--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I played baccarat at the upscale…" description: "\"“I played baccarat at the upscale Bellagio; roulette at the off-strip Rio; craps at the fading Riviera, whose attempts to match the gayness and glitter..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/794/barry-eisler-1009_played-baccarat_i-played-baccarat-at-the-upscale-bellagi_2528575.png" --- # I played baccarat at the upscale Bellagio; roulette at the… ![“I played baccarat at the upscale Bellagio; roulette at the off-strip Rio; craps at the fading Riviera, whose attempts to match the gayness and glitter around her felt forced, artificial, like makeup layered on by a woman who recognizes she was never beautiful to begin with and has now, in…” quote by Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/794/barry-eisler-1009_played-baccarat_i-played-baccarat-at-the-upscale-bellagi_2528575.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/794/barry-eisler-1009_played-baccarat_i-played-baccarat-at-the-upscale-bellagi_2528575.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/794/barry-eisler-1009_played-baccarat_i-played-baccarat-at-the-upscale-bellagi_2528575.png) > ““I played baccarat at the upscale Bellagio; roulette at the off-strip Rio; craps at the fading Riviera, whose attempts to match the gayness and glitter around her felt forced, artificial, like makeup layered on by a woman who recognizes she was never beautiful to begin with and has now, in addition, grown colorless and old.”” [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator compares glamorous casino settings to a woman’s forced, artificial beauty that has faded, highlighting emptiness behind surface glitter. **In simple terms:** Surface glamour hides deeper emptiness. Key Takeaway Recognize when appearances are masks. Themes illusion appearance agingence Mood cynical reflective Type literary descriptive When to use this quote - nightlife - high stakes gambling - personal reflection Key Concepts materialism identity aging Questions to Reflect On - How do you distinguish genuine confidence from forced appearance? - What does “colorless” suggest about aging? A Different Perspective The metaphor may overgeneralize women's experiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Baccarat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baccarat-1320248/) [Bellagio Roulette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bellagio-roulette-1320245/) [Craps Fading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/craps-fading-1320247/) [Fading Riviera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fading-riviera-1320246/) [Played Baccarat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/played-baccarat-1320244/) ## Related quotes > [“Sobering to think how one accursed night of baccarat can alter a man's social standing so irreversibly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/sobering-to-think-how-one-accursed-night-of-baccarat-can-alter-a-man/) [David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/) > [Baccarat is a game whereby the croupier gathers in money with a flexible sculling oar, then rakes it home. If I could have borrowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/baccarat-is-a-game-whereby-the-croupier-gathers-in-money-with-a/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“The owner of the Agut d'Avignon had the air of a 1920s dandy who had ruined himself with one mad night of gambling at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manuel-v-zquez-montalb-n/the-owner-of-the-agut-d-avignon-had-the-air-of-a-1920s-dandy-who-had/) [Manuel Vázquez Montalbán](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manuel-v-zquez-montalb-n/) ## More by Barry Eisler > [“But, like all indulgences that are valued not just for their product but for their process, the sento will never entirely disappear. For in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/but-like-all-indulgences-that-are-valued-not-just-for-their-product/) [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) > [“She’s a bargirl. You don’t know where her loyalties lie. That one was unconvincing. No one had directed her against me—I was the one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/she-s-a-bargirl-you-don-t-know-where-her-loyalties-lie-that-one-was/) [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) > [“In my unpleasant experience, unarmed against a knife, you’ve basically got four options. Your best bet is to run like hell, if you can.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/in-my-unpleasant-experience-unarmed-against-a-knife-you-ve-basically/) [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) > [The most important guideline when it comes to argument is the golden rule. If someone were addressing your point, what tone, what overall approach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/the-most-important-guideline-when-it-comes-to-argument-is-the-golden/) [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) > [“That I was apparently into body building at all at this stage in my life probably meant affairs with young women, for whom a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/that-i-was-apparently-into-body-building-at-all-at-this-stage-in-my/) [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) > [“Immediately the sounds of the street below grew detached, distant, the meaningless echoes of urban voices whose urgent notes reached but held no sway…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/immediately-the-sounds-of-the-street-below-grew-detached-distant-the/) [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) > [“I heard laughter and looked up. Some kids at the terminal next to me, playing an online game. I wondered for a moment how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/i-heard-laughter-and-looked-up-some-kids-at-the-terminal-next-to-me/) [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) > [“I shifted my head slightly. The corners of our mouths brushed together. I felt her breath on my cheek. Then we were kissing. Her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/i-shifted-my-head-slightly-the-corners-of-our-mouths-brushed-together/) [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) > [“I looked at her. Why was it her question seemed suffused with double entendre? She was attractive, of course, more than attractive, but that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/i-looked-at-her-why-was-it-her-question-seemed-suffused-with-double/) [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) > [“I realized my knowledge of that potentially damning evidence gave Delilah a reason to want me out of the way. “Out of the way”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/i-realized-my-knowledge-of-that-potentially-damning-evidence-gave/) [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) > [“I wouldn’t want to try to take this guy out with anything less than a scoped rifle. Which is something that’s hard to confuse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/i-wouldn-t-want-to-try-to-take-this-guy-out-with-anything-less-than-a/) [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) > [“I picked up the earthen cup and went to take a sip. “Not like that,” Miyamoto said. “Let it cool a little. Give yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/i-picked-up-the-earthen-cup-and-went-to-take-a-sip-not-like-that/) [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) > [“It seemed he’d recently learned the value of playing up the difficulty of accomplishing whatever he was tasked with, the better to play the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/it-seemed-he-d-recently-learned-the-value-of-playing-up-the/) [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) > [“Yukiko walked over, her mouth stretching into a feline grin at the sight of Murakami. Naomi followed a moment later. She was wearing another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/yukiko-walked-over-her-mouth-stretching-into-a-feline-grin-at-the/) [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) > [It would be awesome to be so impressive that we could sway people to our way of thinking just by declaiming our thoughts, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/it-would-be-awesome-to-be-so-impressive-that-we-could-sway-people-to/) [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) [Explore all 305 Barry Eisler quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I played baccarat at the upscale Bellagio; roulette at the off-strip Rio; craps at the fading Riviera, whose attempts to match the gayness and glitter around her felt forced, artificial, like makeup layered on by a woman who recognizes she was never beautiful to begin with and has now, in addition, grown colorless and old.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Barry Eisler" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/i-played-baccarat-at-the-upscale-bellagio-roulette-at-the-off-strip/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Played Baccarat" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/i-played-baccarat-at-the-upscale-bellagio-roulette-at-the-off-strip/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/794/barry-eisler-1009_played-baccarat_i-played-baccarat-at-the-upscale-bellagi_2528575.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/794/barry-eisler-1009_played-baccarat_i-played-baccarat-at-the-upscale-bellagi_2528575.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/794/barry-eisler-1009_played-baccarat_i-played-baccarat-at-the-upscale-bellagi_2528575.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I played baccarat at the upscale Bellagio; roulette at the off-strip Rio; craps at the fading Riviera, whose…” — Barry Eisler", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Barry Eisler", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I played baccarat at the upscale...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/i-played-baccarat-at-the-upscale-bellagio-roulette-at-the-off-strip/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/i-played-baccarat-at-the-upscale-bellagio-roulette-at-the-off-strip/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```