This has always been an interesting topic for me. Let me say up front that I have no moral objection to gambling and don't care if its legal or not. However, I've never understood why people do it. It seems that sports media is talking about gambling more and more, and that its not seen as shady as it used to be. People talk about going to Vegas or Atlantic City like they're going to the beach.
It just seems really stupid to me, since the odds are almost always against you. I'm also an extremely risk averse person, so that obviously affects why I'm turned off by it. I could never, ever enjoy risking my money on something. Aside from a few Power Ball tickets, I've never gambled in my life.
Do you gamble?
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Yes, frequently
4 vote(s)15.4% -
Yes, occasionally
13 vote(s)50.0% -
I used to, but not anymore
2 vote(s)7.7% -
Never, or almost never
7 vote(s)26.9%
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I guess this is sort of up my alley. ..people do it on very different levels.
Many people do it recreationaly, many are degenerative gamblers who's "fix" is the action, some people take calculated risks.
Games such as poker and sports betting are very beatable long term for a select few, these games the casino edge is simply the vig (juice) or the rake (a % taken from each pot in poker)
Infact most casino games have a very small edge, very small. What they bank on is the greed and physiologic advantage that makes most believe its their time.
The biggest problem is the degenerate who cant afford to gamble yet always finds his way to a casino and even if he hits a lucky streak, it really is only a matter of time before he gives it back and more.
I have been on my best run as a poker player in 2014, cashed well in some tournaments, crushing cash games...but sometimes something in my brain becomes dysfunctional and I find my way to a blackjack table or a high limit slot machine. It's a struggle I have yet too fully overcome.
As much as I enjoy poker and the little success I have had, sports betting is and always will be my baby. I have had multiple 5 figure weeks betting college and professional football, I watch a ton of football and feel like I can beat the system more often than not. The system is normally the local bookies who give me ridiculous good odds since 90% of players are ridiculously bad.
All in all the allure of free money is and always will be there.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using TapatalkSICK, Aqua4Ever04, Tone_E and 2 others like this. -
Money won is twice as sweet as money earned. - Fast Eddie Felson (The Color of Money)
I typically gamble on things that don't directly involve money but which I get a great deal of personal satisfaction from... to each their own...slickj101 likes this. -
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Was going to come in and post a funny reply. Saw this. Cant beat it. Well done.
Since I didn't attempt to beat your remark I guess you can deduce I don't take gambles. -
Yes, gamble very occasionally (less than 10 times a year), almost exclusively fairly small amounts on sports betting as casino games have never interested me, and the odds of a lottery win make it just as useful to give your money away than hope to become a millionaire!
My usual reasons to gamble tend to be to make a big event more interesting, or if I think the odds are good for a team/individual that I (think I) know about...usually to be proven wrong. I also have enjoyed going to a racetrack and betting on the horses, that's what makes going fun to be honest!
Gambling is of course fully legal in the UK, and it's hard for me to comment on any past shady opinions of betting as it's a fairly alien thought process for me to think of it in illegal terms. I would say though that I've seen a big increase over here in online gambling sites advertising on TV and on billboards, and it doesn't sit too comfortably with me. Gambling is fine in itself, but pushing it to make it look easy and lucrative leaves a bad taste in my mouth. -
I live a short drive to Atlantic City. I go there rarely though, and when I do, I take a couple hundred that I can play with, have fun, and expect to lose. Don't mess with sports book. Just some occasional lottery tickets.
NaboCane and dolfan32323 like this. -
I guess that it might depend on how wealthy you are to begin with, yeah. For me, when I was working, a couple hundred a month was all that was left after bills, gas, and what I'd put into savings every payday. No way I could afford to lose that with nothing to show for it, even once a year.
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Wealth and gambling really come down to the person. John Daly couldn't afford to play with the amount he did. Millions and millions. A fortune lost. Good you're a saver. Not enough people are. And gambling with money you don't have is for the sick.cuchulainn likes this.
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I have always been very competitive so gambling satisfies that need and also puts a lot more weight/tension onto a game (I only bet games I'll be watching). I try to mainly do NFL and did play a lot during March Madness just because those two sports I feel knowledgeable enough in to have a chance. It's tempting but the main thing I think is not seeing it as a form of profit but a form of entertainment. You might spend so much on video games or going to movies, gambling should be viewed in that way. Also have to set limits and once you cross it then stop and wait for next year. I might be different but for me it's not even really about the money, the money just makes it more fun because now there's a risk involved. I'm sure different personalities look at it different ways.
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It's not gambling if you're pretty much guaranteed to lose. Every single time.
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But you also buy your underwear at Kmart and never, ever miss Judge Wapner.
Sent from my iPhone using TapatalkSICK, cuchulainn, bigbry and 1 other person like this. -
LOL, picking games against the spread has always been a mystery to me. A few years ago, I was in a group online where (for fun only) the same group of guys picked every game straight up and against the spread. I was #1 straight up, and dead last against the spread. Its a skill that I simply don't possess.
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Beat me to it by 20 minutes.
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Frequently
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I'm a true degenerate who needs help.
Last weekend on Bovada I finish 104 out of 1600 for a cool $330, take that to a 2-4 heads up cash game and turn it into 1100....take THAT to the 30-60 Hi/low PLO game go on a run and turn that into $2750. Couple hours later I have zero.
True story. I am a moronOhio Fanatic, Paul 13, Aqua4Ever04 and 1 other person like this. -
I don't generally. One of the biggest reasons is because even if I can maintain full control and be responsible in money management, is that money won in gambling is always someone else's money and I can rarely be certain of their control, situation or responsibility. If I knew that I'd taken money from someone who really shouldn't have been gambling I'd hate that. Their fault? Yes. I was still, in the end, a part of it though.
In addition to that, I can always think of better things to do with my money, I believe in trying to be very responsible with it, so gambling money never feels like a good thing to me. -
yeah.. thanks but no thanks on Bovada bro. Been playing there for about two weeks now, that site is ****e... can't keep notes on players, they have a note system, but the notes save only for the table you are on at the time, they don't carry over. Every player just has a number (no name) within the tournament that you are playing in, so even if I wanted to keep notes on the side, I couldn't even do that. And then... I don't mind breaks during big tourneys that last a while, but every sit and go tourney? **** that...
I miss Poker Stars!! Party Poker!! -
For now unless we live in a few select states, we are forced to deal with Bovadas BS.
There are a couple good sites with good software out there, but the traffic isn't there.Paul 13 likes this. -
I used to enjoy going on that name tracker website, forget the name now.. but it used to be really good. You'd have that running next to your poker game, and you could look up everyone at the table to see how they rated... what their ROI was, etc etc. I had a pretty good rating going there for a couple of years. Yay me! :lol:
Well, on the bright side it did give me access to their sports book, which I plan on taking full advantage of, since my last SB shut down in the US. -
You sound like my dad (about 9 years clean of gambling now after GA) who would blow our families entire tax return money at the Dog Track near the West Palm airport....when my mom, crying, counting on that money looked at us 4 kids 17 and under and asked why? His answer?
"It was $1000....but boom I won big turned it into $2500.00....Bet on a 2/1 under dog, they won!!!! $5,000.00 that buys christopher those cleats he wanted, Jeremy his trumpet for band, our rent, and catches me up on my work van, so my business wouldn't go under!!!"
"Then why didn't you leave right then?!"
"Are you kidding me?! I was hot and the next one would've been $10,000!!! That helps college for Christopher and gets us out of debt!"
"But you have NOTHING now....and that original $1000.00 was for school clothes....."
"You don't understand how hot I was....I couldn't lose"
"But you did...."
"But...."
"Get out...."
Dude get help before it's too late seriously.
Signed, your future daughter.NaboCane and Unlucky 13 like this. -
Ha, kinda close but much more minor than that. It doesn't happen often, just sucks when it does.
Hey you think u could Fed Ex me $50 till Friday?? -
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Aqua, as you know I meddle very close to the books...in my experience the guys with the most success pick their spots. The MoneyLine bet is the most underrated bet in all of sports (football to be exact). We had a guy who would bet one game on a Saturday and a Sunday usually....and he would risk about $700 to win $300 on games that had the fav at around 7-10 points. He won a lot.
What he had was the discipline and the balls to keep his wagers limited and risk a lot to win a little. The guys a beast.