Taking Son Gambl'n aka Tuition to the School of Hard Knocks...

[M.D. Holloway]

For over a year my Son (who just turned 18) has been bug'n me to take him to Winstar in OK. Its about an hour north. Big casino, very interesting from the outside - has a global motif going on.

The kiddos are on spring break. I happen to be home this week and he starts in on how he and I should take the afternoon off and head up, maybe smoke a cigar, play some hold'm...ya know, guy stuff!

No way I could do it until after dinner at best. I tell the wife what we are up to, she laughs and says 'I know, he told me, he has $50 to bet, I'll see you in 2 and a half hours"

Wait - its an hour drive both ways I said. She replies "He will lose it all in 10 and walk around for 20."

So we head out at 7pm. Get there a little after 8 pm. He finds the Texas Hold'm tables where he can play with others and not against the house. He is stoked because he "kills it on-line!". He is tapped after 8 hands. Took about 10 minutes. Momma was so right. He gets up and looks at me. He knows not to even ask me for any money. heck, I don't even wanna feed the kid let alone pay for him to gamble ! he just shakes his head and I smile. As we walk through the casino he says "There was no freaking way I could have done anything about any of those hands!" I said "sure there was." he looks at me and says "Ya? What, what could I have done?" I said "not to bet". he just laughed and he found a penny slot. He had a buck so he puts it in. His min bet is $0.35 that he can make. "This is crap! they say penny slots but they want thirty five cents! Is this just a big facade? Its all fake!"

"Buddy, take a look around, you think this place or any casino was built on the backs of winners? Heck no, no one wins at these places and the ones that say they do never tell you how much they loose."

His dollar try at the slots yielded $0.12.

We are back in the car by 8:45 pm. Momma didn't allow for 15 minutes of taking in the sights.

Heading home I listened to him pontificating about how it was nothing like he imagined. The people were not all dressed up. He didn't see anyone win big. He saw old folks spending what they either get from SS, savings, maybe retirement. He saw many folks that sure didn't look like players...I did have to remind him that so folks that don't look wealthy very well could be. To wit he reminded me that he didn't think that folks with money really wasted it gambling. Of course there are some who kill it - not that many and I do not think it is sustained. Just a hunch, I could be wrong but it has been my experience that those that win at gambling typically are story tellers to a great degree.

What he said was interesting - he saw desperation.

About 15 min from home I noticed he was on his phone. I asked what he was doing "Playing a game." Hmmm, interesting. "What game?" I asked.

"Chess, at least if I am going to relax playing something it should be something to work why brain."

That is $50 well spent IMO...

[GH85Carrera]

Good lesson dad.

There is a horse track and casino less than 10 miles from my house. I have been twice in 30 years. Both times was to see the horses race. I went with 20 bucks to blow and it was just like going to the movies, just hand over the money and enjoy the spectacle.

As your son pointed out, it is nothing like the movies where the young beautiful people are all happy and winning.

Porsche Parade in 2015 was in French Lick, IN. They had a casino right at the hotel. It just REEKED of cigarettes. One morning we were waiting for the bus for our tour and I knew I had time to see the casino. I went in with a $10 for the slots. It was gone in a second and I walked out. There were only one or two people in the place and they all had a cigarette in their face and looked like they were on a one week bender. Not the glamour from the movies for sure.

[legion]

My wife and I went to the casino in East Peoria when she turned 21 (we were dating at the time). I blew through my money at the slots in about an hour.

She played blackjack and turned $50 into $150 over about an hour.

I've probably been to a casino about a dozen times. Three of those times I left with more money than I came in with, and it's only because I won early and stopped gambling.

[Seahawk]

I have some bad habits, but thank god gambling isn't one of them.

There is no sadder place in America than one of those remote casinos at 1030 the morning after payday.

[JackDidley]

As a kid, the idea of going to a casino seemed exciting. Gambling seemed exciting. Went to the track and burned around $100 playing the ponies. Not that much fun. We got a casino so I tried that. Won around $150 in an hour at the craps table. Slots were down right boring. That was not exciting either, never went back. I rarely even buy a lottery ticket. What I had seen in movies and on tv was not real.

[id10t]

So I guess maybe for the next life lessons we should all chip in and send Mike and Son to someplace with a few nice strip clubs....

[KFC911]

First time I visited NYC during college with a couple of buds. We had maybe $50 between us to last us three more days. Man, we can put two $20s down, and win $100 just like that...we're seeing it all up and down the street...now this Goober didn't stand a chance, my buddy was from Queens....he should've known better . Italian moms saved us from starving...our last 10 went towards beer

[Arizona_928]

Teach him statics.

Or at least counting cards.

[asphaltgambler]

Originally Posted by id10t

So I guess maybe for the next life lessons we should all chip in and send Mike and Son to someplace with a few nice strip clubs....

Yeah - I can tell you all about this.................but while its relevant, its a whole 'nother thread. In my early to mid 20's thought that nothing cooler than visiting strip clubs, drinking, "dating' a few ..............until I almost married one.

It's true - most of the girls /women aren't that pretty or hot. The places stink of cheap perfum, ciggerete smoke and urine, the 'customers' worse. Thank God I came to my senses, realized all that crap and the people around it ...desperate before I lost any more money or my sanity.

The best lessons are the ones where you burn your hands, your wallet is empty, but the emotional scars remain long after.

[motion]

Good story... sounds like your kid is on top of things, Mike.

Mrs Motion and I love to visit Vegas once or twice a year. Our favorite routine is to camp out at the "real" penny slots, tip the cocktail waitress well for bubbly, and keep her coming back frequently. I usually play 7 cents a pull (push a button these days). We have a great time and don't win or lose too much. The wife gets upset if she loses $20.

[sammyg2]

Originally Posted by AZ_porschekid

Teach him statics.

Or nostatics.

[tevake]

Yep, my brother cleaned me out of my babysitting savings, about twelve bucks when I was 13. The experence has stayed with me all this time.

His wife was a true slot machine whisperer, the year after she passed he got a 30k tax bill on her winnings. He said it was uncanny how she would hang out and watch the action then go to a machine that was ready for her to play and win. Did this for years.

Don't know how she could put up with the atmosphere in those places, I find them depressing, just looking at the folks in there zombie ing out.

I guess we all have different ways of enjoying ourselves.

Cheers Richard

[legion]

Originally Posted by tevake

His wife was a true slot machine whisperer, the year after she passed he got a 30k tax bill on her winnings.

They only tax you on the "winnings" right? I mean, if you lose $40k gambling in a year, and hit it big that same year and "win" $30k, you get taxed on the $30k. You don't get to write off the $10k loss.

Thinking about this, this makes gambling even more nefarious, as you can get taxed even when you lose money.

[mikehinton]

Actually, if you win $30,000 and can demonstrate that you lost $40,000, you won't owe any tax. But you will also be unable to deduct your net $10,000 loss.

[legion]

Originally Posted by mikehinton

Actually, if you win $30,000 and can demonstrate that you lost $40,000, you won't owe any tax. But you will also be unable to deduct your net $10,000 loss.

I wonder how many gamblers can really demonstrate that.

[pwd72s]

A good lesson, but a risky one. What if he'd won?

[id10t]

Originally Posted by legion

I wonder how many gamblers can really demonstrate that.

The guy that worked here and won the lottery (10 mil) keeps all non-winning tickets (scratch off or number pickers) and tally's 'em up through the year. When he gets his tax forms (1099-G IIRC) he opens the shoe boxes or whatever and totals what he spent that year on lottery tickets, adn deducts it from his taxes for the year.

Not sure what he does for casino betting....

[1990C4S]

You are lucky he lost. Although the odds were in your favor.

[M.D. Holloway]

It was a good thing he lost quickly. I would have been very surprised if he broke even.

[john70t]

Unless you are guaranteed a 'win' it is all 'gambling.'
Most of today's millionaires today have gone broke at some point. Risk taker mentality.

Everyone has their own limits. Many do not know how to stop and turn it off. Everyone has their own repeat vices which creates repeat endorphins in their brain.
I have my own, such as typing on the computer instead of doing other things.
I try to not judge not others. MINISTRY - JUST ONE FIX LYRICS

One question is:
How do palaces get built in the desert?
The answer is from outside.