Do you like to gamble?

[Seahawk]

I don't remember gambling at all growing up...maybe a "numbers runner" on a bad detective show but that was it in my little world.

College was an eye-opener. I knew guys that were in for hundreds, maybe thousands (think late '70's!) to a freaking bookie because gambling was illegal in California at the time except for "Non-banked card games in cardrooms". I had to look it up.

As some comedian said, if you are late night betting the over on obscure college teams you haven't heard of to "get well", you aren't.

[KFC911]

^^^ LOL .... I bet "the shark" wasn't wearing draggin' azz jeans either.

..... better to be lucky rather than good.

Mo' better to be both

[GH85Carrera]

I was never exposed to it growing up. Like the opera or the ballet, just not in my world.

As a freshly minted adult and out on my own I had some friends that were really into poker. I played some low limit poker games and the occasional wins were not enough to make me think I could do that and come out ahead.

As a kid my great uncle was in my eyes a million years old. He was a former card trick performer, riverboat gambler and professional poker player. He taught my brother and I to never play a card game with a person in the game as the dealer. I watched as he let me shuffle the deck, and he shuffled it a few times and dealt out hands. He then he told us what hands he had dealt us. All good hands that most people would assume were winning hands, but his were always just a little better. He said cheating is too easy with cards and a human dealer.

[pwd72s]

^A good card mechanic is sorta like a top pool player...amazing skill development. Casinos don't have to cheat...the odds are in their favor.

Ron Madaio said something when he was here that will always stick with me. New York wisdom:
"Gambling is a business, Paul. If you're not in the business, it's best to stay away."

I went to Reno for my 21st birthday with a buddy who said he had a sure fire system. As a result, I lost every dime I had, and received a long & broke drive home as a birthday present. It was an expensive lesson at the time, but a valuable lesson that stuck well.

Like I said, I don't bet on pool games...just love to watch, admiring the skill..there's many layers to the game, something many don't understand.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by herr_oberst

Never understood the appeal, but it's fascinating to watch people who like gambling, gamble. Something in the DNA or their upbringing, I suppose.

Something that I'd like to point out before this and any of my subsequent posts. I don't think that everyone that places a bet on a pool game or a sports game or that buys a lottery ticket is a gambling addict any more than I think that everyone that has ever had a drop of alcohol is an alcoholic. There are extremes, and in between the extremes are infinite degrees. The folks at or near the extreme end of drinking too much, smoking too much, gambling too much, doing drugs too much are addicts. There are folks that can drink, smoke, gamble, or do drugs that are not addicts and do those things for whatever reason. And there are folks that probably don't do those things at all.

Back in 2001 when the doc-com bubble burst, I got laid off. While looking for another IT job, I took what I could get. I was getting unemployment, and found a job making cash. The place had been a shopping center with 2 huge stores. One of the big stores hosted bingo in the morning and the other hosted bingo in the evening. In between the two bingo halls was a small room that probably held 20 electronic slot machines. I worked in that game room. In Texas gambling is not (was not) legal so those sorts of game rooms got around that by giving "prizes". THe prizes were usually vouchers for credit to play bingo, but occasionally, they would bring in gift cards to target. After the night time bingo session, people would come play the games. I gave them free sodas and snacks, and many would chain smoke cigarettes and play. It was not surprising for people to spend $100-200 or more trying to win $150. The worst that I ever witnessed was when one of the regulars came in to play one of the new "high roller" machines (10¢/roll - $300 jackpot) in the morning. She played all day trying to win $300. I think in the end she ended up spending $1500-2000 trying to win $300 and didn't. She left and someone won pretty shortly after. Because she was a regular, I think the owner ended up giving her a pretty hefty cash refund. Even after that I don't think I saw her for a month or two. Most of the folks that came in and played weren't, I don't think, terribly well off. It was interesting at first, but eventually got depressing. It wasn't quite as depressing as watching the alcoholics when I was a bartender, but it was close.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by jcommin

I have a few times - played slots and 21. I get bored with it. You can burn allot of money gambling and yet it is big business. I find it amazing this vice went from a sin to a common place in main street America. I also find it comical when I see or listen to casino and sports book commercials is ended by " got a gambling problem call 1-800- XXXX"

I suspect it's always been pretty common. In the past it was hidden better. I don't think the sin part has changed. I also don't think that the addicts have changed.

I think the addiction part is basically the same as almost any addict. I think addicts are mostly genetically predisposed to being addicted. I suspect it's got something to do with their biochemistry. And in some cases, there may be psychological reasons, but probably 98% is biochemistry. That goes for alcohol, drugs, gambling, sex, etc....

I think substance abuse addicts often replace alcohol/whatever with caffeine and/or cigarettes or something else. I'm sure there are things that gambling addicts do in place of gambling.

Some folks get one shot at something and are hooked. Other folks can try everything under the sun a couple of times and that's it with a "meh, did nothing for me" sort of attitude.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

I was never exposed to it growing up. Like the opera or the ballet, just not in my world.

As a freshly minted adult and out on my own I had some friends that were really into poker. I played some low limit poker games and the occasional wins were not enough to make me think I could do that and come out ahead.

As a kid my great uncle was in my eyes a million years old. He was a former card trick performer, riverboat gambler and professional poker player. He taught my brother and I to never play a card game with a person in the game as the dealer. I watched as he let me shuffle the deck, and he shuffled it a few times and dealt out hands. He then he told us what hands he had dealt us. All good hands that most people would assume were winning hands, but his were always just a little better. He said cheating is too easy with cards and a human dealer.

Wow, super interesting.

[KFC911]

^^^^ Spot on with that "addictive gene" thing....

Other than this place .... I got lucky

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by pwd72s

^A good card mechanic is sorta like a top pool player...amazing skill development. Casinos don't have to cheat...the odds are in their favor.

Ron Madaio said something when he was here that will always stick with me. New York wisdom:
"Gambling is a business, Paul. If you're not in the business, it's best to stay away."

I went to Reno for my 21st birthday with a buddy who said he had a sure fire system. As a result, I lost every dime I had, and received a long & broke drive home as a birthday present. It was an expensive lesson at the time, but a valuable lesson that stuck well.

Like I said, I don't bet on pool games...just love to watch, admiring the skill..there's many layers to the game, something many don't understand.

Many people drive over to Las Vegas in a $25,000 car and come home on a $250,000 bus.

The convenience store I used to go get my beer at also sold lottery tickets. Over the years, I would be in there getting another 6 pack, and see many regulars buying lottery tickets and scratch off tickets. I would ask several if they had any luck yet, and they always said not today, but maybe tomorrow. It is just a tax on math impaired people. I have yet to spend one cent on lottery tickets as I now how to do math and have a basic understanding of odd.

[pwd72s]

Lottery tickets...considering the odds, the best way to look at it is that you're buying a fantasy...the "what if I won million$?" fantasy. At my age, that could ruin my generally happy life. I've often wondered if somebody gave an uncollected winning ticket to a legit charity like tunnels to towers if it would shaft the fed & state tax collectors?

Scratch-offs...funny tale. Cindy once won $100 worth of scratch offs in a radio contest. After scratching them all, $23 in winnings. Turning them in, she was asked if she wanted more tickets.
She took the cash, saying if she did that she'd only have $5...

[masraum]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

Many people drive over to Las Vegas in a $25,000 car and come home on a $250,000 bus.

The convenience store I used to go get my beer at also sold lottery tickets. Over the years, I would be in there getting another 6 pack, and see many regulars buying lottery tickets and scratch off tickets. I would ask several if they had any luck yet, and they always said not today, but maybe tomorrow. It is just a tax on math impaired people. I have yet to spend one cent on lottery tickets as I now how to do math and have a basic understanding of odd.

Originally Posted by pwd72s

Lottery tickets...considering the odds, the best way to look at it is that you're buying a fantasy...the "what if I won million$?" fantasy. At my age, that could ruin my generally happy life. I've often wondered if somebody gave an uncollected winning ticket to a legit charity like tunnels to towers if it would shaft the fed & state tax collectors?

Scratch-offs...funny tale. Cindy once won $100 worth of scratch offs in a radio contest. After scratching them all, $23 in winnings. Turning them in, she was asked if she wanted more tickets.
She took the cash, saying if she did that she'd only have $5...

I've said before, I don't buy lottery tickets. In the last 50+ years, I've maybe purchased 5 tickets, and each time it was at the request of a girlfriend. In each case $2 was little enough that I didn't mind doing it that time all things considered (I knew it wasn't going to be a regular thing).

If you want to play the lottery, my recommendation would be to play the games that don't pay much, like $5k, $10k and that sort of thing. The odds are much, much better of winning not only something, but also the jackpot. Even after I discovered that, I still don't buy them, but if I was going to, it would probably be those. I'd rather have a small chance at winning $5k than an astronomical chance of winning $4mil.

[Bill Douglas]

I'm a lotto player. Probably the worst lotto player ever. But around here it's quite a well run organisation that spends wisely on charity. So with my constant losses I'm giving to charity with, as Paul says, the fantasy of winning big.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Bill Douglas

I'm a lotto player. Probably the worst lotto player ever. But around here it's quite a well run organisation that spends wisely on charity. So with my constant losses I'm giving to charity with, as Paul says, the fantasy of winning big.

Have at it. I don't have anything against folks that buy lottery tickets. It doesn't do anything positive for me so I don't do it. And I believe that just like there are folks that can have a drink with a meal or a drink or two from time to time to relax or in social settings that are not alcoholics, I also believe that there are folks that can place a bet here and there or buy a lottery ticket that are not gambling addicts.

I don't want anyone to take what I said wrong. THings aren't binary, but there are extremes and infinite degrees in between.

[GH85Carrera]

Some of my reluctance to gamble is I know my "luck" is terrible.

I have attend Porsche Parade for the last 21 years. At every single banquet they have door prizes for all people that bought meal tickets. In 21 years and many many meals I have never heard my name called. Some people have won two sets of tires, and win something almost every year. Not me, so far my record is perfect.

[Rusty Heap]

Was at an Indian Casino (is there any other kind?) that was having a concert we wanted to see.........wife and I each pulled out a dollar at the penny slots. "See who can lose it the quickest" was a statement heard...........2nd pull, I get mega-bonus $368 payout. Which is exactly what I did, cash out.

Winner!

[stevej37]

Originally Posted by Rusty Heap

Was at an Indian Casino (is there any other kind?) that was having a concert we wanted to see.........wife and I each pulled out a dollar at the penny slots. "See who can lose it the quickest" was a statement heard...........2nd pull, I get mega-bonus $368 payout. Which is exactly what I did, cash out.
Winner!

Sorry...but it's supposed to be ..Winner, winner, chicken dinner.
As loud as you can shout it.

[Bill Douglas]

I know what you mean Steve. I've been at the shops and seen people who are obviously poor, checking hundreds of dollars worth of lotto tickets

These people are on a losing streak and should know when to stop.

[stevej37]

I was in an Indian Casino a few years back and one of my friends pulled a $200? winner on a slot machine. Before the machine re-set...I took a pic with my phone.

There were two guys that escorted me out...'no pics taken in the Casino'

[Evans, Marv]

I have a very good friend who has been married for around 25 years. He once confided in me that after he married his wife, he found out she had a "gambling problem." He had built his house and owned it outright before the marriage. Turned out his wife owed gambling debt. He had to take out a mortgage on his house to pay off the debt. He insisted she get help, which she did. I know they still had a balance on the mortgage as recent as two years ago.

[stevej37]

^^^ Pics of said wife would help with our opinion.