Get the yes

At first blush he had a sort of stoner look: 20-something dude in baggy zipper sweatshirt with fashion print, untended facial fuzz, residual pot aroma. His very animated and talky mood may have been natural, or perhaps enhanced by outside stimulation. Generally, it was more of a nervous energy, borne of excitement and possibility. He was on his way to the casino, with $40 and a dream. Poker was his game, and as he described his winning - and losing - hands in a vocabulary with which I'm not entirely familiar, I got the impression a lot was riding on this venture. Gaming for some may be an act of leisurely entertainment; for this young man admiring the techniques of old-timer card sharks and wishing to join their ranks, this was developing into a full-time pursuit.
"It's called the 'Sino, not Casino. If you lose, it's the 'No."
Oftentimes when I hear the word No come up in a dejected context, a dear friend's encouragement comes to mind. She learned it from her mother and it traveled many miles with her to eventually be a blessing for me as well.
"You already have the No. Go get the Yes."
A simple line, and gently motivating. Of course there are similar quotes we hear from time to time, but that day I shared this one with him. Life itself is a game of chance, ultimately immune to our constructs of systems and goals. Perhaps even those things arise from our innate desire to improve our lot, win once in a while, and sometimes get the yes.