The Curse Of The Casino

Discussion in 'Not Sure Where it Goes' started by Corie Henson, Oct 26, 2016.

  1. Corie Henson

    Corie Henson Veteran Member
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    I just remembered this morning about our former neighbors named Roces and Marby. Roces is an engineer who has a good business going as evidenced by his lifestyle. They have a driver who brings his children to school and his wife to the market not to mention their housemaids. Marby on the other hand owns a big bakery with more than 10 delivery trucks. In a paradigm shift, Roces pawned his car and eventually lost ownership of his house while Marby was losing his business and has his brother bailing the bakeshop instead of closing shop. We were surprised on the turn of events until we learned that the 2 guys were going to the casino and had lost their fortune to the gaming tables.

    Just a true story that maybe we can learn from.
     
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  2. Chrissy Cross

    Chrissy Cross Supreme Member
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    Crazy and sad. Thankfully, I can stop after winning and will definitely stop if I've lost about $60...$100 tops.
     
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  3. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
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    I totally understand how gambling could become a problem. The first time I was in Las Vegas, I won a few hundred dollars on the slot machines the night I got in. The next day, I lost it all plus everything I had come with, and had to call a friend to wire me money to get home. Happily, it wasn't a fortune.

    That was the last time I did anything like that. On subsequent visits to Las Vegas or Reno, I decided in advance what I could afford to lose and played with that only, considering it an entertainment expense if I lost it, as I usually did eventually. I think the only time came out ahead was when I had only a few minutes between planes and put some quarters into a slot machine at the airport and won. I didn't have time to lose it.

    I get it though. I haven't played any of the other games other than Keno but on the slot machines, it is so easy to think that if I put in just five more coins...
     
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  4. Frank Sanoica

    Frank Sanoica Supreme Member
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    Gambling is underpinned by the concept of greed desiring money. I learned this early on in our forays to Vegas several times a year from our home in Chicago. Once, I witnessed a wealthy oil baron, self-proclaimed Texas "oil guy", playing Blackjack seated centered at the table. All other chairs had been tipped forward, signifying they were "closed". He bought $40,000 in chips, proceeded to play several hands each deal of $500 each, the table limit. A crowd gathered behind him, surrounding me, to watch. Within 30 minutes, his chips gone, he stood up, waved to the dispersing crowd, thanking them for cheering him on, declaring he would take a rest in his room. A sucker of the highest magnitude, I thought. He was the epitome of their attention, so he imagined, as he waved and flaunted his ability to lose thousands of dollars in a few minutes undaunted and unmoved, which bought him, I guess he imagined, a short flame of recognition, of power, displaying what he could do, that they could not. In my mind, an asshole of the largest magnitude!

    I thought: his losses could have paid off my mortgage! Or fed the poor. Or been used for a zillion better uses than feeding the bottomless pit of casino swallowings. I saw this happen "early in the game", thinking that when the impossible "dream" of moving to Las Vegas to live there materialized, I must surely keep the memory of the Texan's stupidity firmly in mind. The scene happened in the late '60s. We moved there in 1972, after which time I rarely paid any attention to the gambling, certainly not partaking of it's lurid allure. His example guided me.
    Frank
     
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  5. Honey Gee

    Honey Gee Veteran Member
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    There are no so winners in gambling apart from very lucrative companies who benefit from this addiction. Some companies are actually trying to discourage punters from using fruit machines. Yet again. How did Las Vegas thrive.

    Must dash off to do the lotto :)
     
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  6. Diane Lane

    Diane Lane Veteran Member
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    I enjoy gambling at casinos now and then. I like the atmosphere, the excitement of it all, but I wouldn't want to do it on an everyday basis. I can definitely see how addictive it can be, and I try to avoid things like that. I do enjoy playing the lottery occasionally, and entering sweepstakes and contests online, but those are free.
     
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  7. K E Gordon

    K E Gordon Veteran Member
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    Yes, it is really easy to lose yourself in a casino. You can lose your bearings, and all sense of time and money if you are not careful. Plus if you have one big one you want to duplicate that at all costs. I do enjoy casinos, and am glad there is not one down the street from me. I am not worried about becoming a gambling addict..I am all to aware of losing even a small amount of cash, but I think I would stop in there more than was good if a casino was nearby.
     
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  8. Frank Sanoica

    Frank Sanoica Supreme Member
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    @K E Gordon
    Ever notice there are NO CLOCKS in gambling casinos? That tradition must go way back..........
     
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  9. Denise Evans

    Denise Evans Supreme Member
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    I saw some of these horrors, and they were horrors as you can imagine. People losing everything, leaving the tables, coming back with more money. I was a 21 dealer in the casinos for 6 years in my 20s. One time a guy left after losing a 100 bucks a pop, which must have turned into 1000s. Seemed none of us dealers were "cold" that night. He came back and shot up the place, killed one of my best friends, and one other lost a lung but lived to testify against him. I had to testify, and looking at him and saying yes, he is the guy I saw was something I never would want to have to do again, but I would.

    There is no way people can ever get ahead of a casino unless they win, cash out, and never play again. Casinos would not be around if they didn't ALWAYS have the odds in their favor.

    I never dealt another card, and I won't play cards with anyone, not even Pinochle or games like that. Hate the cards now.
     
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  10. Denise Evans

    Denise Evans Supreme Member
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    I never noticed but since you mention it, there sure aren't are there. Plus the way they used to bring the free drinks, that made them millions!! They don't do that at any of the Casinos the Indians own I don't think. I went when I was up in Coos Bay, spent most of the time playing on my laptop. My sis liked going and playing the slots so I went with her since she got a free night's stay.

    I walked around a little and I couldn't believe the way they do the 21 anymore. Multiple decks out of a "shoe" and no players are allowed to even touch their own cards!! Times change for sure. Not for the better for gamblers I'm afraid though, all is still in favor of the house, and way more so now.
     
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  11. Frank Sanoica

    Frank Sanoica Supreme Member
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    @Denise Happyfeet
    Following the widespread acceptance and awareness of Edward O. Thorpe's monumental book, "Beat the Dealer" in the early 60s, far too many folks were consistently winning at table Blackjack. The casino experts at first refused to believe it, but quite truthfully, Thorpe had started a revolution which the casinos knew must be thwarted. Only two answers presented making any sense: get rid of the phenomenally popular Blackjack altogether, or change some of the rules which were allowing players to up their bets when particular advantage was predicted. They went for the latter. Changes, not in the order that they were instituted, include:

    1) use of multiple decks
    2) aces allowed split, but only once, and only one card dealt to each split ace
    3) double-down on only certain two-card totals, typically, 10 and 11; "soft" doubling allowed depending on establishment
    4) no double-down after splitting a pair
    5) no dealing to the bottom of the deck; frequent "shuffle-up"
    6) restrictions placed on multiple hands played; 2 hands require double minimum bets, 3 require triple, 3 hands max

    My evaluation of the above:
    1) has little overall effect on "card-counting" effects
    2) always split a pair of aces
    3) play only tables allowing unlimited doubling
    4) live with it, this one costs the player several % of advantage
    5) use this to advantage: when count goes very negative, bad for player, up your bet suddenly, dealer is taught to immediately shuffle, this then removes the "negative deck", starting with a neutral one.
    6) play only one hand, changing bet as deemed necessary

    For quite a number of years, "Beat the Dealer" sat on my bedside table. My neighbor thought it was a Bible!
    Frank
     
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  12. Denise Evans

    Denise Evans Supreme Member
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    Really brought back some memories. Lots of wild and happy times;)

    I think I actually could step up and deal again with no problem. With one deck that is, and people handling their own cards. Their were drawbacks of course, but we had limits, pretty low, not Las Vegas type tables. These were all bar-games on mostly, the Oregon Coast, back before the Casinos took over. Mid to late 70s. The deal was in the Oregon gaming rules, whatever it was called, that "social gambling" was legal. Meaning, any player getting a blackjack would/could take the deal. He/she had to bank the game of course so we never had many, if any takers. My bosses were said to be from Nevada, shysters it was rumored, but I guarantee not one of us was ever taught to cheat, and if anyone was caught cheating they were outa there.

    A gal-friend and I drove to Vegas with the intent of working there as dealers. Man, we darn near ended up stranded as we couldn't find jobs, and both of us got freaked out, had to have gas money wired to us to get back to Oregon, LOL!! So much for that adventure;)
     
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  13. Frank Sanoica

    Frank Sanoica Supreme Member
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    @Denise Happyfeet
    Hey, thanks for the story! As you might guess, I've been a Blackjack "freak" ever since, walking down a side-street in downtown Vegas on vacation, I spotted Thorpe's book on in a bookstore window. This was about 1966, and I bought it; he wrote the book in '63 I think. He was a Math. Professor from NM State, went to honeymoon in Vegas, was never there before, studied the various games, decided BJ could be beaten. Had a then-new big computer deal 100,000 hands at random, then decided what move was statistically most beneficial, hit, stand, split, etc. From the results, he got a friend to bankroll him, and went back to test the system. The rest is history, but his book was riveting. He wound up banned from playing statewide in NV. Then wrote the book! I took it home, studied his thinking, then had my wife deal casino rules to me, night after night, and I cleaned out our poker chip tray night after night. Then we went to Vegas! Grand time, but by then they had begun to clamp down on the rules.

    I still play occasionally, though "favorable conditions" occur far less often with the new rules, 10s-rich deck, for example. As the cards are dealt, if many low-value cards come out, but few 10s, the play favors the player, he ups his bet. Those infrequent wins at higher bet, pay back for the losses during unfavorable deck conditions.

    BTW, Thorpe took card dealing experts with him, detected cheating at all levels of table bets! He revealed it in his book, got his life threatened for it!

    Thanks for listening to my old-time gaff! And, I like how you "been around"!
    Frank
     
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  14. Denise Evans

    Denise Evans Supreme Member
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    The man, as well as his book sounds really interesting. When I was in school I never cared for any type of classes. I thought I was dumb, and felt all the smart kids were just that, smart, and if you weren't smart, why try. But went back to school at age 57 because I really wanted to take some classes to help me in the job market. I practically aced every class. My fave?? Math, even got up as far as some Geometry. It fascinated me, and still I would have a blast doing some problems again. I was stunned at how much better I was at learning these things than I thought I was. It just took reading the material/instructions, and actually doing the homework, lol, geesh:)

    I said I won't play cards, but that's not entirely true come to think of it. I like to go into Texas Holdem, I love poker, and I am very good at it. I play with 3 other players at a time, on pogo, not often, but it is always fun. I wouldn't enjoy a casino atmosphere though. Not anymore;)
     
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  15. Ina I. Wonder

    Ina I. Wonder Supreme Member
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    I have never played the lottery in my life, but the other day when I had to buy the traditional Jim Beam fifth for the tall tale contest we had on Thanksgiving day, I out of the blue purchased a five dollar ticket.

    My grandson finally got me to scratch off the funny stuff covering the numbers, and surprise surprise I won $50. My first time to play and I win. Hmmmm!!! Maybe that's a devilish ploy, so I've decided to let my grandson buy himself a $5 ticket, and the 45 left goes toward an afternoon of movies and popcorn for some good entertainment at home.

    Guess I'm just not gambling material. :( :D
     
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