How to blow 5K in one evening...

[gfkostas]

On the other hand if you go to the casino with the expectation to lose you will lose. Am against having a negative expectation rather I prefer to be dettached from the outcome which is a different thing.

[managra]

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[Side note II: Blame the movie "Rounders" (half-joking of course) for giving you that feeling that you could turn it all around.

Just don't rent "Rounders".

Steed

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It's not fair to throw in a comparison with Rounders. Rounders doesn't depict reality throughout the movie (after all, it's Hollywood). Poker, however, is a very different kettle of fish than casino games. With casino games, particularly slots, it's all a matter of luck and you know that in the long run the casino will prevail. Poker is a skills game. Sure, there's a luck factor and you can have a lousy night or week or month. In poker, if you are a good player and you play correctly, in the long run you will come out ahead. You are not playing against the house. The house only takes a rake and has no interest who will win. You are playing against other players whose style of play you are able to observe before sitting down at the table. In ring games you have that luxury, in tourneys obviously you don't. Table selection is very important in poker as well as getting reads on the other players.

With casinos, on the other hand, it's all a great unknown. You may have a horrible run at your favorite casino, or doing horribly the moment you up your bet size after having a couple of half decent hits. The only thing in slots you have control over is whether you'll stop or continue to play, and the amount you bet.

[42ndSSD]

This is an interesting thread, and I've been tempted to post several times but deleted each one.

I'm truly impressed with the amount of personal honesty people have shown. It's hard to face up to having an addiction, and it's very difficult to admit it in public. Of course hardest of all is facing friends and family... and it's unfortunate we have such a societal stigma against admitting we have a problem and really need help.

For people who have a gambling problem: please, don't ever blame yourself. I know society-at-large insists we all have total free will and complete control over our behaviors, but that simply isn't true. While some people genuinely are self-destructive, more often than not when we decide to try drugs (and gambling is a drug for many) we sincerely believe we're making the best possible decision at that time.

I'm willing to bet () that nobody in this thread woke up one day and said "Woohoo! Today I'm going to become a gambling addict! Where's that Golden Palace signup? I gotta name my baby Goldenpalace.com!" Just doesn't happen. And the same holds true for drug users and alcoholics.

If gambling were commonplace and accepted the problems would be less severe. Part of the reason many gamblers become addicted is because they're embarassed and afraid to tell anyone about it, and that's related in part to the stigma assocated with gambling. (It doesn't help that it was formerly criminalized, which gave certain unsavory organizations a foothold...)

What really bugs me the most is when people condemn gambling out of religious reasons or personal emotions, not for rational reasons. That just adds more fuel to the whole "gambling is EVILLL! EVILL!!!!!" nonsense, which in turn contributes even more to problem gambling.

More sincere advice: if you're going to gamble, take the time to learn about it. Most gamblers are OC types, so become a little obsessed with learning about it! (You don't have to be the casino's favorite cash cow, you know.) I know that's anathema to many, and is bad advice from the aspect of encouraging the casinos to keep offering silly bonuses... but if you're going to throw money at something you should at least get the most bang for your buck. I'm certain many people wouldn't dig such deep holes for themselves if they really understood what they were doing--and some might even decide not to do it, which wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing.

Finally... if you think you can't possibly become a gambling addict, think again. Remember, nobody ever sets out to become an addict. If you think you might have a problem, face up to it. Don't wait until you're mugging winos for quarters so you can make another deposit at 32Red... or running around like Fred Flintstone babbling "Bet! Bet bet bet bet BET! Bet bet bet bet BET!" (Talk about your fates worse than death...)

Zookie, let's see those stats. They may not be totally accurate but I'm sure they're close enough to give a general idea.

[johnsteed]

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managra

It's not fair to throw in a comparison with Rounders. Rounders doesn't depict reality throughout the movie (after all, it's Hollywood).

Hmmm, good point. You're quite right that there's a difference between poker, as opposed to online casino games. But when did I suggest that I viewed "Rounders" as somehow depicting reality? Remember, I did "stress" half-joking. I had also mentioned (earlier in this thread) that people rarely have "Hollywood" endings. Maybe using the word "blame" was a bit harsh in retrospect (I wouldn't want the good people over at MIRAMAX suiing my ass off over one word being construed as defaming their movie ). Perhaps though, I should have stated it this way...

Side note II: I feel that the movie "Rounders" gives me this feeling that I can turn it (bad luck) all around.

For me, whenever I watch that particular movie, I get this MAJOR sensation of go online and gamble. It doesn't necessarily have to be poker (which I've rarely ever played), at least to me it could translate to any game. Watching that movie just triggers something in me to want to get in the game (any game involving money). "The Color Of Money", "WallStreet", and "Boiler Room" have similar affects on me. Not sure why precisely, but each one of them gets me excited about playing (fair or not). I suppose that if anything, it's all about chasing the illusion of money waiting for you to get out there and grab it. The upside eclipses the reality that there's an even greater downside at risk.


I know that the majority of this thread is about slots (and addiction in one form or another), but I just assumed that we're speaking about all games of luck. But yes "managra" , I most certainly wouldn't refute your point about poker being a game of skill (as opposed to casino games being about "luck").


Steed

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[gfkostas]

First I would like to congratulate all those who are expressing their oponions and life experiences with gambling honestly. I've read the posts and I admire the humbleness and honesty that its apparent. By putting our thoughts and our energy together in this thread we are making an impact. Am positive that this thread has been helpful to many and lets keep it this way. Also many thanks to CM for hosting this online community otherwise this edifying discussion wouldn't take place.

In contrast to the above post of 42ndSSD's I would like,if I may, take a different stance. I would say that if you have a problem, blame yourself and no one else and accept responsibility for everything. If you do the mistake to put the responsibility on anything outside you for your gambling problem all you really doing is taking the attention off of where it belongs and on to something else which in return will bust you up for good.Let me give you an example.
Imagine the following situation. Let's say we have a problem with our wife who has ruined our emotional state completely and we justify and acknowledge inside us that the problem is 'her' and then we pursue with gambling in order to take some burden off of our shoulders and 'relax',forget. After all shes responsible for our emotional discomfort so we have to do 'something' to get ourselves better. We also think that we don't control our feelings and we are victims of life circumstances therefore we always need 'something' to get the dirty job done after all its easier to blame others and put the responsibility on them. That is easier than changing yourself. In this little scenario let's assume that am a doctor whos being consulted from the gambler as to what he should do with his relation problems with his wife.
My reply to him would be: If your wife is the source of your problems, you send her to me, i'll treat her, and you will get better.Thats how absurd it is. If in this example someone/something is responsible for how we are then they have to change in order for us to get better which means that we might have to wait a longggggggg time for that and waste our time waiting. Complete victimization.
My advice is if you got a gambling problem and you really want to change take responsiblity and blame no one even if they deserve to be blamed. If you rely on others to 'save you' you might wait forever. Trust in you.

[kimss]

In contrast to the above post of 42ndSSD's I would like,if I may, take a different stance. I would say that if you have a problem, blame yourself and no one else and accept responsibility for everything. If you do the mistake to put the responsibility on anything outside you for your gambling problem all you really doing is taking the attention off of where it belongs and on to something else which in return will bust you up for good.Let me give you an example.

I agree fully here. There are noone in the universe that can help you - but yourself! Only you can help youself. No other person can tell you, or show you, anything - which will make you do otherwise. For some reason we always need to learn by our own mistakes, we need to be knocked of our big horse! You would think we could learn be looking at other people...

But dont bash yourself to much, what is done is done, you can't change the past - but you CAN change the future! What is lost is lost, but still you havnt lost the money you will be earning tomorrow, next month - next year!

Think of all the happiness and pleasure you can afford with those money - if not trying to double them like history shows you over and over again never works.

Many people think that somewhere down the road someone will come and help me, or that a big win will save me (which we know in turn will trigger higher wagers and in a period of time we will be back were we started). Problem is that people like us do not lear from other mistakes. It's like car accidents, it never happends to me - it only happends to the other people. When your house burns down, that too happends only to other people - like me! But I havnt experienced that car accident yet... But since I experienced the house burning down, I do believe I might have had my share of the statistics. You get the point however. Seeing another person loosing all his money on a slot and being totally destroyed - what do we do? - instead of seeing this as a sign not to play we would see this as an opportunity to win back some of that poor smocks money, since I am su much luckier and better than him.

As mentioned earlier, another crutial part of being able to make changes, is that you need to reach rock bottom. Why this? Again we are back to the fact that we are simple creatures which simply won't take wisdom by other people, we honestly believe we are so much smarter and need to experience for ourselves that infact - we are no better than rest of the crowd!

Some great posts lately people!

[gfkostas]

As mentioned earlier, another crutial part of being able to make changes, is that you need to reach rock bottom. Why this? Again we are back to the fact that we are simple creatures which simply won't take wisdom by other people, we honestly believe we are so much smarter and need to experience for ourselves that infact - we are no better than rest of the crowd!

Some great posts lately people!

Some people are on the bottom for ages but they don't realize it and stay there as it requires much willingess to get out of that black hole. A mind at war with itself remembers not 'well being'.

[Chill]

For people who have a gambling problem: please, don't ever blame yourself. I know society-at-large insists we all have total free will and complete control over our behaviors, but that simply isn't true. While some people genuinely are self-destructive, more often than not when we decide to try drugs (and gambling is a drug for many) we sincerely believe we're making the best possible decision at that time.

You wrote a good post, but I don't agree on the quote above. Why is it that everyone in todays society needs to blame someone else for their own actions?
If someone drinks and drives resulting in a crash, is it then the brewery's fault or the guy driving the car, or maybe even the car manufacturer?
We all know the answer to that, of course it's ultimatly the drivers responsability.

[gfkostas]

For people who have a gambling problem: please, don't ever blame yourself. I know society-at-large insists we all have total free will and complete control over our behaviors, but that simply isn't true. While some people genuinely are self-destructive, more often than not when we decide to try drugs (and gambling is a drug for many) we sincerely believe we're making the best possible decision at that time.

I think he means that we shouldn't take ourselves so seriously in times of crisis and give them space to improve rather than labeling them as impotent. I think society at large insists that we have no control over our emotions and that someone else (psychologist,etc) will get the job done for us. While a sympathetic ear and a good advice can do a lot at the end its you that you have to take a decision to change. When the student is ready the teacher appears.
There are many companies who would like to have profits and we are encouraged everyday on tv adverts to seek our solution in prozak. I heared on TV that 33% of the youngsters in America take prozak. Now that is sad news.
The standards of live in the western world have been raised dramatically. We have mobiles, cars, computers, tv's, etc. and yet all these things can do nothing to make us feel fulfilled. Why don't we undertand that material things cannot make us happy although they are certainly good. We have been bombarded with messages which say look for your differencies between yourself and other people but i think its the time that we look for our similarities. We haven't learned how to look at another human being like ourselves. We have different kind of foods around the world and yet the hunger is the same. We have different quality of water but the thirst is the same.
I gave money to a homeless girl a while ago and she smiled with such a passion and recently I also gave money to my mother to by a coat and she smiled as well....the people are different the smile was the same.
If being depressed requires being mentally active and thinking,which it does, and so does happyness which begins with each and every one of us. If enough of us begin to act in the same way all the rest will follow as it happens today with other things though with the wrong things. We have got to get our head straight and leave all 'these' problems behind. By doing so we can then help others to do the same. We are all in this together.

I think with this thread we do make progress in leaving something behind that will help future addicted gamblers.

[Let_It_Ride]

Hey Let it Ride!
Should I get some cramps, we have a landbased casino 5 minutes away from me which I can visit and drink and eat and have lots of fun in. I would never blow 5K on a landbased casino, however with online gambling it's kinda easy as you are playing directly from the bank account - gives me the chills thinking of it!

Hi Kimss, sounds like a good move. I always used to enjoy my nights out to a landbased casino. Ah the good old days, when staff won't let me anywhere near the tables until I had a good dinner or at least a couple of drinks in the bar. The most I would lose there would be 1K in one night and have walked away with 4k profit on many nights, all in cash and no cash in headaches.

It's about time online casinos started tightening up on deposits limits otherwise in the long run we're all going to lose out including the casinos. I know in the UK there were plans to open x number of super casinos but due to concerns over gambling this has now been reduced to just 1 or 2, a great shame.