[PenultimateManStanding]

I don't gamble much, and I haven't been to Vegas since the 80s. I did win about $500 there once playing on the craps table, right after I bought a little paperback book on how to bet craps. The trick to winning there is to know how the side bet odds work, what the statistics are, and stay away from the high-pay-off long shots. That will give you aapproximately even chances with the house. I heard yesterday that the former owner of the restaraunt was in a 4 man team that won a million at the local indian gambling joint in a high stakes poker tournament; so that's a quarter million dollars for him. The new owner says that that guy has lost more than that in the past. He's also about as rotten an individual as you ever didn't want to meet. I'm watching Al Pacino's Two For The Money, which has a close look at sports betting. When I was a kid I worked for a swimming pool builder who lost his fortune to compulsive gambling. Marge Simpson has a gambling problem in TV land; she get's hypnotized by the slot machines. I could think of some ways to bet on peak oil. Matthew Simmons has a big bet on the peak production date or something like that. The biggest bet I could make would be to max out credit cards getting set up as a survivalist and hope for the crash so the debt would become irrelevant. I won't do that because it's a bad call in my estimation, but I could be way wrong and live to regret it.

[Schweinshaxe]

If you take a look in 'Planning for the Future' or 'Economics' you'll find a lot of gamblers. The stock market, gold, silver or the housing bubble. Take your pick.

Tragic losers trying to convince other losers to post explanations why it's great to have huge CC debts when TSHTF, so that they can read them and escape reality for a while.

[smallpoxgirl]

There are sure fire ways to win when you gamble.

Set yourself down at a nickle video poker machine. Push buttons slowly. When the waitress comes by, say "Could I get a beer please?" 30 minutes later you have lost, at most $1 and you got a free beer. If you're really on fire you won $0.45 and got a free beer.

As for the actual gambling part, I just can't see it. I end up doing the math. "So there's 48 spaces on this wheel. If the little ball lands on any of these three spots then I win. It pays off 14 to 1. So lets see 1 in 16 chance of winning. Pay off 14 to 1. Screw that! If I keep playing this I'm gonna loose my money! I can't drink beer that fast!"

[spear]

What?You have never played roullete with your bet being the only bet on the table,start with one chip on a number and add every time you miss,and then hit after 20 or so spins of the wheel to collect a couple thousand.
Shit,one time I played on five and chased that sucker for 151 spins.The number was loaded with chips.Strait up,splits,corners,six lines.It was a show.I almost had a heart attack.
In total I got 12thousand something that day because I hit on the split numbers a few times until it came in.
One other time I was playing dozens,and left with over four thousand in six hours.
But my favorite is playing a quarter section of the wheel.But when they see you play like that,they know that you are not joe average,and try to get you off the table.


Anyway,I stopped playing when my son was born 11years ago,and the logic was,that eventually the casino will win,because they have more money than I.

[Falconoffury]

One can make some thousands from blackjack, but one must be careful. One can be accused of card counting and get banned from casinos. Everything except for blackjack and poker is basically a crapshoot.

I prefer table top or computer games where I can actually make choices and the game is its own reward.

[TommyJefferson]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Falconoffury', 'O')ne can be accused of card counting and get banned from casinos.

[eastbay]

Gambling is mostly for people who are bad at math. Lotteries and slot machines are for those truly in need of mentally help.

I haven't gambled since I quit drinking, except for a brief disastrous fling at the NASDAQ in the late 90's, when I was the only person in the USA to lose money in the market during the year 1999. Ouch!! No more of that. I am now the tortoise in the money race.