by Paul Mampilly
The Sovereign Investor
“You want me to take all of them?” asked Matthew. The eight kids in the scout troop that I led regarded me like I was stark raving mad.
Looking back, I realize that I was making my first all-in bet at 13. It was in a game of flag at the annual Wilderness Scout camp. Three scout troops were given three flags apiece. The other three were assigned to track a troop that had flags and wrest it from them. Whoever had the most flags at the end won.
Now, there was a good reason for me to make my all-in bet.
Matthew, the fastest runner in our school, was in my troop. He regularly beat the bigger kids. Giving all three flags to him was a no-brainer.