dongiovanni said:
Noted now get out you have nothing more to add.
Gambling addiction
- Thread starter matt
- Start date
Noted now get out you have nothing more to add.
dongiovanni said:
Sage advice you got there. Shame you ain't using it!
Pollito
Robin
While building self control or replacing a destructive addiction with a constructive one are possibilities, one extreme measure I know of (only if you frequent regulated, legal establishments) might be to place yourself on a self exclusion list. Most if not all well regulated jurisdictions give you the ability to contact individual establishments or the regulators themselves and ask that they don't permit you to buy in, cash out, or even enter casinos or tracks. I don't personally know anyone who's gone this route, but it is a last ditch option that's out there.
My vice used to be online poker (NL Texas Holdem) but I didn't really call it gambling back then. Back in the heyday around 2006-2008 it was honestly like printing money. Easy $$$. Anyway, as the competition got more fierce my bankroll management slowly went out the window. I started losing a lot chasing those big paydays that used to come easily. Long story short I managed to get pretty much my whole identity caught up in this idea of becoming a professional online poker player. Several of my friends ended up dropping out of college to pursue this dream with disastrous results. When it was good it was good but the downswings were brutal. Definitely possible to be profitable over the long term if your disciplined, but the stress was eating me alive not to mention fueling all my other vices like partying. Drink away a big loss, celebrate a big win, etc. No way to live. It takes a special kind of person to succeed in that world and to be able to grind it out day after day without imploding. Even among the most disciplined players, the addictive nature of the sport along with the allure of the big win will cause almost everyone to self destruct and go bankrupt in the end.
The only people I have ever known to be successful longterm in poker are those who are being staked by investors. Playing with someone else's money takes a lot of stress out of the equation and adds a layer of accountability which helps one practice discipline and proper bankroll management. Although, in order to get to the point where someone will stake you is a long road in and of itself and often involves quite a lot of luck.
One thing you should know about playing blackjack, roulette, and slots on the online casinos is that it is quite literally lighting your money on fire. It used to be a well known fact among the online grinders in the poker community that the casino games were heavily rigged. Despite what the sites will tell you these games are not random chance like they'd have you believe. Most of them have carefully engineered algorithms designed to cheat/screw you out of your money. Due to the lack of regulations in the online industry there is simply no accountability and thus no reason for them to practice integrity. I remember back when Party Poker was still around I decided to play the black tables and all was good for a while, slowly winning money. As soon as I decided to up the stakes, BAM the worst bad luck streak ever. If I remember right, the odds were less than 1% of having a losing streak that bad by chance alone but somehow in a matter of about 15 minutes I managed to burn through over $2000 on $100 and $200 bets. That was a wakeup call.
At least in online poker you could be pretty certain in most cases that the house wasn't screwing you. They just took their little cut out of every pot and were satisfied with that. Even then you still had the problems of bots infiltrating the games every now and then, or rogue staff who had cheating software that allowed them to see other players cards. In addition, you had the fact that some of these sites would just randomly ban players and steal their money without any notice or justifiable explanation. Even Full Tilt which was well regarded in the online community turned out to have a giant shady pyramid scheme going on behind the scenes, and a lot of people got screwed back in 2011 when Black Friday happened.
Online gaming really is like the wild west man so tread carefully. If after all this you still find you must gamble, do yourself a favor and go to a real life brick and mortar casino to hit the blackjack table. At least then you can be guaranteed you are getting a fair shake even though you will probably still end up losing.
The only people I have ever known to be successful longterm in poker are those who are being staked by investors. Playing with someone else's money takes a lot of stress out of the equation and adds a layer of accountability which helps one practice discipline and proper bankroll management. Although, in order to get to the point where someone will stake you is a long road in and of itself and often involves quite a lot of luck.
One thing you should know about playing blackjack, roulette, and slots on the online casinos is that it is quite literally lighting your money on fire. It used to be a well known fact among the online grinders in the poker community that the casino games were heavily rigged. Despite what the sites will tell you these games are not random chance like they'd have you believe. Most of them have carefully engineered algorithms designed to cheat/screw you out of your money. Due to the lack of regulations in the online industry there is simply no accountability and thus no reason for them to practice integrity. I remember back when Party Poker was still around I decided to play the black tables and all was good for a while, slowly winning money. As soon as I decided to up the stakes, BAM the worst bad luck streak ever. If I remember right, the odds were less than 1% of having a losing streak that bad by chance alone but somehow in a matter of about 15 minutes I managed to burn through over $2000 on $100 and $200 bets. That was a wakeup call.
At least in online poker you could be pretty certain in most cases that the house wasn't screwing you. They just took their little cut out of every pot and were satisfied with that. Even then you still had the problems of bots infiltrating the games every now and then, or rogue staff who had cheating software that allowed them to see other players cards. In addition, you had the fact that some of these sites would just randomly ban players and steal their money without any notice or justifiable explanation. Even Full Tilt which was well regarded in the online community turned out to have a giant shady pyramid scheme going on behind the scenes, and a lot of people got screwed back in 2011 when Black Friday happened.
Online gaming really is like the wild west man so tread carefully. If after all this you still find you must gamble, do yourself a favor and go to a real life brick and mortar casino to hit the blackjack table. At least then you can be guaranteed you are getting a fair shake even though you will probably still end up losing.
To be honest my whole gambling addiction started because of online poker. When I took a bad beat or lost big it was so tilting that I went to roulette and tried to get my money back, sometimes it worked sometimes it didn't. Then I quit poker altogether, because I thought it's rigged, but that's another topic. Gambling seemed so much easier compared to poker. Never really took house edge seriously as in my opinion it would take 1000s of hands or spins for probabilities to average out.
Anyway, I will try to quit cold turkey see how it works out, I imagine payday will be the hardest for self control as is the day when I usually gamble. Maybe by shifting my focus to something like stock trading will take my mind of gambling as I am starting to get curious about it.
Anyway, I will try to quit cold turkey see how it works out, I imagine payday will be the hardest for self control as is the day when I usually gamble. Maybe by shifting my focus to something like stock trading will take my mind of gambling as I am starting to get curious about it.
matt - you should spend some time looking at the information posted on https://wizardofodds.com/. The author is a formally trained actuary and does a great job a breaking down the numbers and calculating house edge. One thing you need to understand about table games other than poker: no matter how perfectly you play, or what betting progression you use, you will lose it all in the long run. Always. You can't beat the math. Unless you are an advantage player counting cards or shuffle tracking, you will lose.
I know a guy who's a gambler. What an idiot. He earns so much money. But waste it all in cards. He even faked his ex-wife signature to get a consumer loan. Ended up sleeping in the store. His boss opened him a credit line in the restaurant. Gamblers are just stupid arrogants. They can't take someone took advantage of them. Like they have to prove they're smarter than others. The thrill go bungy junping.
I go to casinos once in a while it's like going to the movies. You pay a ticket to have fun. Never have I expected to make money. That's for suckers. To make money with a casino you gotta be the owner.
Your addiction should be cash. Cash is the best addiction in the world. Open your own company and ride the thrill. There's nothing like it.
Don't quit cold turkey. Do it progressively.
I go to casinos once in a while it's like going to the movies. You pay a ticket to have fun. Never have I expected to make money. That's for suckers. To make money with a casino you gotta be the owner.
Your addiction should be cash. Cash is the best addiction in the world. Open your own company and ride the thrill. There's nothing like it.
Don't quit cold turkey. Do it progressively.
Everything you do is a gamble. It's also part of your male instinct to take risks for rewards. Instead of trying to fight it I find it better to channel it to avenues where your losses are controlled. Buying property or blue chips stocks you are likely to lose some but not all your money. It's easier said than done but you have to figure out an avenue where you can't lose. Trump always tries to put himself in a win-win scenario and he's always mitigating his losses by avoiding risk.
Online Poker has several issues. Most problematic is that you will never know whether you are playing an honest game. I also believe based on experience and analysis that the game is rigged. I mean in worse ways than the casino but with no oversight. The only way to truly "win" in poker is a big payout at a big tournament but those are expensive to get entry into and even harder to place in.
Online Poker has several issues. Most problematic is that you will never know whether you are playing an honest game. I also believe based on experience and analysis that the game is rigged. I mean in worse ways than the casino but with no oversight. The only way to truly "win" in poker is a big payout at a big tournament but those are expensive to get entry into and even harder to place in.
By the way Dostoyesky was also a gambler, he would go to a casino and loose all of his money purposly so he could write again. That's how he forced himself to be creative again. So I wouldn't say gambling is beta like someone earlier mention here, nor is it alpha, everyone has different motivation to gamble.
I figure learning the game could actually help me, like approaching women, it is also like a gamble you have no idea what will happen, you could get rejected, fail miserably, but also you could get laid, have a threesome, fall in love anything can happen.
I figure learning the game could actually help me, like approaching women, it is also like a gamble you have no idea what will happen, you could get rejected, fail miserably, but also you could get laid, have a threesome, fall in love anything can happen.
The more people I meet with addictions, the less I actually believe in addiction.
Gambling is one I really have an issue with. You have a disease that makes you play roulette? Really.
I've recently been going and helping out at a facility that helps homeless and sick veterans. Most of the guys there have some form of addiction.
Over the years I've met lots of gambling, alcohol, drug, hooker and various other addicts.
One common thing amongst all of them, be it the veterans or my uncle that couldn't leave the strip joint, they all need attention.
Op, with all due respect, is this this actually the problem?
People need to borrow money from mom to gamble or because they need mommy's love?
Same with alcoholics, do they really have a disease that makes them hang out in bars, or do they just want people to be worried about them?
Aloha!
Gambling is one I really have an issue with. You have a disease that makes you play roulette? Really.
I've recently been going and helping out at a facility that helps homeless and sick veterans. Most of the guys there have some form of addiction.
Over the years I've met lots of gambling, alcohol, drug, hooker and various other addicts.
One common thing amongst all of them, be it the veterans or my uncle that couldn't leave the strip joint, they all need attention.
Op, with all due respect, is this this actually the problem?
People need to borrow money from mom to gamble or because they need mommy's love?
Same with alcoholics, do they really have a disease that makes them hang out in bars, or do they just want people to be worried about them?
Aloha!
It´s a weakness. Your weak. Somebody is taking advantage of you and your letting. Not only you let it but continuously ask for more. Every time you gamble you are just putting money in someone else pocket. That´s it. The casinos are fucking you right in the ass. And you beg for more. How is that possible? How can someone voluntarily wants to be taken advantage. Because you know you can´t win. Right. You can´t win. Why do you do it? Why are you so weak to be taken advantage by some rich casino owner. He grabs your cash and splash it in a great car, a fucking Porsche with your money. Loooll. He eats fine cuisine. With your cash. And it´s not enough you want to give him more. And more. But you don´t have to. He´s already rich you know. Stop giving him money. Stop paying other peoples vacations. Stop it.
You know what you could do? Give the money directly to the casino owner. Save some time.
I could never do this. Give the life which is mine to someone else.
You wanna pass through bad moments go to bed late. When life gets too strong. I go to bed at 03 am. And wake up at 07 am. I´m so fucked in the head the day is completely blurred. A fire can start won´t even notice.
This gambler I knew. I told him to buy houses under his kids name. He can´t sell them without a court order. Because their minors. A guy who was studying to be a dentist. Ended up as a real estate broker (no offence to brokers) still making six figures. Sleeping on a concrete floor. Once he asked me for some money. He was not happy giving his money to the casino. He also wanted to give mine. No way.
You know what you could do? Give the money directly to the casino owner. Save some time.
I could never do this. Give the life which is mine to someone else.
You wanna pass through bad moments go to bed late. When life gets too strong. I go to bed at 03 am. And wake up at 07 am. I´m so fucked in the head the day is completely blurred. A fire can start won´t even notice.
This gambler I knew. I told him to buy houses under his kids name. He can´t sell them without a court order. Because their minors. A guy who was studying to be a dentist. Ended up as a real estate broker (no offence to brokers) still making six figures. Sleeping on a concrete floor. Once he asked me for some money. He was not happy giving his money to the casino. He also wanted to give mine. No way.
BortimusPrime
Ostrich
Splitting four 8s into 20,20,19,18 vs a dealer showing 6 and then drawing 21 cured me.
Kona said:
Don't really got your point. I am not borrowing money from anyone, never have. Only one person actually knows about my addiction, but I never complain about it. To be honest I feel kind of embarased to tell feiends or family. That's why I started this thread, I know there are people out there who have gone through similar thing.
polymath
Pelican
Hey I'm on my phone so I can't quote properly, but this post is regarding the stock market comment I made earlier.
Stocks are just as much of a gamble as games online or in a casino, except there is one difference.
The expected value of a stock is the current price.
This means that, if you make a $50k trade on a thousand shares of a pretty liquid $50 stock, the expected loss on your trade is probably just the $7 (or whatever) commission that you paid. Plus maybe $5 in bid/offer spread.
If you want to turn up the heat, you can buy a more volatile stock.
Volatility means that if you win, you win big, and if you lose, you lose big.
I think this is one way to get the same excitement, while also being able to manage your expected costs/losses.
And one benefit is, putting your attention towards the stock market will force you to satisfy your gambling urges during market hours.
Stocks are just as much of a gamble as games online or in a casino, except there is one difference.
The expected value of a stock is the current price.
This means that, if you make a $50k trade on a thousand shares of a pretty liquid $50 stock, the expected loss on your trade is probably just the $7 (or whatever) commission that you paid. Plus maybe $5 in bid/offer spread.
If you want to turn up the heat, you can buy a more volatile stock.
Volatility means that if you win, you win big, and if you lose, you lose big.
I think this is one way to get the same excitement, while also being able to manage your expected costs/losses.
And one benefit is, putting your attention towards the stock market will force you to satisfy your gambling urges during market hours.
I know a couple of gamblers with the stock market or forex or other forms of trading as their vice. Let's just say that going into the stock market as a gambler addicted to cards is like offering a pot smoker some heroin to get his mind of marihuana.
Read "addiction by design", it's one of my favorite books. If you are a gambling addict, it will destroy your life unless you walk away. I have nothing to offer you, besides words of encouragement and sympathy.
Get help, my friend.
Read "addiction by design", it's one of my favorite books. If you are a gambling addict, it will destroy your life unless you walk away. I have nothing to offer you, besides words of encouragement and sympathy.
Get help, my friend.
RedPillComic
Pigeon
Go to Gamblers Anonymous and stop dicking around. There are a lot of people who disdain 12-step programs, but unless you've actually been in the grips of an addiction---your opinion is just armchair quarterbacking.
I don't necessarily believe gambling is a "disease" but it is a compulsion. And compulsive behavior, unchecked, gets worse.
You have to a) stop gambling b) create new habits and c) dig into whatever issues you have that are making you behave this way.
I don't necessarily believe gambling is a "disease" but it is a compulsion. And compulsive behavior, unchecked, gets worse.
You have to a) stop gambling b) create new habits and c) dig into whatever issues you have that are making you behave this way.