Newbie needs help in getting Gambling Mastery

I know its proper etiquette to do so, but please no welcome statements; I have had enough of those in joining 3 forums this month, lets just get to the point.

As far as Arcanum goes I'm not exactly a newbie since I've defeated Kerghan once (read: finished the game), but getting the status of Master Gambler has always somehow eluded me. In my first ever Arcanum save game (the one I have finished) I played as a mage, and at level 34 I had mastered the colleges of temporal, nature and necro white. I had just finished in getting to Blackroot after being informed by the Panarii Church historian that I had to go to the Isle of Despair, and it was to my complete surprise that I found Capt. Teach there had lost his ship. I agreed to try and gamble for his ship back but to gamble Killian Drake, the new owner of the ship, I had to have the status of Gamble Master. I was already a gamble expert then (with int of 18 ) but until Killian wanted
me to be a Gamble Master I never planned to put more points into gambling.

Needless to say, I went for Mastery with the next 2 skill points I got for level 35, and according to directions I got from a bartender on the locations of the Gamble Master I talked to Gurin Rockharrow, the Gamble Master, and it was lucky that I had saved beforehand because I lost horribly, with no money left. Thinking it was just bad throws then, I tried again for what seemed like 20 times (or more) to beat him in gambling, I even went for his loan all the time and still failed to beat him, which I understand is necessary to get Mastery. Frustrated, I continued the game by helping Stringy Pete right his wrongs, but the annoyance at not getting Gamble Mastery stayed with me.

It stayed even until after I started a new game, which I am still playing now, trying in vain to get that elusive title of Gamble Master. I honestly have no idea whatsoever on how to beat Gurin. I have tried everything. I maxed out my gambling skill (duh), got expert training, maxed out my intelligence to 22 which adds +10% success rate to every skill (my background is sheltered childhood, 2+ to int), bought two fated rings (each adding +5% to gambling) and even put a hard-earned fatepoint to critical success in gambling but I still constantly fail to beat him for the title, now over 30 times. I would be VERY grateful if anyone who has gained gambling mastery here would shed some light to me on this matter. Is the game bugged? Can gambling mastery never be attained? I am certainly beginning to think so. Anyone?

 

First thing, download & install the patch.

Others who have done gamble Mastery say that you need about 50,000 - 100,000 coins as a starting bankroll and just keep gambling.