My favourite number is 28 and it came about like this: After my 21^st birthday I was finally allowed into casinos. I went straight to Baden-Baden, showed my identity card, produced my admission ticket and charged into the casino. At that time poker was not one of the options so I played Roulette, Black Jack and Punto Banco (North American baccarat).

 

I placed 50 marks on 28 at roulette and the ball landed on 28 and I got 1,750 marks in chips. Flooded with happiness I gave the croupier a tip and went directly to cash in my chips. Before I was able to do that the casino manager suddenly accosted me. I turned round and to my astonishment received a further 1,750 marks in chips. In all my excitement I had forgotten to collect my stake and the 28 had come up again.

 

All at once it became clear that the casino in Baden-Baden would play an important role in my life.

Then I had the idea to spend my summer holidays with friends on the French and Italian Mediterranean coasts. Those three weeks were some of the most memorable times of my life. Almost every day we visited a casino, in San Remo, Monaco and Menton and had a lot of fun there. The next three years my summer holidays were spent in this region.