent marker, creepy handwriting. That’s what all the legends say anyway. I know officers who claim to have seen some of this footage. I’m talking sadistic brutal shit. You remember Dennis Allen?’ ‘Sure’ I said. ‘Mr Death they used to call him, well— there’s apparently a snuff video of Allen cutting up one of his biker adversaries with a chainsaw, he’s covered in blood, films the whole thing as he approaches a bunch of slaughterhouse workers in their white gear. They’re all covered in blood and laughing their asses off, saying ‘What floor you working’ on then Dennis?’. Another guy I know claims he’s seen these tapes, proof of all kinds of things we just suspected… Mad Charlie being massacred at his home in Caulfield. Girls being raped and tortured and mutilated. One of the pieces of footage is allegedly of a group of about 30 members of the Comanchero Motorcycle club, and they’re standing around with a group of these government guys in suits, who pay them a bunch of money, then what follows is a sadistic orgy which ends in bloodshed and bizarre ritual.’
I sweated, my hand starting to cramp from the overload of information. I held my hand up for a moment, indicating Bazza to give me a second to catch up. Finally, after a deep breath, and massaging my wrist, I waved; ‘Go on’. Barrington continued;
‘In the nineties and noughties —more rumours popped up about these secret videos. Apparently rich perverts we’re paying criminals for these snuff films, this Slaughter Theatre….. some of them were even getting top notch production values with members of the Melbourne creative industry being involved. At least that’s how the rumours go. The legends are constantly embellished. In the 90’s it was burnt DVD’s which the files were allegedly being copied to. Press dubbed it ‘Slaughter Theatre part Two’. Then downloaded files, and well, you can imagine how the rumours escalated in the modern age of social media.’
I tried to absorb what Barrington was telling me, but had to admit it sounded suspiciously like an urban conspiracy theory. I tapped at my pad with the nib of my pen. ‘So how exactly does this relate to the burnt female corpse that was dumped here in St Kilda?’.
‘Listen,’ Barrington said adjusting his thick, black glasses nervously and preparing to stand; ‘I’m afraid there’s only so much I can tell you without compromising my job. That girl was burnt alive, with a can of gasoline. Autopsy confirms that much. If I tell you that urban legends suggesting that her murder was filmed— are prominent in police circles, would you even believe me? What if I told you I had proof that this murder was filmed as part of a third instalment in this snuff trilogy? Slaughter Theatre - Part Three. That these murders are having a resurgence ——that its all part of this conspiracy?’ ‘I’d say you were either crazy, or had something that would make the biggest news story in Australian history.’ I replied bluntly. Officer Barrington stood up and handed me a business card; ‘That’s all I can do, mate—to tip you off. Listen Pharlap… If you want to learn more I suggest you dig around about this snuff video, I think you’ll find more than you had imagined in your worst daydreams. The.... You’re going to want to speak to the guy —on this card’— (Barrington handed me a business card)— ‘…about a murder that happened at the Three Vertice construction site in Footscray in July 2016. Sorry I can’t be of more help...’ Officer Barrington then shook my hand firmly, and I thanked him before he disappeared into the St Kilda crowds.
So that was how it started. How my innocence was tainted, and I was dragged into this most unnerving and unusual investigation. The business card Barrington gave me belonged to somebody called ‘Drendyl Pex. Three Vertice Construction Company. Owner. Manager.’
For a moment I sat back, and tried to get the tangled mess out of my brain, sipping at the last of my beer. Surely Barrington had gone a bit nuts— reeked of classic Police conspiracy stuff. The idea that the whole criminal underworld is linked through some kind of satanic cult— it was absurd. Satanic Panic. And as for this snuff film? Well… I just had trouble believing that something that could’ve appeared on a /4chan creepy pasta/ could exist in any tangible reality. Nonetheless, right now, it was my only lead. If Barrington believed that the murder of the girl at St Kilda… could somehow be linked to another murder in Footscray, i’d have to investigate it, any other solution would be neglectful.
It was about a twenty five minute drive out to Footscray in my Valiant Charger. I had the air conditioning up to full blast, and my tinted windows down. The radio was blaring FURY FM, some poncy hipster DJ raving on about his succulent garden, and his batch of home-brewed beer. I was about to turn it off when a killer track came on, Head On by The Jesus and Mary Chain, so I cranked the volume and hit the gas. The DJ may have been an arsehole… but he did have decent taste in music, the next tracks were also great; King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, MGMT -Little Dark Age, ORB -Man in the Sand, Nap Eyes -Don’t be Right. The synthetic pulses of the Chromatics cover of Kate Bush’s ’Running up that Hill’ was playing as I pulled into the car park of the Three Vertice construction company.
It was a busy location, with an adjacent yard; many workers in their flouro orange high vis neons and yellow hard hats coming and going. I stumbled over a poorly concreted patch of turf, up a flight of roughly hewn stairs, through a mesh steel fence, until I came into a sheltered office, and temporary reception desk. The lady at the desk gave me a funny look, and I realised I was still wearing my aviators and tennis visor, and I removed them for politeness. ‘Pharlap Dronefire. I’m here to speak to Drendyl Pex’, I said flatly. The blonde woman with dark wirey eyebrows still had an aggravated look on her face, she scowled and said, barely curteously; ‘I’m afraid Mr Pex is quite busy, do you have an appointment?’ I thought cunningly for a few split seconds; ‘No. But this is of a very private and urgent nature. Mr Pex will see it in his interest that we speak as soon as possible—’ ‘Im sorry sir, but Mr Pex….’— ‘—You can tell him it’s in relation to something that happened last year—at this site— he may want to keep confidential…’ The woman sighed, looking fearfully at her computer, ‘Ill try his office, if you just want to take a seat Mr….?’ ‘Dronefire’ I repeated, casually taking a seat on the old, tattered couch.
It was about a seven minute wait —before a well dressed man, with shoulder length, greased-back hair, purple waist coat, cravat, dark velvet jacket and long boots walked into the room. The woman stood up to introduce us, but before she had a chance the man lunged forward and stood before me with his right hand held straight. The man commanded a strange authority, so that I found I quickly leapt to my feet in his presence, and before I knew it we were in the middle of a firm handshake. ‘Mr Dronefire I believe? Drendyl Pex.’ ‘It’s a pleasure, sir, Is there somewhere we can talk a little more privately?’ ‘Of course, please… Come to my onsite office.’ I followed Mr Pex outside of the temporary unit, and we walked up a hazardous mud slide mountain to a— 3 metre square— white cubicle or trailer. Pex opened a door, and we entered into the luxurious space, decked out with a bar and expensive furniture and entertainment system. ‘Can I fix you a rum, Mr Dronefire?’ Pex asked. ‘I’ve never said no to a rum before.’ I replied truthfully. Pex pulled down a bottle from his packed shelves, dropped ice machine cubes into two glasses and poured. ‘On the rocks suit?’ ‘Yeah…that…uh…that….suits perfectly’ I replied. Drendyl handed me a three quarter full glass of pale liquid; ‘Have you tried it?’ He asked ‘Australian brand, from Adelaide, Gunnery, white spiced. Best this country has to offer.’ I took a sip of the drink, and was surprised by the earthy taste, it was dirty but delicious.
‘Mr Pex’ I said, ‘May I be upfront?’ ‘You want to know about the death that occurred last year.’ Pex replied; ‘I’m guessing you’re a Private Investigator or amateur sleuth of some kind.’ ‘Your receptionist passed on the hint, I suppose?’ I asked. ’I must apologise for our quote-unquote reception. It’s a temporary head office, we’re building a new office space here. Miss Weabley is actually our occupational health and safety manager, just filling the desk whilst we get a new temp in—’ ‘I’m not here representing anyone in a legal capacity Mr Pex’… I said, sensing Pex’s defenses, ‘…you guessed it right, I am a P.I-——— my client is interested in a murder that occurred in St Kilda recently, however other trails of research have led me to a you. Did the death last year occur at this location?’ ‘Aha!’ said Pex, seeming to have figured me out, ‘You’re following the urban legend surrounding a certain snuff film.’ I tried not to act surprised. ‘I can provide you some information about that. But follow me, I want to show you something first.’
Pex swigged the rest of his drink, and placed down the empty glass, I followed his lead, and we exited the white building, trudging around a muddy path on the outer rim of the construction zone. My head was warm from liquor and smog, the sprawling horizon bore the haphazard scattering of Footscray industry. ‘Just up here…i’ll show you…. is where the death happened Mr Dronefire. Alice Goddard. Up over the hill there. I’ll show you the place alright…but….. Are you familiar with Footscray at all?’ ‘Not really…Not a bulldogs fan….I…uh…I barrack for Essendon.’ I joked. ‘Blasphemy’ Pex smiled with formulaic small talk, ‘This was Wurundjeri land, where we are standing. Some time ago it was an immense lagoon where the Koories went fishing. There was a factory here at the turn of the century when the industrial revolution hit. They bulldozed it in the seventies, and it’s been nothing much more than landfill up until 2007 when the Three Vertice construction company purchased it. It’s been a sort of base for some time, although our head office used to be in Fitzroy. We are an equal opportunity employer Mr Dronefire. In the last 20 years, over 50 thousand employees; South Vietnamese, Sudanese, Ethiopian, Somalian, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, Indonesian —they have all come through here.’ ‘I’m not quite sure why you are telling me this Mr Pex’ I confessed. ‘I know you’re not a fool Mr Dronefire. We’ve been through our trials and tribulations, pleaded our side in court cases. I don’t particularly enjoy going through the ordeal of recounting the horrific tragedy that happened here last year over and over again. But if I can be plain with you, off the record…’ I nodded. ‘There’s no doubt that girl Alice Goddard was murdered out here, and if you ask me, the likelihood that someone under the employ of the Three Vertice Construction company committing that murder— it’s more than just a likelihood. Of course, you can understand…. why, as leader of this company I would be cautious about publicity over this, i’m not a monster. My pity for the girl is endless. I’ve been very frank with the police about giving them all our employee files.’
I felt like I had just taken in a whiff of pure Drendyl heroine, and had to take a minute to contemplate it. ‘I’m not here to accuse you or your company of anything untoward Mr Pex. Just to seek out the truth. To be honest, I have absolutely nothing in my research which even suggests that the murder which occurred in St Kilda is in any way related to the death of Alice Goddard.’ ‘Well… if you’d done your research, you’d know that she—Alice— was burnt alive.’ Pex stated plainly, ‘Similar autopsy results as your St Kilda murder. I read the newspapers too Mr Dronefire. If I was a police man, i’d definitely be looking at the murders as a double homicide, or possibly two murders in a repeat serial killing. Mind you, this country’s never been well equipped to deal with the serial killer phenomenon, the AFP has a history of bungled investigations in that regard.’ ‘This snuff film?’ I asked increasingly intrigued, but distracted—’You said you were aware of——‘ ‘Everyone in Melbourne is aware of Slaughter Theatre, Mr Dronefire. It’s a legend that’s been spreading around parties in the Northern suburbs for as long as Venereal disease.’ I tried to hold back a chortle, given the morose aspect of the subject matter.
Mr Pex began to walk again, and I followed him up over the last dirt pile which led to the alleged murder site. We were quite high up on the elevation now and had a good view of the Melbourne CBD. Pex stared outwards towards the skyscrapers looming over the Yarra on the horizon. ‘Do you know much about the Crown Casino?’ Pex asked, looking in the general direction of the deluxe crown towers on the horizon. ‘Only that it’s putting a lot of cash in Andrew Packer’s pocket’ I replied. ‘Pfa haha… Packer’s barely here, he’s too busy in Sydney building his 60 million dollar pad at Barangaroo, when he’s not brushing gently against his Scientologist buddies. Good mates with Tom Cruise our James, they’ve all stayed out here at Crown towers too; prominent Scientologists, the Kardashians, the Bush’s, the Rumsfields. Kerry Packer was much more interesting than his son, you know Dronefire. Back in the days of VHS, back when him and Rupert Murdoch were fighting their cold war over who was to be the king pin of the Australian media.’ I took a moment to absorb the serene, pale view of the spires of Hexton CBD, and the dark crown towers silhouetted by the glare of the sun. ‘I’m waiting for the day when the full history of Consolidated press broadcasting comes out,’ Pex continued, ‘…there’s a dark past there the public may never know about. But ol’ Kerry, he knew how to separate recorded history into public and private.’ ‘How do you mean exactly?’ I asked ‘I’m not going to spill all the dirt on Kerry—Mr Dronefire. My father and he had some shared acquaintances. We’d be here all year, and besides, what’s the point. The old cunts dead. You’re a younger bloke, aren’t you Dronefire? I’m guessing 34?’ Pex continued without waiting for an answer, ‘My generation will always remember the day— ha— when Nine Network over stepped Packer’s rule book….’ We reached the top of the hill and stared down into a junkyard of scrap material where the body of the girl had allegedly been dumped. ‘During the shortly lived ‘Australia’s Naughtiest Home Videos’ hosted by the Triple M yobbo Doug Mulray, do you remember? Grown men all over the country were loosening their belts with joy, but Kerry knew there was a time and a place for pornography, and Network television wasn’t it… Haha…. ‘Get that shit off the air!’ That’s what he told the Nine execs when he called them. You should have seen Doug Mulray’s face. Now young James, he’s much more interested in chasing girls, much more interested spending his time in Casino’s than policing the media-boundaries of public and private.’
‘Forgive me Mr Pex’ I interrupted, ‘Maybe i’m misunderstanding all of this. But what exactly does this have to do with the snuff film? Slaughter Theatre?’
Pex seemed satisfied he had given me enough time to look at the scrapyard the body had allegedly been dumped, his body language suddenly changed, and suggested I had overstayed my welcome, and he authoritatively began to escort me back down the dirt hilltop. ‘I can tell you everything I know about the snuff film Mr Dronefire. I’ve heard plenty of rumours about these murders being connected. About them being filmed, and what not. The rumours are everywhere out West and up North in Victoria. They have been for the last 50 years— every time a body shows up, theres a new trail of gossip. Melbourne IS the murder capital of Australia, Mr Dronefire. But unfortunately, I can attest to the truth of those claims no more than I can—the millions of claims about the Loch Ness monster. For all intents and purposes, those of us who are sane rightly dismiss such conspiracies as absurd. Right wing nuts who can’t handle disorder in everything, want everything to be part of some master plan. Then you’ve got the left wing vultures, media types who love a scandal, any fad you can write an article about, or make an indy film inspired by. That’s all this is. Now I have to apologise Dronefire, but I am a busy man. Always happy to help out any investigation, and i’d just as soon see whoever is behind these horrendous crimes behind bars, as much as you, the police— and the girls parents. Now—‘ I could see Pex was wrapping up, but I wasn’t a hundred percent satisfied with the information I had been given, and needed a few more points; ‘Do you mind if stick around here for another ten minutes, just to get some quick interviews with the staff?’ Pex looked mildly disgruntled but not resistant; ‘I can give you ten minutes. Longer than that and you’d be interfering with our productivity i’m afraid. You can speak to our onsite supervisor, he works with most of the staff here.’
Drendyl whistled, and an ocker looking fellow with a mullet, safety vest and a hairy arms made his way over. ‘Fortyn Kildare, this is Private Investigator Dronefire. He’d like to ask you a few questions about the death of Alice Goddard.’ Pex excused himself and disappeared, as I shook Mr Kildare’s hand. ‘You’re a little late aren’t ya?’ asked the gruff man in a thick Aussie accent; ‘Press was all over this ten months ago. What are you hoping to dig up now—eh??’
Continued in Part Two: https://www.reddit.com/libraryofshadows/comments/7new6s/slaughter_theatre_part_two/

Halloween Parties and Events 2017 Monster Megathread!

Disclaimer: All the following information is from both Honolulu Magazine & Honolulu Family, however, feel free to add / correct / update...WHATEVERS! Because this thread is for you, the fine users of /Oahu. If you go to any of them, please post pics and reviews...you've got to be tired of seeing me posting all'a the time, so go for it! I'd also advise checking the websites and/or calling to make sure the events are still on and that the information hasn't changed.
From Honolulu Magazine:
Hitchcocktober at Consolidated Theatres
OCT. 3–31
Nothing says Halloween like rewatching some of Alfred Hitchcock’s most iconic films. (Psycho still makes us nervous in the shower.) Consolidated Theatres will be showing special screenings of North by Northwest, Notorious, Vertigo, Rebecca and Psycho every Tuesday at Kāhala Mall throughout October, with a double screening of Psycho at Kāhala and ‘Ōlino Theatres on Halloween. Talk about a fright night.
Kāhala: 4211 Wai‘alae Ave.; ‘Ōlino: 91-5431 Kapolei Parkway, #600, Kapolei (Kapolei on Halloween night only); $10, Tuesdays at 7 p.m., consolidatedtheatres.com/oahu
Ghouls ’N’ Gamblin’
OCT. 20
Feelin’ lucky? Come in character to the Elite Parking Foundation’s casino night for your chance to win $500 in the costume contest, a trip for two to Las Vegas in the prize drawing and more. This year, proceeds from entrance tickets, casino and alcohol sales will benefit the Special Olympics of Hawai‘i and the Boys & Girls Club of Hawai‘i.
Pōmaika‘i Ballrooms, 735 ‘Iwilei Road, $25 presale, $35 at the door, 6–11 p.m., eventbrite.com
Tim Burton Film Festival
OCT. 20–22
Tim Burton’s films don’t all take place around Halloween, but they’re still creepy enough to get you in the spooky mood. Here’s your chance to see Beetlejuice, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, Edward Scissorhands and Corpse Bride on the big screen in a (supposedly) haunted theater.
Hawai‘i Theatre, $7–$12, hawaiitheatre.com
The Rocky Horror Picture Show – Hosted by Tita Tisling and Cast
OCT. 26–31
Let’s do the time-warp again! Instead of watching The Rocky Horror Picture Show at home for the billionth time, experience the cult classic on a monster-size movie screen. This fully interactive show is accompanied by a full cast of characters and gives you the chance to shout and dance in your seats (and even dress up as your favorite characters. Dibs on Frank N. Furter!). Doors open an hour before start time for cocktails, movie snacks, props and more.
The Arts at Marks Garage, 1159 Nu‘uanu Ave., Oct. 26 and 27 at 8 p.m., Oct. 28 at 7 p.m. and midnight, October 31 at 8 p.m., $20 advance tickets, $25 at the door, eventbrite.com
Art After Dark: Kings & Queens
OCT. 27
Calling all scream queens and kings of horror: Come spend the evening with Halloween royalty at the Halloween edition of Honolulu Museum of Art’s Art After Dark. Get down to spooky sounds from King DJ Revise and Queen DJ Tittahbyte, sip on frightfully good cocktails at the iichiko bar and enter the costume contest for your chance to be officially crowned king or queen of the Halloween ball.
Honolulu Museum of Art, 900 S. Beretania St., free for museum members, $25 general admission, 6–9 p.m., honolulumuseum.org/events/art_after_dark/16501-kings_queens
Hallowbaloo 2017
OCT. 28
Honolulu’s Chinatown arts district and historic Downtown will once again transform into a massive spooktacular celebration of music, craft beer, food, art and entertainment. This year’s street festival promises Hawai‘i’s largest Halloween outdoor craft beer experience, food trucks, three stages of music and entertainment and the chance to win $1,000 in a costume contest. Then, walk your wicked self over to the after party at Club Hallowbaloo featuring eight clubs and just one cover charge.
Nu‘uanu Ave., Hotel, Smith and Pauahi streets; street festival: 5–10 p.m.; Club Hallowbaloo: until 2 a.m.; $10–$45, 21 and over (unless accompanied by an adult), eventbrite.com
Rock the Block Halloween SpooktaculaThe Creepy Tiki Cruise
OCT. 28
Classic cars, pinup girls and … zombies? We can dig it. Put on your favorite poodle skirt, tease and grease up that hair and come on down to Rock the Block in Kaka‘ako for a throwback Halloween party featuring classic cars and bikes, pretty dames, gruesome zombies, street vendors, food trucks, live music by Ooklah, Jimmy Weeks and more.
Cooke and Auahi streets, free, 5–10 p.m., facebook.com
Halloween at the Hyatt
OCT. 31
Batmen, Wonder Women, this one’s for you: “League Up!” is your chance to suit up as your favorite superhero (or villain) for a night filled with tricks and treats. Fly solo or assemble the squad for the Halloween costume contest and you could win up to $2,000 in cash and prizes. Don’t want the night to end? Head over to the official after party at The District Nightclub and keep the fun going all night long.
Hyatt Regency Waikīkī Beach Resort and Spa, 2424 Kalākaua Ave., $10 general admission, $20 VIP (includes a glow stick, fast pass to skip lines and a candy pouch), 8 p.m., seetickets.us
Your Guide to the Scariest Haunted Houses in Honolulu
Haunted Plantation
WAIPAHU
Your worst nightmares come true at the Haunted Plantation in Waipahu. On Friday the 13th, the Hawai‘i Plantation Village transforms into a haunted attraction complete with crazy circus clowns, gross zombies and a hideous pale woman. More than 70 costumed actors are hiding inside the houses in the village, waiting to scare you. The movie-quality special-effects makeup really adds to the extra creepiness factor. What’s even scarier are the stories of real ghosts reported on the site of this former sugar plantation village. Throw in some spooky music and fog—you’ve got a recipe for a good scare.
Oct. 13–15, 20–22, 27–29, 31, $15 general admission, $20 fast pass, Waipahu Plantation Village, 94-695 Waipahu St., hawaiihauntedplantation.com
Skeleton Key Presents Mummy: Curse of the Crypt by Jorge Garcia
KAILUA
You don’t need to take a trip to King Tutankhamun’s tomb in the Valley of the Kings to see mummies—a new haunted house in Kailua is packed with them. Mummy: Curse of the Crypt is Kailua’s newest haunt designed by Hawai‘i Five-O actor Jorge Garcia and produced by Skeleton Key Hawai‘i’s Kevin Keaveney. Your mission is to escape this long-lost Egyptian crypt to survive the mummy’s curse. Be prepared to feel claustrophobic. Tight spaces? You bet. You’ll need to navigate through the dark and winding tunnel with mummies creeping at every turn. Can you make it out alive?
7–11 p.m. on Oct. 6–7, 13–14, 19–21, 26–31 and keiki-friendly days from 5–7 p.m. on Oct. 21, 28–29, $15 general admission, $20 fast pass, 171 A-Hamakua Drive, skeletonkeyhawaii.com
Zombie Paintball Massacre
DOWNTOWN
The undead are after you. You’re armed with a paintball gun and only one goal: Save the world. Good luck.
7–11 p.m., Oct. 13–14, 20–21, 27–31, $10 per person for groups of 10 or more, $12 presale, $15 at the door, $20 fast pass (tickets available at all military outlets, Razor Concepts and UH Campus Center), 919 Kekaulike St., scream808.com
Honolulu Family's Halloween Events in Hawai‘i-2017
Sunday, Oct. 1 through Oct. 31
Pumpkin Patch at Waimānalo Farm
Saturdays and Sundays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Weekdays are often for school group visits only. Visit Waimānalo Country Farmsʻ Facebook page for the latest information.
Pick a pumpkin, sip on fresh lemonade and play at the farm at this pumpkin patch on O‘ahuʻs windward side. While youʻre there, stop by the sunflower patch, which will also be open this month.
Waimānalo Country Farms, 41-225 Lupe St., Waimānalo, (808) 306-4381, waimanalocountryfarms.com
Tuesday, Oct. 10
Movie Night at Kahuku Library: Ghostbusters
5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
This remake of the classic 1980s movie follows paranormal researcher Abby Yates and physicist Erin Gilbert as their research into modern ghosts proves to be too successful. Soon, they and two other New Yorkers must go to battle when 1,000 mischievous ghouls descend on Times Square. The movie is rated PG-13.
Free. Kahuku Public Library, 56-490 Kamehameha Highway, (808) 293-8935, librarieshawaii.org
Saturday, Oct. 14 through Sunday, Oct. 29
Aloun Farms 17th Annual Pumpkin Festival
Saturdays and Sundays, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Pick pumpkins, sweet corn, beans and sunflowers, then go for a free hayride or saddle up for a pony ride at this working farm in Kapolei. There will also be photo stations, carnival games and rides and a free WiFi hotspot. The first weekend, families can try free educational farm activities. Oct. 21 and 22 will have a free obstacle course and Oct. 28 will have costume contests and free carnival games. Bring two trash bags of gently used clothes to get free entry and a chance to win a family four-pack of passes to Wet ‘n’ Wild Hawai‘i. Pumpkins will be priced according to size. Bring cash. No checks or credit cards will be accepted.
$3 admission, kids 2 years and younger are free. Military Appreciation Day is Saturday, Oct. 28 when admission is free with military ID. Aloun Farms, Old Farrington Highway between Kapolei and Waipahu., (808) 677-9516, alounfarms.com
Saturday, Oct. 14
Saturday Afternoon at the Movies: The Little Vampire
2 to 3:30 p.m.
Tony is the new kid in a small, remote village in Scotland, making him the target of bullies. He’s also having nightmares about vampires. One night, a young vampire, Rudolph, flies into his room and soon, the two are working together to help the family of vampires regain their humanity. The film is rated PG.
Free. Hawai‘i State Library, 478 S. King St., (808) 586-3520, librarieshawaii.org
Felted Fall Pumpkins Workshop
2:30 to 4 p.m.
Make a woolly jack o’lantern with a local fiber artist. Felting needles are sharp so parents may want to stay to help their kids. The minimum age is 8, but 7-year-olds may come with a parent.
$20, 8 years and older. Art Explorium, 1142 Koko Head Ave., (808) 312-4316, artexplorium.org
Sunday, Oct. 15
Spooky Scenes Workshop
2:30 to 4 p.m.
Kids will make ghosts, pumpkins, spiders and more from air-dry clay then create a pop-up scene as a backdrop.
$20, 5 years and older. Art Explorium, 1142 Koko Head Ave., (808) 312-4316, artexplorium.org
Howl-O-Ween Woof-tacular & Doggie Escape Room
3 to 7 p.m.
Dressed-up dogs can celebrate with a costume contest, doggie limbo and trick contests, a pet photo booth and pumpkin prize pull. Sign up early for the Doggie Escape Room, where you need to find your spare keys to get a candy-stuffed Fido to the veterinarian. The family with the fastest time will win a prize pack of dog goodies. The event is a fundraiser for Assistance Dogs of Hawai‘i. Registration for the escape room begins at noon, a small participation donation fee is requested.
Free. 2961C East Mānoa Road, (808) 783-7390, hawaiidoggiebakery.org/events
Monday, Oct. 16
Color Mask: Trick-or-Treat Event
3:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Make a superhero mask and trick-or-treat around the library. Kids in grades kindergarten through sixth grade will be given a nametag, which they will need to trick-or-treat.
Free. Mililani Library, 95-820 Maka‘imo‘imo St., Mililani, (808) 627-7470, librarieshawaii.org
Tuesday, Oct. 17
Reading Awakens: This Halloween
5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Dress up in your favorite Star Wars costume to join games, crafts, snacks and a selfie photo booth.
Free. Kahuku Public Library, 56-490 Kamehameha Highway, (808) 293-8935, librarieshawaii.org
Wednesday, Oct. 18
Pumpkin Palooza
6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Pumpkin stories, crafts, games, pumpkin pie in a cup and other activities will be available for kids. Young keiki must be accompanied by an adult.
Free. Waimānalo Public Library, 41-1320 Kalaniana‘ole Highway, (808) 259-2610, librarieshawaii.org
Friday, Oct. 20
Halloween Family Camp at Camp Erdman
3:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 21 through 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 22.
The not-so-spooky-themed camp for families includes three days and two nights in cabins with showers and all meals. Activities include a costume contest, arts and crafts, a haunted house, scavenger hunt-style trick-or-treating, swimming and hiking. In the past, arts and crafts included tie dying, candle making and pumpkin carving.
Rates begin at $115 per person for space for a tent to $1,240 for a deluxe cabin that houses up to eight people. Camp Erdman, 69-385 Farrington Highway, Waialua, (808) 637-4615, camperdman.org
Tim Burton Film Festival: Beetlejuice
8 p.m.
Arts and crafts, a themed costume contest and entertainment lead into the showing of Tim Burton’s story about two ghosts who test their haunting chops when two over-the-top yuppies threaten to makeover their home in this classic Tim Burton comedy. Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis call on freelance bio-exorcist Beetlejuice to chase the mortals out, but soon find they need to find a way to exorcise the exorcist. This movie is rated PG and runs one hour and 32 minutes.
$12 general admission; $7 for kids 4 to 17 years, seniors and military and students with ID. Kids 3 years and younger are not permitted. Hawai‘i Theatre, 1130 Bethel St., (808) 528-0506, hawaiitheatre.com
Saturday, Oct. 21
Pumpkin Picking at Red Barn Farmstand
8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Pick a locally grown pumpkin at this Hale‘iwa shop and eatery. Pumpkins from Twin Bridge Farm will sell for $5 for medium ones, $10 for larger sizes. Then stick around for a live performance by Uncle Wayne and the Howling Dog Band at the Family Pau Hana. Ten dollar stew, chili or curry bowls as well as Red Barn's hummus dip and veggie plate will be for sale. Kids in costume will receive $1 off an entree.
Free admission. 66-320 Kamehameha Highway, Hale‘iwa, (808) 753-4350, redbarnfarmstand.com
8th Annual Pumpkin Carving Festival
10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Watch a master carver turn a 1,200-pound pumpkin into a character from Beauty and the Beast, watch local high school students in a carving challenge. Families can buy a pumpkin-carving kit do make their own for $35. Proceeds benefit Keiki O Ka ‘Aina Family Learning Centers.
Free. $35 pumpkin carving kits include a pumpkin, tools, gloves and stencils. Windward Mall, 46-056 Kamehameha Highway, (808) 945-1005, windwardmall.com
The Great Pumpkin Festival
10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Pick your favorite from more than 2,500 locally grown pumpkins at the largest patch in East O‘ahu, then create arts and crafts, play games and shop in the country store.
Free admission. Holy Nativity School, 5286 Kalaniana‘ole Highway, (808) 373-3232, holynativityschool.org
Halloween Event and Costume Contest at Salt Lake Shopping Center
10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Activities, a costume contest and center-wide trick-or-treating will be part of this annual event.
Free. Salt Lake Shopping Center, 848 Liliko‘i St., (808) 735-8822, saltlakeshoppingcenter.com
Spook Life Park at Sea Life Park
Noon to 4 p.m.
Trick-or-treat through the park, visit a haunted theater, see underwater pumpkin carving, enter the costume contest and play games for a special discounted price. The costume contest is for kids 12 years and younger, with prizes given to the most original in each age group. There will also be a category for costumes using recycled materials.
$13.01 kama‘āina admission with ID, kids 2 years and younger are free. Sea Life Park, 41-202 Kalaniana‘ole Highway #7, Waimānalo, (808) 259-2500, sealifeparkhawaii.com
Tim Burton Film Festival: Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children
2 p.m.
Arts and crafts, a themed costume contest and entertainment lead into the showing of Tim Burton’s story about a school for children with special powers. Note, some say this film is a bit scary for younger children. The movie is rated PG-13 and runs two hours and eight minutes.
$12 general admission; $7 for kids 4 to 17 years, seniors and military and students with ID. Kids 3 years and younger are not permitted. Hawai‘i Theatre, 1130 Bethel St., (808) 528-0506, hawaiitheatre.com
Sunday, Oct. 22
Pumpkin Picking at Red Barn Farmstand
8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Pick a locally grown pumpkin at this Hale‘iwa shop and eatery. Pumpkins from Twin Bridge Farm will sell for $5 for medium ones, $10 for larger sizes.
Free admission. 66-320 Kamehameha Highway, Hale‘iwa, (808) 753-4350, redbarnfarmstand.com
Tim Burton Film Festival: Corpse Bride
2 p.m.
Arts and crafts, a themed costume contest and entertainment lead into the showing of Tim Burton’s story about a groom who mistakenly becomes the fiancé of a ghost bride and is taken to the land of the dead. Now it’s up to him to get back to his real-life bride. This film is rated PG and runs one hour and 18 minutes.
$12 general admission; $7 for kids 4 to 17 years, seniors and military and students with ID. Kids 3 years and younger are not permitted. Hawai‘i Theatre, 1130 Bethel St., (808) 528-0506, hawaiitheatre.com
Halloween Glow Jars Workshop
2:30 to 4 p.m.
Make glowing glass jars with acrylic paint. Creations can be taken home and illuminated with battery-operated candles.
$15, 5 years and older. Art Explorium, 1142 Koko Head Ave., (808) 312-4316, artexplorium.org
Wednesday, Oct. 25
Spooktacular Halloween Party
5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Kids 12 years and younger can play Halloween-themed carnival games, win prizes and take pictures with Star Wars characters and a roving puppeteer.
Free. Kapolei Public Library, 1020 Manawai St., Kapolei, (808) 693-7050, librarieshawaii.org Saturday, Oct. 28
Gunstock Ranch Fall Fun Day-presale discount
9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Spend some time in a petting zoo, enter costume contests, see horses in costume, play lawn games at this Halloween-themed day at the ranch. Kids can also buy script for pony and hay rides, pumpkin chucking, face and horseshoe painting. Lemonade, corn, shave ice and Gunstock Grass-fed beef will be for sale. Bring cash, closed toed shoes, and jogging strollers to help you roll over the sometimes uneven ground. You’ll receive a $3 discount on tickets if purchased online by Sunday, Oct. 15.
$5 admission presale, $8 at the door. Kids 2 years and younger are free. Gunstock Ranch, 56-250 Kamehameha Highway, Kahuku, (808) 293-2026, gunstockranch.com
Pre-Halloween Event and Trunk & Treat at ‘Aikahi Park Shopping Center
10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Enter a keiki costume contest and go trick-or-treating at participating stores, restaurants and cars.
Free. ‘Aikahi Shopping Center, 25 Kāne‘ohe Bay Drive, Kailua, shopaikahi.com
Halloween Spooktacular
10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Face painting, Halloween Bingo, crafts and games are available. At 1 p.m. families can watch The Addams Family movie. Kids 5 years and younger must be accompanied by an adult. Face painting will be from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Bingo starts at 11 a.m.
Free. Waikīkī-Kapahulu Public Library, 400 Kapahulu Ave., (808) 733-8488, librarieshawaii.org
Mililani Backyard Night-Halloween Event
5 to 9 p.m. Check in for the contest is at 5 p.m. Judging begins at 6 p.m. Movie starts at 7 p.m.
Join a keiki costume contest and do activities before watching the free showing of the live-action film, Beauty and the Beast. Prizes will be awarded for Cutest, Most Creative and Scariest in three age categories: 8 years and younger, 9 to 12 years and 13 years and older.
Free, you do need a wristband for entry. Mililani Shopping Center, 95-221 Kipapa Drive and 95-390 Kuahelani Ave., Mililani, mililanishoppingcenter.com
Kāhala Mall Costume Contest
5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Prizes will be given to kids in eight categories including a family or group category.
Free. Kāhala Mall, 4211 Wai‘alae Ave., (808) 732-7736, kahalamallcenter.com
Mililani YMCA 5th Annual Trunk & Treat
5:30 to 8 p.m.
Trick-or-treat from car to car at this family event. For a fee, kids can play carnival games and jump in bouncers. Food will also be sold. The costume contest begins at 6 p.m.
Free. Mililani YMCA, 95-1190 Hikikaulia St., Mililani, (808) 275-4626, ymcahonolulu.org
Sunday, Oct. 29
Sunday Afternoon at the Movies: Beetlejuice
1 to 3 p.m.
Two ghosts test their haunting chops when two over-the-top yuppies threaten to makeover their home in this classic Tim Burton comedy. Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis call on freelance bio-exorcist Beetlejuice to chase the mortals out, but soon find they need to find a way to exorcise the exorcist. This movie is rated PG and runs one hour and 32 minutes.
Free. Waikīkī-Kapahulu Public Library, 400 Kapahulu Ave., (808) 453-6566, librarieshawaii.org
Patterned Pumpkin Paintings Workshop
2:30 to 4 p.m.
Draw and paint a pumpkin while learning about patterns and colors.
$15, 5 years and older. Art Explorium, 1142 Koko Head Ave., (808) 312-4316, artexplorium.org
Keiki Halloween Costume Contest and Trick-or-Treat at Royal Hawaiian Center
3 to 10 p.m. Contest begins at 4 p.m. Trick-or-treat begins at 6 p.m.
Kids and families can enter to win prizes in five categories: Cutest for kids 0 to 2 years, Most Creative for kids 3 to 5 years, Most Original for kids 6 to 10 years, Best Parent/Child Costume and Overall Grand Champion. All winners will receive Royal Hawaiian Center gift cards. Trick-or-treating will follow at participating merchants until 10 p.m. Parking will be a $5 flat rate for the day.
Free. Royal Hawaiian Center, 2201 Kalākaua Ave., (808) 922-2299, royalhawaiiancenter.com
Keiki Costume Ball at the Hawai‘I Children’s Discovery Center
5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Trick-or-treat through the center, play games, do Halloween arts and crafts, ride the carousel, take pictures in a photo booth and have pizza and ice cream at this event for families.
$16 for nonmembers, $10 for members. Hawai‘i Children’s Discovery Center, 111 Ohe St., (808) 524-5437, discoverycenterhawaii.org
Windward YMCA Mermaids Halloween Show
3 p.m.
Watch the synchronized swimming mermaids. The class is offered every Sunday at the YMCA.
Free. Windward YMCA, 1200 Kailua Road, Kailua, (808) 261-0808, ymcahonolulu.org
Monday, Oct. 30
Trick-or-Treat Escape Room: Escape the Vampire’s Lair
3 to 7 p.m.
The clock is ticking. Teenagers have 30 minutes to solve the puzzles and decipher codes before the vampire wakes up to claim another victim. Advance registration is required. Seven people are allowed per session, there are four sessions.
Free. Pearl City Public Library, 1138 Waimano Home Road, (808) 453-6566, librarieshawaii.org
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
4:30 to 7 p.m.
What happens when a magical creature escapes in New York City in the 1920s? Newt Scamander is returning home from a trip around the world documenting extraordinary beasts when a magical escapee and a suitcase mixup starts a chain of events that could threaten the wizarding and human worlds.
Free. Mililani Public Library, 95-450 Maka‘imo‘imo St., (808) 627-7470, librarieshawaii.org
Tuesday, Oct. 31-Trick-or-Treat Spots
Ala Moana Center-5 to 7 p.m. 1450 Ala Moana Boulevard, alamoanacenter.com
International Marketplace-5 to 7 p.m. 2330 Kalākaua Ave., shopinternationalmarketplace.com
Kāhala Mall-5:30 to 7 p.m. 4211 Wai‘alae Ave., kahalamallcenter.com
Ka Makana Ali‘i-5:30 to 7:30 p.m. 91-5431 Kapolei Parkway, Kapolei, kamakanaalii.com
Koko Marina Center-5 to 7 p.m. 7192 Kalani‘anaole Highway, kokomarinacenter.com
Mililani Shopping Center-5 to 7 p.m. 95-221 Kipapa Drive and 95-390 Kuahelani Ave., Mililani, mililanishoppingcenter.com
Royal Hawaiian Center-6 to 10 p.m. 2201 Kalākaua Ave., royalhawaiiancenter.com
Wai‘anae Public Library-2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Non-candy items will be handed out and kids can do crafts and games. 85-625 Farrington Highway, Wai‘anae, librarieshawaii.org
Ward Village-6 to 8 p.m. 1240 Ala Moana Boulevard, wardvillage.com/events
Windward Mall-5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Kids 12 years and younger. 46-056 Kamehameha Highway, Kāne‘ohe, windwardmall.com

What's happening around town (Wed, Jun 21st - Tue, Jun 27th)

Oklahoma City's event list.

Ongoing

Bring It On (Pollard Theatre - Guthrie) Thru Sat, Jul 1st Travel to the historic Pollard Theatre in Guthrie for a memorable production of “Bring It On: The Musical.”…
Concerts in the Park (Yukon City Park, Freedom Trail Park & Chisholm Trail Park - Yukon) Thru Thu, Aug 3rd Enjoy free concerts every Thursday during the summer months in Yukon. Concerts in the Park, held in Yukon's Chisholm…
Concerts in the Park (Hafer Park - Edmond) Thru Thu, Jul 27th Visit Edmond's Hafer Park every Thursday this summer for free concerts. Concerts in the Park offers a variety of…

Wednesday, Jun 21st

1/2 Price Game Day (Dave & Buster's of OKC - Oklahoma City) Start Time: 11:00am Need a little midweek pick me up? Come to Dave and Buster's for 1/2 Price Game Day, ALL DAY LONG. Come for the games, stay for the amazing food and drinks.
♪ Amarillo Junction (JJ's Alley - Oklahoma City) Start Time: 6:30pm
🎨 Beyond ART: Lunch with an Artist - Jim Keffer (JRB Art at the Elms - Oklahoma City) Start Time: 11:30am Bring your lunch and join us for our BEYOND ART: Lunch with an Artist Series. Eat, converse, and make connections to our art and artists. JRB artist, Jim Keffer will be in attendance. Bio: http://www.jrbartgallery.com/artist/Jim_Keffebiography/ Artwork: http://www.jrbartgallery.com/artist/Jim_Keffeworks/list/
Bike Week Oklahoma (Sparks America Campground - Sparks) Thru Sun, Jun 25th Join the fun with people from all over the nation at Bike Week Oklahoma. Held at Sparks America Campground in Sparks,…
♪ Boot Scootin' Ball (Touchmark at Coffee Creek - Edmond) Start Time: 4:30pm Join Touchmark residents for a festive county western party featuring food from a local food truck and live entertainment. RSVP by June 21 to 405-340-1975.
🎭 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Oklahoma Children's Theatre - Oklahoma City) Start Time: 7:00pm Joined by his Grandpa George, Charlie received the prize of a special tour of the mysterious Wonka Chocolate factory, led by none other than Willy Wonka himself! He soon learns, however, that surprises await, and not everything is how it seems
😂 Chris Killian (Loony Bin Comedy Club - Oklahoma City) Thru Sat, Jun 24th
🎭 Discover Magic Camp (The Sooner Theatre - Norman) Day 2 of 2 Start Time: 9:00am June 19-23 OR July 24-28 (2nd-8th grade) Tuition: $180 Discover the real secrets of magic... For centuries, the best magicians have learned the secrets of magic from other magicians. At Discover Magic, that tradition continues! Hidden in this fun and interactive camp are simple and powerful life changing lessons. Through the act of performing…
Edmond Farmers Market (Mitch Park - Edmond) Start Time: 8:00am
Kitfox featuring ill suburbia (The Venue OKC - Oklahoma City) Start Time: 7:00pm
♪ Live Music- Adam Ledbetter (Oklahoma City) Start Time: 6:00pm Join us for live music presented by Adam Ledbetter
🎓 Oklahoma Connections Academy Hosts Free Family Information Session (Comfort Inn and Suites Newcastle – Oklahoma City - Newcastle) Start Time: 6:30pm Oklahoma Connections Academy, a tuition-free online public school, will host a free information session in Newcastle for families interested in learning about its online program and individualized approach to education. Oklahoma Connections Academy is accredited by the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement…
On the Same Page Book Discussion (Moore Public Library - Moore) Start Time: 6:00pm Come join us for a lively discussion of this month's book, The Headmaster's Wife by Thomas Christopher Greene. Copies of the book can be checked out from the Information Services desk.
🎓 Society of Petrophysicists and Well Log Analysts (Cox Convention Center - Oklahoma City) Day 2 of 2 Start Time: 7:45am Location: All Exhibit Halls Times: 6/19-6/21 - 7:45 a.m. - 6 p.m. daily
🎨 Summer Adult Classes (Oklahoma Contemporary - Oklahoma City) Day 2 of 2 Start Time: 10:00am Expand your skills and explore your creativity this summer. Enrollment opens May 4 for our four- and eight-week classes designed for artists at any level. Under the guidance of experienced instructors, classes are available in ceramics, 2-D arts and fiber arts. You can also sign up for open studio hours in our photography darkroom, one of only a…
🎭 Summer Camps (The Sooner Theatre - Norman) Day 2 of 2 Start Time: 9:00am It's not too late! We still have a few spots open for our second session of the summer - June 12-23! Half day camps for kids entering K-6th grade! Join us for Gotta Sing, Gotta Dance or Curtains Up! Acting and explore the creative genius inside as we dive into crazy characters and Rockin' Broadway hits! Camps available M-F, 9 am to noon and 14…
🎨 Summer Camp Contemporary (Oklahoma Contemporary - Oklahoma City) Day 2 of 2 Start Time: 9:00am With a different artist each of 11 weeks and nearly 60 camps for students in K–ninth grade, there’s plenty to explore at bit.ly/OCsummer. Keep kids creative and learning in camps featuring visual arts, music, hip-hop, fiber, clay, performance, robotics and more. Whole Foods Market will provide free healthy snacks for all summer camps.
🎨 Summer Camp Contemporary Week 4 (Oklahoma Contemporary - Oklahoma City) Day 2 of 2 Start Time: 9:00am Week 4 | June 19-23 | Michael Eastman
Through the use of vibrant color, textures and light, American photographer Michael Eastman creates large-scale photographs that take the viewer into scenes of natural landscapes, abandoned towns and architectural spaces. Whole Foods Market will provide free healthy snacks for all summer camps.
Grades K-1…
🏆 SUMMER DAY SKATE (Skate Galaxy - Oklahoma City) Start Time: 11:00am SUMMER DAY SKATE HOURS!!! EVERY WED,THURS, & FRI 11am-2pm Admission is only $6
we also have summer passes on sale! $30 gets you unlimited admission to all day skate sessions may 31st - aug 11th
🎨 Summer Signature Tour (Western Heritage Museum - Oklahoma City) Day 2 of 2 Start Time: 1:00pm Meets at Canyon Princess (cougar sculpture in West Hallway) From Remington and Russell to Native American works, see some of the finest Western art in the country during this docent-facilitated Museum tour. View ethnographic material from Native Americans and mountain men, and learn about frontier military life. Round out the tour with a look at…
♪ Super Bob (Oklahoma City) Start Time: 7:30pm
The Taming of the Shrew (Oklahoma Shakespeare In The Park - Oklahoma City) Thru Sat, Jun 24th Get outside for a delightful evening of summer theater when the Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park Company brings The…
Twenty Colorfield Works (Myriad Botanical Gardens - Oklahoma City) Start Time: 9:00am
Wait Until Dark (Lincoln County On-Stage - Chandler) Thru Sat, Jun 24th Join Lincoln County On-Stage in Chandler for a production of Frederick Knott's 1966 Broadway play, "Wait Until…
Weekly Walkups (Myriad Botanical Gardens - Oklahoma City) Day 2 of 2 Start Time: 10:00am
🎨 Wonderful Watercolors Workshop with Connie Seabourn (The Depot - Norman) Start Time: 9:30am In response to requests, The Depot is offering a third “Wonderful Watercolors” workshop with Connie Seabourn, this one scheduled with teachers in mind. Connie has agreed to provide this third workshop opportunity on Wednesday and Thursday, June 21 and 22, 2017. The workshop will begin at 9:30 each morning and continue until about 4:00 pm in…
🏃 Yoga Flow Level I Very Gentle (Moore Norman Technology Center - Oklahoma City) Start Time: 7:30pm Students will learn basic Hatha Yoga asanas (postures), including balancing ones, and smooth, flowing sequences. Flowing sequences, such as Sun Salutations and variations are done linking movement to breath. Abdominal breathing along with other types of breath work will be explored. Basic postures such as Warrior, Pigeon, Spinal Twist,…

Thursday, Jun 22nd

Bike Week Oklahoma (Sparks America Campground - Sparks) Thru Sun, Jun 25th Join the fun with people from all over the nation at Bike Week Oklahoma. Held at Sparks America Campground in Sparks,…
😂 Chris Killian (Loony Bin Comedy Club - Oklahoma City) Thru Sat, Jun 24th
🏆 Dodgers vs Sounds (Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark - Oklahoma City) Thru Sun, Jun 25th Start Time: 7:05pm vs Nashville Sounds Chaparral Energy Family Sundays / Future Dodgers Nights
Grease (Mitch Park Amphitheatre - Edmond) Thru Sat, Jun 24th Come to Mitch Park Amphitheatre in Edmond for a lively production of “Grease.” This classic 1971 musical is…
The Taming of the Shrew (Oklahoma Shakespeare In The Park - Oklahoma City) Thru Sat, Jun 24th Get outside for a delightful evening of summer theater when the Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park Company brings The…
Wait Until Dark (Lincoln County On-Stage - Chandler) Thru Sat, Jun 24th Join Lincoln County On-Stage in Chandler for a production of Frederick Knott's 1966 Broadway play, "Wait Until…

Friday, Jun 23rd

Bike Week Oklahoma (Sparks America Campground - Sparks) Thru Sun, Jun 25th Join the fun with people from all over the nation at Bike Week Oklahoma. Held at Sparks America Campground in Sparks,…
😂 Chris Killian (Loony Bin Comedy Club - Oklahoma City) 1 day left
🏆 Dodgers vs Sounds (Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark - Oklahoma City) Thru Sun, Jun 25th Start Time: 7:05pm vs Nashville Sounds Chaparral Energy Family Sundays / Future Dodgers Nights
Gabriel Iglesias (Riverwind Casino - Norman) Join stand-up comedian, actor and all around entertainer Gabriel Iglesias as he takes the stage twice in one night at…
Grease (Mitch Park Amphitheatre - Edmond) 1 day left Come to Mitch Park Amphitheatre in Edmond for a lively production of “Grease.” This classic 1971 musical is…
Hog Wild BBQ Festival (Chandler) Day 1 of 2 Come to Hog Wild BBQ Fest in Chandler for an Oklahoma State Championship barbecue contest and two days of wholesome…
Oklahoma Gay Pride Festival & Parade (Film Row - Oklahoma City) Thru Sun, Jun 25th Enjoy a variety of gay pride festivities in Oklahoma City at the annual Oklahoma City Gay Pride Festival &…
SoonerCon (Reed Conference Center - Midwest City) Thru Sun, Jun 25th The Oklahoma City metro’s annual SoonerCon is a celebration of speculative fiction art, literature, geek pop…
State 4-H Horse Show (Lazy E Arena - Guthrie) Thru Sun, Jun 25th Visit the Lazy E Arena in Guthrie for the annual Oklahoma State 4-H Horse Show. This is the biggest equine event of the…
The Taming of the Shrew (Oklahoma Shakespeare In The Park - Oklahoma City) 1 day left Get outside for a delightful evening of summer theater when the Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park Company brings The…
Wait Until Dark (Lincoln County On-Stage - Chandler) 1 day left Join Lincoln County On-Stage in Chandler for a production of Frederick Knott's 1966 Broadway play, "Wait Until…

Saturday, Jun 24th

Backwoods Country Music Show (The Centre Theatre - El Reno) Come to the historic Centre Theatre in downtown El Reno to experience the Backwoods Country Music Show. Featuring…
Bike Week Oklahoma (Sparks America Campground - Sparks) 1 day left Join the fun with people from all over the nation at Bike Week Oklahoma. Held at Sparks America Campground in Sparks,…
😂 Chris Killian (Loony Bin Comedy Club - Oklahoma City) Last Day
Conquer the Gauntlet Obstacle Race (John Nichols Scout Ranch - Mustang) Conquer the Gauntlet is an insanely fun four mile obstacle course and adventure race that features over 25 obstacles.…
🏆 Dodgers vs Sounds (Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark - Oklahoma City) 1 day left Start Time: 7:05pm vs Nashville Sounds Chaparral Energy Family Sundays / Future Dodgers Nights
Dwight Yoakam in Concert (Riverwind Casino - Norman) Few entertainers hold the iconic status of Dwight Yoakam, so come watch this legendary artist perform his top hits…
Grease (Mitch Park Amphitheatre - Edmond) Last Day Come to Mitch Park Amphitheatre in Edmond for a lively production of “Grease.” This classic 1971 musical is…
Gypsy Glam Roadshow Music & Wine Festival (Tony's Tree Plantation - Oklahoma City) The Gypsy Glam Roadshow Music & Wine Festival in Oklahoma City will highlight Oklahoma wineries, breweries and local…
Hank's Backyard Barbecue (Heritage Place Inc - Oklahoma City) Sign your seasoned taste buds up for the task of determining the best barbecue around at Hank's Backyard…
The Hodgetwins - Presented by: Black Mesa Brewing Co. (ACM@UCO Performance Lab - Oklahoma City) Start Time: 7:30pm
Hog Wild BBQ Festival (Chandler) Day 2 of 2 Come to Hog Wild BBQ Fest in Chandler for an Oklahoma State Championship barbecue contest and two days of wholesome…
Hot Summer Days (Oklahoma City) Start Time: 8:00am Open to all types of cars and trucks. We will award 1st, 2nd and 3rd place trophies in each class, with over 50 classes! Special awards giving by the sponsor too including Sponsor’s Favorite and OMC Choice! $25 day of the show For more info 405-208-0318 Email: [email protected]
KiteFest (Mitch Park - Edmond) Day 1 of 2 Feast your eyes on the hundreds of kites that will paint the sky at KiteFest in Edmond. This fun celebration…
Knights Auto Club Car Show (Boy Scout Park - Shawnee) Attracting over 150 entries each year, this car show features plenty of family fun, a variety of vendors, live music, inflatables for the kids and more. Check out an impressive display of classic cars and custom hot rods while waiting to see which lucky vehicle owner will win awards in categories such as best engine, best paint, best interior,…
LibertyFest (Citywide - Edmond) Thru Tue, Jul 4th Named one of the top ten July 4th festivals in the United States by CNN and USA Today, LibertyFest in Edmond has…
LibertyFest Car Show (Hafer Park - Edmond) This is the 16th Annual LibertyFest Car Show. Each year cars are judged separately by class (either by decade, make or specialty group). FREE T-Shirt & Dash Plaque are awarded to the first 200 entries. Trophies are awarded to first and runners-up in all classes, plus sponsor trophies and Best of Show. The public is invited for free but there is…
National Reining Horse Derby (Oklahoma State Fair Park - Oklahoma City) Thru Sun, Jul 2nd Enjoy this Western riding competition that features riders guiding horses through a precise pattern of circles, spins…
NRHA Derby (Oklahoma State Fair Park - Oklahoma City) Thru Sat, Jul 1st Experience a fierce Western riding competition, featuring riders guiding elite horses through a precise pattern of…
OKC Gun Show (Oklahoma State Fair Park - Oklahoma City) Day 1 of 2 For a high quality gun show with great prices and selection, visit the OKC Gun Show in Oklahoma City. Held at the…
Oklahoma Gay Pride Festival & Parade (Film Row - Oklahoma City) 1 day left Enjoy a variety of gay pride festivities in Oklahoma City at the annual Oklahoma City Gay Pride Festival &…
Reel-A-Million (Lake Thunderbird State Park - Norman) The Reel-A-Million Fishing Tournament is giving one lucky angler the chance to walk away as a millionaire. Hosted by…
🏃 Riversport Challenge (Riversport Rapids - Oklahoma City) This fun race gives both youth and adults the chance to compete both on and off the water in a unique biathlon while also supporting RIVERSPORT youth outreach programs.
SoonerCon (Reed Conference Center - Midwest City) 1 day left The Oklahoma City metro’s annual SoonerCon is a celebration of speculative fiction art, literature, geek pop…
Stars & Stripes River Festival (Boathouse District - Oklahoma City) Join family and friends at the Stars & Stripes River Festival in Oklahoma City for a full day of river sports, games…
State 4-H Horse Show (Lazy E Arena - Guthrie) 1 day left Visit the Lazy E Arena in Guthrie for the annual Oklahoma State 4-H Horse Show. This is the biggest equine event of the…
The Taming of the Shrew (Oklahoma Shakespeare In The Park - Oklahoma City) Last Day Get outside for a delightful evening of summer theater when the Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park Company brings The…
🏃 Thunder Dash (Stars & Stripes Park - Oklahoma City) Supporting Oklahoma Public Schools and No Mother Left Behind Charity. This is an event for all ages and skill levels! All runners must show proof of age while checking in. Every runner will get a race shirt and finishing medal! Top Ten in both 1 mile and 5K divisions will have a special award!
Wait Until Dark (Lincoln County On-Stage - Chandler) Last Day Join Lincoln County On-Stage in Chandler for a production of Frederick Knott's 1966 Broadway play, "Wait Until…
Wheels on Western (Oklahoma City) Each 4th Saturday of the month, car enthusiasts converge upon N Western Avenue with their finest hot rods. Park your…

Sunday, Jun 25th

Bike Week Oklahoma (Sparks America Campground - Sparks) Last Day Join the fun with people from all over the nation at Bike Week Oklahoma. Held at Sparks America Campground in Sparks,…
🏆 Dodgers vs Sounds (Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark - Oklahoma City) Last Day Start Time: 7:05pm vs Nashville Sounds Chaparral Energy Family Sundays / Future Dodgers Nights
KiteFest (Mitch Park - Edmond) Day 2 of 2 Feast your eyes on the hundreds of kites that will paint the sky at KiteFest in Edmond. This fun celebration…
LibertyFest (Citywide - Edmond) Thru Tue, Jul 4th Named one of the top ten July 4th festivals in the United States by CNN and USA Today, LibertyFest in Edmond has…
National Reining Horse Derby (Oklahoma State Fair Park - Oklahoma City) Thru Sun, Jul 2nd Enjoy this Western riding competition that features riders guiding horses through a precise pattern of circles, spins…
NRHA Derby (Oklahoma State Fair Park - Oklahoma City) Thru Sat, Jul 1st Experience a fierce Western riding competition, featuring riders guiding elite horses through a precise pattern of…
OKC Gun Show (Oklahoma State Fair Park - Oklahoma City) Day 2 of 2 For a high quality gun show with great prices and selection, visit the OKC Gun Show in Oklahoma City. Held at the…
Oklahoma Gay Pride Festival & Parade (Film Row - Oklahoma City) Last Day Enjoy a variety of gay pride festivities in Oklahoma City at the annual Oklahoma City Gay Pride Festival &…
Rolling Thunder Summer Car Show (Thunder Roadhouse Cafe - Oklahoma City) Start Time: 9:00am Registration: 9am – 11am; Entry Fee: $25 Open Car Show, Live Music, Door Prizes, and unique trophies for all classes. Email: [email protected] Website: http://www.copa.site Phone: 405-830-0320 (Joel)
SoonerCon (Reed Conference Center - Midwest City) Last Day The Oklahoma City metro’s annual SoonerCon is a celebration of speculative fiction art, literature, geek pop…
State 4-H Horse Show (Lazy E Arena - Guthrie) Last Day Visit the Lazy E Arena in Guthrie for the annual Oklahoma State 4-H Horse Show. This is the biggest equine event of the…
🏆 UFC FIGHT NIGHT (Chesapeake Energy Arena - Oklahoma City) Start Time: 4:30pm UFC returns to Oklahoma City on Sunday, June 25th! Don't miss the chance to see the world's best athletes compete inside the hallowed Octacgon including Oklahoma's own Johnny Hendricks! It will be a night to remember. Please note that the card and times are subject to change.

Monday, Jun 26th

LibertyFest (Citywide - Edmond) Thru Tue, Jul 4th Named one of the top ten July 4th festivals in the United States by CNN and USA Today, LibertyFest in Edmond has…
National Reining Horse Derby (Oklahoma State Fair Park - Oklahoma City) Thru Sun, Jul 2nd Enjoy this Western riding competition that features riders guiding horses through a precise pattern of circles, spins…
NRHA Derby (Oklahoma State Fair Park - Oklahoma City) Thru Sat, Jul 1st Experience a fierce Western riding competition, featuring riders guiding elite horses through a precise pattern of…

Tuesday, Jun 27th

LibertyFest (Citywide - Edmond) Thru Tue, Jul 4th Named one of the top ten July 4th festivals in the United States by CNN and USA Today, LibertyFest in Edmond has…
National Reining Horse Derby (Oklahoma State Fair Park - Oklahoma City) Thru Sun, Jul 2nd Enjoy this Western riding competition that features riders guiding horses through a precise pattern of circles, spins…
NRHA Derby (Oklahoma State Fair Park - Oklahoma City) Thru Sat, Jul 1st Experience a fierce Western riding competition, featuring riders guiding elite horses through a precise pattern of…
SoundBites (Oklahoma City) Pause for lunch with a relaxing reprieve from the office break room. Head instead to Kerr Park in downtown Oklahoma City…
Wheeler Criterium (Oklahoma City) Once the weather starts warming up, gather your crew and head south of the Oklahoma River for the Wheeler Criterium each…

Questions	Answers
Have you ever seen anyone win or lose a life-changing amount of money? If so, how did it go down?	I saw a guy lose $1,000,000 once, I actually was dealing when he lost about $200,000 of that in about 15 minutes. It made me sick, but he didn't seem to mind much. Later he attempted to sue the casino because "clearly his drinks were spiked," but he later recanted that.
Also, what's the best way to score some comps?	How to get comps: Play for a long time and/or have a strong average bet. Buying in for large amounts and then not playing won't get you comps. Alternatively, be a fun person and the supervisor will probably hook you up because we appreciate the fun (not drunk) people.
What if you are fun and drunk??	Those two words likely don't go together. Trust me, we deal with SO many people every night that if you're drunk we are probably throwing you in with the others no matter what.
I've always wondered about counting cards. People get thrown out for doing it, but it's something that happens entirely in an individual's mind. Surely this is not cheating, and although the casino stands to lose out, they have no right to throw somebody out for doing this. So my question is: Has anyone been caught counting cards at your casino? Were they thrown out? Were they allowed back? What were they told?	Counting cards is not cheating at all. You're not doing anything but keeping a running total in your head and basing your play off of that. That being said, casinos are private businesses and can refuse service to anyone for any reason. Yes, people have been caught counting cards. The majority of them aren't that good at it, to be honest, and so we let them think they're getting one over on us (and still lose.) If someone wins "too much" or does too well, they will be approached by senior management and told that they can still play but can no longer play blackjack.
Are there any common tells that you look for when you suspect someone of card counting?	Generally I'm looking to see if they deviate from a reasonable basic strategy and have an abnormal success rate on hands where they make questionable plays. At that point I'll run a count as they play and see if they are changing their strategy and/or betting patterns when the count is in their favor.
Are they aloud to keep their winnings?	Yes, they get to keep what they've won. They just can't play anymore after that.
What does a player have to play for you to approach them an offer comps? Does that even happen anymore? I usually don't bet that much, is there any chance of me getting some freebies from the pit boss?	Honestly these days it's all computerized. Your play (on your players card) determines the comps you get. If it's your first time or your birthday (or you've played and/or lost a lot) you'll get more than you "should."
How can the computer determine your average bet etc.? Like, the computer will know how much you initially put down, but how would it know if you're actually playing each hand?	Some casinos (ours included) don't use the electronic betting recognition sofware. If you don't see the dealer pressing a little button before each hand, here's my advice - bet big right at the beginning. A lot of supervisors will put in your average bet when you first sit down and they swipe your players card and then won't adjust your average bet unless you made big changes throughout playing.
Who's your favorite person in the entire world?	My favorite person in the world is my lovely girlfriend, who asked me to do this and also supports me in literally every aspect of my life. She's an incredible person, I'll tell you that much!
Is Faee your girlfriend? I smell some colluding going on here.	Collusion indeed! It's so true.
No posts in /gonewild I'll save you guys the time.	Dear lord.
Have you ever had to permanently ban someone from your casino? What's the craziest way you've seen somebody get banned?	We've permanently evicted people for threatening physical violence on other players and/or employees, getting into fights, things like that. A man peed under a blackjack table once; he was evicted and arrested!
I was playing blackjack once and this other got got really mad at my friend for the bet he made, he stood on a soft 16 or something. He immediately knew it was dumb and apologized to the table and the game went on. But this guy kept ranting and I said hey man, chill out. It's over now. He got in my face and wanted to fight, saying lets take this outside. I sat looking at the dealer like sooo are you gonna do something or am I gonna have to hit this guy? In the end the guy backed down but no security or anything came over. We're there people perched in wait or was this casino really shitty and security? It was Wild West in AC.	Sounds like a shitty casino. I personally would have told the guy that he either stopped or he was leaving.
What are the chances of me being busted for switching my pass line to the dont pass line, after a point is established? What would typically happen if caught? Police or just booted?	Good lord, don't do this. Best-case scenario you get away with it, worst-case scenario you're arrested. You could also get thrown out if they don't want to deal with the cops or it wasn't that large of an amount. But seriously, just bet the don't from the start. You make your money off of the odds anyway.
How often do you find people cheating? What are some of the dumbest/clever ways you have caught someone doing so?	Cheating is less common than you may think these days. The technology we employ is really advanced, as most places have upgraded their surveillance tech. We can see a lot now. The best ways that people cheat now aren't by physically manipulating things, but by "taking shots." Little things, things like making a hand signal that could be interpreted as a hit or a stand and then raising a fuss if it doesn't go your way. Most casinos will just give you the money if it's not too much instead of fully investigate it.
The chips have always seemed susceptible to counterfeiting to me. What are the countermeasures that are not apparent. RFID?	Some casinos use RFID (they'll have a more plastic feel to them.) Honestly, even high-value casinos' chips are subject to counterfeiting. I've seen stickers replaced, I've even seen people paint lower-denomination chips to look like higher-denomination chips.
Stickers? I have only been to casinos in Australia (Criwn, Star City) , but none of those could have their denomination changed by simply changing the sticker (didn't actually notice any stickers actually) because the whole chip is multicoloured plastic.	Ours have stickers on them that could be taken off. They're different colors, though, so you'd have to do something else on top of that.
Does craps have the best odds in the casino if you understand the game well? Been gambling for a few years now and I have found that I typically only win when playing craps.	The best odds of all the table games is betting the Don't Pass with max odds behind it. Second-best is the Pass Line with max odds behind it. Those odds are true odds, the casino has ZERO house edge.
Also to add: while the pass/don't pass are great bets, craps also has some of the worst bets in the house. Stay away from the centre action!	Very good advice, prop bets are there to mess around with but don't play them if you're playing "smart."
Do the auto-shufflers for blackjack favor the house in any way? I always wonder if it uses a certain algorithm to determine how to shuffle the decks.	I HATE auto-shufflers. No, they have no way of knowing how many people are playing at the table or which cards go to the dealer. It's legitimately random, moreso than some dealers who have specific shuffles.
Should I turn around and run away now while I'm still ahead?	Don't play to win. Play to enjoy yourself and have a good time. Wins happen, losses happen.
Have you noticed that players who place bets for the dealers do better? A long-time Craps player gave me that advice. He said that getting the dealers involved in the game increases his luck.	The dealers appreciate the bets, but it doesn't help your odds. It's an illusion of luck. But by all means, tip the dealers!
How closely are you (or other pit bosses) looking for card counters? If I'm counting and you notice, what's a good way for me to know that you spotted me? Thanks!	Honestly, I'm probably not looking unless you're winning a large amount or you're making really large swings in your bets. I won't let you know if I suspect you, I'll have already called surveillance and they'll be running down (counting along) on the next shoe to see what you're doing. If you see security or people in suits near your table, just color up and leave. They won't do anything to you, but they're preparing to talk to you about what they've found and might back you off.
Ever have to lay down a beating on some unruly folk?	I wish! That's old-school, before my time. If we beat up someone who was unruly the state would shut us down, guaranteed.
Why is it than when I double-down at Blackjack table, sometimes the dealer will let me have the card down while others insist its shown. Is there an industry standard? I see no disadvantage to a casino to let me have it down, it adds a bit of excitement for me.	Different casinos have different rules. Ours used to mandate it face-up, but now we let you have it face-down.
How bad are the odds or win rates for slot machines? I feel like you are just throwing away money. Not saying that other casino games are better . What was your best perk being a pit boss?	Most states will publish the odds for slot machines. Honestly most machines at reputable places (as in not bars) will have a return rate of 95-98%. That's a lower house edge than carnival games or even roulette.
	The best perk? Honestly, that it pays well and I don't actually have to DO too much, haha.
Sooo, which casino game do you believe has the best odds for the player? Where do I have the best chance to win money?	I mentioned this elsewhere, but the don't with max odds on craps. Or the pass line with max odds. Or blackjack with perfect basic strategy.
I'm not a big table player, however I do enjoy standing back and watching friends. I've noticed in some games, especially blackjack, that there are "unwritten rules". i.e. what hands to hit/stay or split. Not everyone follows them and I've witnessed some players loudly get upset by another players style of play. What role does the casino have in these breaches of table etiquette?	I'm fine with people making "dumb" moves. Generally the dealer will say "Are you suuure?" if someone is about to split up their 20 or something like that. Other players do get mad when someone does something, but we protect our players. If someone wants to make a nonstandard or risky move, they have every right to. I personally wouldn't let a player berate another player, and it has nothing to do with the casino's interests.
I see anecdotal reports every once in a while about the facial recongition used by casinos, how good is it really? I'm also interested in what it is used for other than the obvious - tracking known card counters is an obvious one but in what ways is it used that aren't so easily guessed.	Facial recognition software has always been pretty strong going back for quite a while now. There aren't really too many ways it's used other than for people who have cheated or who have overall suspicious behavior. That's the only reason we'd want to run the software on someone.
I rarely tip at the craps table, but anytime the point is even I throw a two-way hardway, I realize that it is probably not ideal for the dealers and its not like I am forced to tip; but is that somewhat acceptable in the stickman world?	If you're putting the crew up on any bet they're happy, I promise. A large percentage of dice players don't tip. Any two-way bet is appreciated!
I'm going to Vegas for the first time in about 2 months. I really only know how to play black jack and texas hold em, but I really don't want to play poker for hours on end while I'm there. 1) Will dealers (or customers) get mad if i stand and watch a game for a few minutes before sitting down?	The only time players will get mad is if you're right on top of them. Stand back, see if you can get a pamphlet on the rules of the game you're watching, or just ask the dealers or supervisors! Honestly, they want you to play - not because they want to take your money, but because it's fun to teach and show someone. As for "easy" games, roulette is pretty easy to learn, dice is the most fun but can be overwhelming, carnival games (Three Card Poker, Mississippi Stud) are very easy since they're all poker-based.
How many people get thrown out in an average night?	I'd guess 2-3 people on a weekend night. The people that get "thrown out" are usually 12 or 24-hour evictions for intoxication.
Also, do you have any special training in counting cards?	Special training in counting cards? No, the casino didn't offer me training. I had to show that I could to become a Pit, though.
Have you ever stopped someone from playing who is obviously a gambling addict? Are you, or any other casino employee trained to spot the signs of gambling addiction?	We're not allowed to tell someone that we think they have a problem, but we can respond if they tell us they do. We have paperwork on it, we're trained to spot it (chasing losses, claiming to bet money they can't afford, etc) and we also have a hotline they can call. Additionally, players can fill out self-exclusion paperwork banning themselves from the casino if they feel they can't gamble responsibly. If they come back while banned, they can and will be arrested for trespassing.
What is your take on the advent of legalized on-line gambling in some states? Do you see this affecting you or your bottom line? Is this the "job stealer" the Pols are carping about, or is this just another throw away issue to fill warchests and line cheap-suit pockets in the year before an election?	I don't see online gambling ruining brick-and-mortar casinos at all. People like coming for the experience, it's not just the gambling.
Do you gamble at all, and if so, what's your favourite game? I like my roulette, there's nothing like the rush of adrenaline when you're on a losing streak and your strategy is to double down until you win.	I don't gamble, sorry! I used to play poker a ton, and I also really love Pai Gow even though it has an absurdly high push rate per hand.
When you say it pays very well, what do you mean? what's the starting salary like and how rapidly does it increment if you do a good job?	Table Games pays VERY well compared to other departments. Your housekeeping and security is probably making $10-$12/hr (more than they would at non-casino businesses, but still) and your slot techs are probably making $14 or so an hour. Dealers with the toke rate start above $20/hr, and as you go up (supervisors don't make tips where I work and at most places, although some places give supervisors a cut of it) you make more. Especially for the amount of work I do, I get paid well.
Would I get in trouble for ordering a 7&7 from the waitress? Do they kick people out for doing unlucky things?	You wouldn't get in trouble at all. Just turn away from the table. Although for comedy purposes, the waitress could come back and say "7&7?" as she brought the drink really loudly, then the table sevens out and blames her.
I was once playing Casino War (yeah I know) and a dealer actually peeked at my card BEFORE dealing it. She saw it was an ACE and told me to bet everything I had. Needless to say, I won the hand. Have you seen anything crazy like that in your travels?	Before I started working at my current place I heard a story that happened there where the dealer was using their back foot to stop the Big Six wheel (never play Big Six; happy it's gone) early which meant that the people playing knew where it would stop. He was physically handcuffed at the table and arrested. DON'T CHEAT.
For someone like me, who is underage at the moment but would like to visit Vegas in the future when I can actually get the full "Vegas experience", what do you suggest if I find myself in a casino? What is proper casino etiquette? I usually try to be courteous to anyone around me at events and such, but is there anything special I should know? Any "taboo" subjects I should stay away from in conversation at a table? Are there any specific games/areas you recommend staying away from? Either because that's where most of the unruly people flock to, or because the experience of playing is not worth the odds of losing?	You can just push a chip forward and say "For you." They'll thank you and drop it! -Not really, no. Play what you want! Stay away from unruly people in general, wherever they may be. Enjoy yourself!
How much money would be a decent amount to bring? Not in the sense that I'm hoping to win big, but in the sense that I'd like to experience as much of the casino as I can without going over-board.	Bring whatever you'd be willing to lose. Go to a casino with low limits, bring a couple hundred bucks. Do NOT bring an ATM card.
What's the saddest thing you've seen, working at a casino?	Years ago a guy was playing blackjack. He lost, left, and then came back with five crumpled up $1 bills so that he could make a $5 bet. He lost, was gone for another hour, and then came back and did it again.
	I'm okay with people who come every day, some people enjoy it. But I hate to see people play with money they shouldn't bet with.
I've heard of apps that are available on cell phones where you surreptitiously hit a button for a high card, a middle or low...the phone silently vibrates when the card count is high? Basically one keeps the phone in his jacket/sweatshirt and hit the appropriate buttons as the cards are dealt Encountered those?	There's a reason most places don't allow electronic devices at the table. If you were constantly looking at your phone I'd consider that a tell.
I recently turned 21, I have played a lot of card games, and tried to dip my feet in Blackjack and Poker. What is some general casino etiquette I should know? I've never been to one before. What kind of bankroll should I go there with? Craps sounds like a ton of fun but all the guides I've read are pretty confusing, and I have no idea how to play other than reading this thread/other places on the Internet. Like, I essentially imagine myself walking into this big place being totally lost and confused. What could you tell me that would make my first time going more enjoyable?	It's a lot less stressful than you're worried about. Go in, talk to people, enjoy yourself. It's seriously not that big of a deal, just enjoy your first time! Bring an amount you're okay with losing. Don't bring your ATM card in. Don't chase losses (I know I just lost my last bet but I know I can win the next one!)
Has a casino ever been robbed while you were working?	Not that I'm aware of!
One day i was walking around the strip after midnight on a tuesday, with 2 friends. we went to the bellagio, and ended up walking around the (mostly vacant) floor, buying some drinks, getting really drunk, and walking around the artsy stuff. the glass garden, the cirque du soleil sculptures in that museum. A security guard came by to the museum, when we were inside, and closed the door. the lights turned off and we got locked in. i started freaking out. ive never had anything happen like this before. The girl that was with me said its ok, theres a door to the back end right here- lets see if it opens. it opened. We ended up walking through the back end of the casino, past the dishwashing and laundry and various kitchens, and got lost trying to get back to the floor (theres not really any signs back there telling you where you are or where youre going to go) We were about to ask a room service guy for some help getting back to the floor, but before we got anywhere with that (he only spoke spanish? might have been just a dishwasher), we were in a weird situation. five or six of those men in blacks with earpieces, walking a money-box with a floor manager, from the floor to the vault (i presume, i dont know how this works). the MIBs asked us a bunch of questions, determined we werent there to intercept them, and one of them guided us back to the floor, and told us to have a good time and try to keep from getting locked in off-limits areas again. i thanked him a lot and then i decided, me and my tourist friends were just going to take a straight walk from where we were, to the nearest exit to the street. it took us past the high roller slots area first, and then past the dollar video poker area. as we passed these areas, they were opening the machines and unloading their cash, and loading up cash carts with the cash. at least 2 of the MIBs recognized us, and started doing their 'always around you, but appearing to just be crossing your path while doing their thing' act. i started getting scared, and we collectively decided to hurry the fuck up and get the fuck back out of this building, we probably just looked like some idiots trying to drunkenly do oceans 11. When we went to treasure island to get back to the parking garage and start our mission home, the MIBs in the vacant casino floor all kept crossing our paths, it was really fucking bizarre. To this day, 4 years later, i am still scared to go to bellagio, because i still notice the security/mibs/whatever crossing my path much more often than i ever noticed before walking up to a loaded cash cart in the backrom on accident while drunk at like 1 am on a tuesday. Should i be afraid? are the mibs really following me around, still? did i actually scare them by appearing to have some sort of their 'cash-loading' schedule? am i just being paranoid and none of this happened, and was just exacerbated by drunkenness and being somewhere i knew i was not supposed to be at a time that large sums of cash money were being moved around?	It's in your head. The day of, they probably kept tabs on you because you happened to be in an off-limits area with a money transfer. Now, they wouldn't remember or care.
How much, on average, does a casino make on slots? Also, how does all this money transaction work? Is there a big computer network the machines and tables are connected to?	It depends on the casino. Most places I've worked bring in 60-90% of their floor revenue from slots (10-40$ from tables.) Smaller places pull in six-figures per day easily, even on slower days.
Ever send someone off to look for a left-handed roulette ball?	"Hey, new guy, we need you to find the wheel grease. Go ask the shift manager." YES I HAVE.
My buddy was playing craps one night and had about 25-35 rolls i think( about 30-40 minutes worth of rolls I'd guess), the craps table officials or whatever you call them started to get pist off/angry and started yelling(not yelling, but loud pestering) at him to throw asap before people could even get their bets on the table/ their bets winnings, is this typical to throw off the guy because hes winning a bunch (went up like $800 and if he threw like 3 more times it would have been like 1.5k with a bunch of other people at the table winning as well)or were they just being dicks? Edit: Also the dealers got pist he didn't give them a tip after he finally lost because they were being assholes(he was pretty awesome about tipping the first 20 throws or so till the dealers became douches). Is this part of the dealers job since he was winning to get him flustered and lose?	It's not part of the dealers' jobs to berate someone that's winning. The only things that should bother a good dice dealer are when people are throwing in tons of late bets or are being rude. If you're winning, good for you! Keep winning! Sounds like they were just being jerks.
Do you remember any card counters in particular that you had to call the pit boss on? Any obvious large bet spreads that caught your attention at the blackjack table? Most interesting blackjack story? Thanks very interesting stuff.	It's me, I'm the pit boss. I've come across a couple. The most recent one is a lady that our surveillance ran a report on and concluded that she's definitely counting. She's not that good at it, though, so we let her go because even though she bets big she doesn't actually win. We have the camera on her every time she plays, though.
What is the most popular "carnival" table game your casino has? Also how many tables does your location have? Any new games that have come out which seem fun?	Mississippi Stud, by far. It used to be Three Card, but it's all about Mississippi Stud now. Total tables at our place is ~40 or so. We haven't had too many new games, lately it's just been adding bonus bets to existing games (three card bonus bets on pretty much all of our carnival games now.)
What's the craziest tip you've ever received as a dealer? Does the casino monitor these generosities?	Most casinos have a tip policy. I can't accept chips or money at all (dealers can accept chips, obviously.) We can't accept non-monetary gifts with a value of over $50 as well.
	As a dealer, I've been tipped in orange ($1,000) chips before by high-limit players.
How often do people try and cheat and has the amount of peolle trying to cheat declined since you first started working in a casino?	It's hard to say. The amount of people cheating with old methods (counting cards, etc) has declined. The amount of people taking shots (pretending they didn't want that hit, things like that) has increased, but it's harder to prove.
Other than the obvious of betting as much on every hand as possible or increasing my hands an hour... is there any other way to increase or maximize my comp rating?	There really aren't ways to maximize it. Increasing your hands per hour won't matter to the computer system, you'd honestly be better off betting more at a slower table because then it shows a higher average bet over a longer period of time.
What table game gives the most bang for the buck as far as comp pay back?	As for which table games are the best, avoid mini-bacc, pai gow, and any game where you have to add bets as the hand goes on (some carnival games.)
Would you ever gamble at a casino after your experience?	Would I? Yeah, knowing the odds wouldn't prevent me from doing it or anything. I just don't have a desire to do it.
Whats the best way about getting a job in a casino? I am interested in being a poker dealer, should I attend a school or will the casino offer my training?	You apply when a job is available and when a casino is starting/advertising a "dealer school." Some places will offer the training which is usually free, but you're not technically hired until after the class.
I hope you see this tomorrow and I didn't miss where it may have been answered- what kind of training, considering the free drink culture, do dealers get so they cut someone off if they are drunk? Not even obviously, but if the casino as a whole is giving free drinks, isn't every employee required to at least have a reasonable knowledge of who is incapacitated or not?	Great question! Everyone has to get a responsible alcohol server card, even people that don't serve drinks. It's a basic class that goes over how to spot intoxication, drinks per hour, things like that. People who can serve drinks also have to have a bar card. Where I work, dealers and supervisors can't cut people off. The Pit calls a Beverage Supervisor who makes that call.
Related question: do you think the days of free drinks in casinos are numbered? On a couple of Vegas podcasts I listen to, this has been discussed, especially in relation to the guy suing Downtown Grand over his losses on Super Bowl weekend. The thought is that one of the biggies (MGM, Caesars) might experiment with eliminating free drinks. And if one of them does it, the other biggie will follow suit, and then all the little guys would probably eventually follow along as well. Your thoughts?	It's an interesting question. Some places in the US don't serve free drinks. Everywhere is different. I don't foresee it actually taking, it's a pretty big part of "the experience."
What would be the best table game for a beginner? I love Mississippi Stud, but I would love to start branching out. My goal is to play live Texas Hold 'Em and win a hand, but I'd love to learn them all.	All carnival games are the same. Let It Ride is reverse Mississippi Stud, all the other games like Three Card and Flop are just variants of poker. Live poker is a little different, you can read and learn about it! There's always blackjack, which is simple and fun.
How many tables do you have per FM? At my casino it's moved from 4-16.	16 tables per supervisor? Different casinos have different terminology, ours has a floor per 4-6 tables and then a pit that oversees it all. 16 seems crazy to me.
Yeah well it used to be 2-4 but there's been a lot of staff cuts. We have 3 pits on the main floor, each containing 10-16 tables, and there's 1 FM per pit, 1-2 roamers and 2-3 pit managers floating around + doing the roster for dealers.	Interesting. We have about 40 tables total across multiple pits, but only one pit manager who oversees it all and runs the pencil/rosteroadmap. 1-3 floors per pit, depending on the size (4-6 tables per floor)
As a dealer, would you rather have someone tip you a $5 chip, or make a $5 bet for the dealer?	Personally, I'd like the tip instead of the bet. One of the places I worked at trained the dealers to always take it instead of betting it. Those bets have house odds; give me the money!
How high tech is the security? The show Las Vegas makes it look like over the top csi levels of technology.	TV shows are dumb. We have cameras everywhere that can zoom in pretty well (no ENHANCE! ENHANCE!) Huge places in Vegas probably do have very sophisticated technology, we're smaller and so we have tons of cameras, security, electronic locks and vaults, things like that.

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