My freshman year of high school some of us would bet each other a few bucks here and there (usually no more than $5). None of us knew much of anything about spreads at the time so we'd just bet each other on who would win straight up, even odds on all games. I was kind of the ringleader of the operation (big surprise, huh?) I did pretty well as I knew enough to take advantage of kids' Packers homerism. I even kept records back then and everything. I probably bet no more than 10 games that year but I had the bug and better yet, it made me feel like a bigshot to be a gambler.
Man, looking back, if only I knew then what I know now, I could've paid my college tuition from gambling... ::sigh::