'Wheels of Chance, Systems of Control,' Part 1 of 2. John Constantine is struggling to reclaim control over his life. But first he must gamble everything in a casino that holds a very special place in his personal history. And if he doesn't break the bank, the bank will break him!
Something's driven Constantine back to somewhere he spent time trying to get help. It was once a place for aid, now it's a casino and he's going to do everything he can to make sure it's his.
Waking up next to a beautiful croupier, Constantine dresses to impress, using the principle of perception is the majority of success. He'd 'won' every roll the night before then seduced the croupier to sleep with him. He'd asked for his old room from back when the hotel was an asylum.
Heading down to the casino, he uses his connection to the gangster owner of the hotel to get them to waive the house limit for that evening but the manager of the hotel doesn't trust him. He doesn't trust the croupier either so he takes her off the tables.
That night he put all of his chips on number 6. As the roulette wheel spins, he watches the people around him, sees how they react. As the ball finds its slot, he watches them see it land on the 6, the panic and fear as realisation dawns that they've lost the hotel to him. The fact that the ball actually lands on 34 is irrelevant because all they see is the reprisals from their boss.
Constantine orders that his name be put on the deed then he waves the staff goodbye, letting them take the excess in his 'winnings' as severance pay. Now he's back in a place that had such a fundamental effect on him and he has unfinished business.
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