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Ok, here it is... the big evil. The big reason your mother-in-law is afraid of Vegas. Thousands of people every year arrive in Vegas in a $25,000 Volvo, and go home in a $250,000 Greyhound bus. Gambling is fun, and if you are lucky you can even come out ahead and make some money, but most of the people do not. For you to win 1000 coins at a slot machine, someone else had to lose between 1000 and 1500 coins at some point, otherwise the Bellagio would turn off the fountain to save money. Gambling is not supernatural. Gambling is math. If you do not have a good understanding of statistics and the math of gambling, you are really just giving someone else your money, and seeing if he wants to give any of it back to you. You do not have "a system". You do not have "a knack". You do not have "a sure thing". That little signboard at the Roulette table is not there to HELP you win, it's there to make sure you think you have a better shot, while not actually giving you that better shot. (Tables with the digital signboard make about 30% more then tables without. If they didn't, then we'd never see them in use.) Just because you really want to win, or really believe you'll win, or really are sure you'll win doesn't mean jack squat. Accepting that fact is the first step to being a good gambler. I don't have time in this column to give you the whole mathmatical description of every game, but there are others out there who have done so. Some research on the internet should give you an idea of how your favorite game really works. When you've learned how the game REALLY works, how you have the best chance at winning, how you can minimize your losses; THEN sit down and play. If you find yourself spending money that should be spent on other things (like food or rent) then be very very careful. Every casino employee has instructions on helping you reach someone who can help you if you fear you might have a gambling problem. Here's my hint: if everyone you know is hinting that you might want to seek help for your problem, then you need to seek help for your problem. Gambling is fun to a large degree because it works directly on our minds in a deep psychological way. Humans (and many other creatures) find gambling activities almost too exciting to pass up, which is exactly how Steve Wynn knows he can get you to pay for that shiny brown tower of his. If you are not careful, you are nothing more then an ATM for people with a LOT more money then you. I like to gamble. The games are fun, and winning is very enjoyable.
However, you don't always win, and the words of Bob Stupak are always
in the back of my mind: "It's our duty to extract as much
money from the customer as we can..." If you ever forget
this, you are setting yourself up for a big loss somewhere along the
line. Play safe, you'll enjoy your games more. |
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