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design219 · Jan 18, 2009, 05:12 PM

I really don't get this one. I understand the skill, competition and even fun involved in a game like poker, but gambling on something like a slot machine or a lottery totally eludes me.

My wife and I went to a horse track one time with a set goal of betting and losing $40. We placed two bets and won about $30. And stopped. And never bet again. It was fun watching the horses, but I have no desire to bet again. I have also bought maybe five or six lottery tickets in my life, but only one at a time, and only when the prize was over 100 million. I knew damn well I wouldn't win, but it was fun the fantasize for a few days about what I would do if I did.

Fess up your stories and the consequences.

- - e r i k - - · Jan 18, 2009, 07:00 PM

I have never lost money gambling. Fair enough, I've only been to the Casino three times and played roulette and blackjack.

Slot machines elude me. Is it the noise? The blinking lights? The fact that they are set to pay out 75% of what you put in if you are lucky?

ort888 · Jan 18, 2009, 07:11 PM

I've been to the casinos about 4 or 5 times in my life and every time I go I end up losing between $20 and $100 bucks and get pissed off.

My ex-girlfriends parents hit a $13,000 jackpot one time, but the sad truth is that they had probably lost that much over the years since they were constantly gambling. So they are probably still about even... or rather, they were a decade ago... who knows now.

osiris · Jan 18, 2009, 08:12 PM

Nothing dark, and I'm not really a gambler because I like to quit when I'm ahead, but...

A couple of friends and I were at the MGM Grand in Vegas, at about 2 am we were drunk and wandering around, just having a good time. We found this isolated group of dollar slots by the hotel's elevators and candy store, and we tried our luck. We won a couple of hundred dollars each in about 30 minutes.

Next night we tried black jack - the only open table was the handicap accessible one right in front. I won nearly every hand for about fifteen minutes and made almost $500. Pure luck, cause I'm no wiz.

Then at the airport, I tried the slots. Made another $50 (cost me $5 on quarters).

Las Vegas can be a good thing when winnings cover the trip.

Railroader · Jan 18, 2009, 08:22 PM

I'v been to Vegas three times, never gambled much there, mostly went to shows and the sights. One night, right before we were going to see The amazing Jonathan, my wife had to visit the restroom so I sat down at a stool in front of a $5 slot machine. I dropped in a $20 bill and hit "bet max". I won $2250. It was the only gambling we did that trip.

Locally, at the Michigan casinos the most I lost was $800 playing craps. Took about an hour and I swore off betting for a year. I usually end up ahead a couple hundred every time before when I went in, but I always played blackjack. But it was getting boring and the excitement coming from the craps table sucked me in.

I haven't gambled a penny since around 2006 though. Just did not feel the desire.

ghporter · Jan 18, 2009, 08:44 PM

I used to live in Biloxi and saw the beginning of the casino business there. My wife and I would occasionally go through a roll of quarters at the slots (she'd win, I'd lose), and once she won enough to pay for dinner and child care and have some left over, even counting what I'd lost. That's it. I occasionally buy a lottery ticket (when I think about it), but that's it. Never did see the point in any of it myself.

Ghoser777 · Jan 18, 2009, 08:57 PM

Went to Vegas once and "spent" several 100 dollars during my stay. As long as you go with a set limit, it's all just play money.

alligator · Jan 18, 2009, 09:11 PM

Gambling is a tax on the math impaired.

Rumor · Jan 18, 2009, 09:15 PM

Originally Posted by ghporter

I used to live in Biloxi and saw the beginning of the casino business there. My wife and I would occasionally go through a roll of quarters at the slots (she'd win, I'd lose), and once she won enough to pay for dinner and child care and have some left over, even counting what I'd lost. That's it. I occasionally buy a lottery ticket (when I think about it), but that's it. Never did see the point in any of it myself.

goMac · Jan 18, 2009, 09:25 PM

I won $5 at a Blackjack table once.

True story.

Gankdawg · Jan 18, 2009, 09:30 PM

Last time I went, I sat at a black jack table from 11PM to 5AM and was down about $40. The upside is that me and my friends drank alcohol for 6 hours straight and that would've cost me way more than $40. It's all about expectations. I never go expecting to win and only take what I can afford to lose.

And I'm with erik on slots. Zero skill involved, don't get the appeal.

sek929 · Jan 18, 2009, 09:52 PM

I hate parting with money and not having anything to show for it.

I won 100 bucks on a 5$ scratch ticket that I randomly bought a few weeks back, which puts me at, about 100 dollars total gambling winnings.

Atheist · Jan 18, 2009, 10:06 PM

I'm not a gambler at all. I was passing through Vegas once and put a quarter in a slot machine and won $250. The only other time I gambled was once here in St. Maarten at one of the local casinos. Put a few quarters in a couple of slot machines, ended up winning $80. I figure I've used up all my luck so I doubt I'll try again.

Laminar · Jan 19, 2009, 08:44 AM

The only gambling I've done is a poker night with some co-workers while on my internship. Through the course of the semester, I at least broke even, and was probably up a few bucks.

Dakar V · Jan 19, 2009, 08:55 AM

The only gambling I do is when I decide not to wear a rubber with the hooker.

brassplayersrock² · Jan 19, 2009, 08:58 AM

to many people in my semi close relations have gambling addictions. I stay away from the stuff to be safe.

Mrjinglesusa · Jan 19, 2009, 09:07 AM

Won $1,500 on a $5.00 spin ($0.01 machine, 20 lines, $0.25/line)

Won $1,200 on a $5.00 spin ($0.01 machine, 20 lines, $0.25/line)

Won $775 on a $0.40 spin ($0.01 machine, 20 lines, $0.02/line)

Won $2,500 on a $3,00 spin ($1.00 machine, 1 line, max bet)

Won $400 (twice) on a $30 bet in 3-card poker (3 of a kind)

Won $600 on a $30 bet in 3-card poker (royal flush)

Playing $0.01 machines, I've put $20 in and cashed out over $200 numerous times

Laminar · Jan 19, 2009, 09:16 AM

Originally Posted by Mrjinglesusa

Won $1,500 on a $5.00 spin ($0.01 machine, 20 lines, $0.25/line)

Won $1,200 on a $5.00 spin ($0.01 machine, 20 lines, $0.25/line)

Won $775 on a $0.40 spin ($0.01 machine, 20 lines, $0.02/line)

Won $2,500 on a $3,00 spin ($1.00 machine, 1 line, max bet)

Won $400 (twice) on a $30 bet in 3-card poker (3 of a kind)

Won $600 on a $30 bet in 3-card poker (royal flush)

Playing $0.01 machines, I've put $20 in and cashed out over $200 numerous times

Are you currently in possession of a seven-leaf clover?

Chongo · Jan 19, 2009, 10:38 AM

First time i went to Vegas I won about $400 playing blackjack at a $5 table. It took a while. That is the night I learned "escorts" take casino chips

Mrjinglesusa · Jan 19, 2009, 11:55 AM

Originally Posted by Laminar

Are you currently in possession of a seven-leaf clover?

LOL. Hardly. Those are the big wins I remember. I try not to think about all the losses.

If I were to guess however, I would say that in all the years I have been "gambling" (i.e., Vegas once a year, local racetrack 2-3x year, Bahamas once a year), I've probably broken even overall.

Railroader · Jan 19, 2009, 12:22 PM

One time, my friends dragged me to a Las Vegas Nite at a local Catholic church. They all played Blackjack as they saw this had the most control over their winnings. But the tables had a horrible payout on a hard 21 and limited your ability to doubledown or split cards, so the favor was heavily on the house. I watched the roulette wheels and saw one with a major favor towards numbers less than 16. So I bet the 1-16 column at the max bet of $10 and had accumulated $500 VERY quickly. They shut the table down after other people saw my pattern. I was amazed it took them that much in losses before doing that. The pit boss tried berating me that I was robbing from "God's people". I wonder what they called using a faulty roulette wheel to get "donations".

Originally Posted by Gankdawg

Last time I went, I sat at a black jack table from 11PM to 5AM and was down about $40. The upside is that me and my friends drank alcohol for 6 hours straight and that would've cost me way more than $40. It's all about expectations.

My wife and I did this a few times. We'd just sit at the bar (drinks come faster that way) and play video poker. There's always one machine that has better payout odds, you just have to look for it. I'd win $20-40 in the video poker machine and drink about another $60 in free drinks. I always tipped my winnings to the barkeeper so my drinks weren't watered down. And a few times while my wife was in the spa I would sit at the bar and drink for free, and I learned that almost every woman sitting at the bar alone was a potential "date".

CaseCom · Jan 19, 2009, 01:50 PM

I've been to Vegas only once, in the summer of 1998. At the Mirage sports book, I put 10 bucks on the Vikings to win the NFC championship and another 10 bucks to win the Super Bowl. At the time they were something like 100-1 long shots; they had finished 9-7 the year before, and in the draft they took a risk on a talented kid with a checkered past named Randy Moss.

Argh.

- - e r i k - - · Jan 19, 2009, 03:44 PM

Originally Posted by Chongo

First time i went to Vegas I won about $400 playing blackjack at a $5 table. It took a while. That is the night I learned "escorts" take casino chips

Originally Posted by Railroader

And a few times while my wife was in the spa I would sit at the bar and drink for free, and I learned that almost every woman sitting at the bar alone was a potential "date".

Double wammy on the dark confessions. Kudos

Jawbone54 · Jan 19, 2009, 06:14 PM

The Bossier City/Shreveport area (where I live) is now said to be the third-largest gambling economy in the United States behind Vegas and Atlantic City. Louisiana Downs is about 2 minutes away from my house. We see a lot of gambling addictions, hear a lot of jackpot stories, and general are highly saturated with the gambling lifestyle.

I have yet to pull the lever to a slot machine, play a hand of blackjack, or anything like that. I used to play poker with friends at their houses, but that's pretty much it. My impulse buying does enough to rob me of money; I don't need another money-zapper.

While I can't personally add to the confessions, I can share two stories.

1. A man in our church's dad won $20,000 one night at the local Horseshoe casino, and they made a pretty big deal out of it. After he got done celebrating, he got in his car and noticed another car following him turn-for-turn all the way to his neighborhood. When he finally pulled up to his house, he reached underneath his seat, grabbed his .45, and jumped out of the car, aiming the gun at the driver. The car that had been following him peeled out (in reverse), and took off down the street.

2. About a year and a half ago, a local man gambled away his family's savings to the last penny, got in his car, drove off a boat dock (most of the casinos here are located on riverboats on the Red River), and sat in it as his car slowly sank. A few bystanders were yelling at him, so he looked, smiled, and waved just before dipping under the surface. They fished out his car and body a few hours later.

design219 · Jan 19, 2009, 06:36 PM

Originally Posted by Jawbone54

I have yet to pull the lever to a slot machine, play a hand of blackjack, or anything like that.

Alright... I saw our MacNN pastor posting to this thread and feared he had once gone astray. Hurray for Jawbone!

Sealobo · Jan 19, 2009, 07:06 PM

gambling in a casino for the sake of gambling is for the mathematically retarded.

Jawbone54 · Jan 19, 2009, 07:13 PM

Originally Posted by design219

Alright... I saw our MacNN pastor posting to this thread and feared he had once gone astray. Hurray for Jawbone!

Oh, shutup.

design219 · Jan 19, 2009, 07:43 PM

So who's in your sig?

Doofy · Jan 19, 2009, 08:02 PM

Doof don't gamble. Doof has never seen the inside of a betting shop or a casino.

Jawbone54 · Jan 19, 2009, 08:17 PM

Originally Posted by design219

So who's in your sig?

Buster Bluth.

You can probably find the three seasons of Arrested Development at Target for under $20 a piece. I got them all on sale for $14.

- - e r i k - - · Jan 19, 2009, 08:40 PM

Originally Posted by Sealobo

gambling in a casino for the sake of gambling is for the mathematically retarded.

Don't you mean gambling in a casino for the sake of winning is for the mathematically retarded? Gambling can be a perfectly valid form of entertainment as long as you expect to lose.

design219 · Jan 19, 2009, 08:51 PM

Originally Posted by - - e r i k - -

Gambling can be a perfectly valid form of entertainment as long as you expect to lose.

Yes, I think that says it perfectly. It's how anyone expects to come out ahead that I can't understand. I've heard ads for the state lottery with the slogan "somebody's going to win, it might as well be you." Is this how people really think?

I've also seen scratch off lottery tickets called "instant win" where the odds of winning are listed as 1 in 4. But what they considered "winning" on a $2 ticket is scratching off and revealing a $2 win. That's not winning, that's just not losing. The odds of winning a prize over the cost of the ticket was 1 in 14.

cjrivera · Jan 19, 2009, 09:37 PM

I go to the casino maybe 2-4x/year, but it's always a social function (out with friends, softball team, etc.)
I would never go to try and win money. It's fun if you can get a blackjack table with several or all of your friends and play. My softball team went to Vegas for a few days and we spent hours at a single table ($5-10 min.) We went to the old part of Vegas and it was a much more relaxed atmosphere. The dealer was easy going and joked around with us. Even caught him helping us out (cheating) for us several times. I might have lost $100 in a sitting, but that's for 8 hours of entertainment, free drinks, and a comped dinner. Heck, some of the guys I was with easily drank more than they lost.

My true gambling addiction is fantasy football. I was in 5 leagues this year. Actually won 2 of my leagues and made around $2000. But even the seasons I don't win, I might pay out $100-200 in league fees for 13 weeks of entertainment. Again, not a bad deal.

calverson · Jan 23, 2009, 07:41 AM

I usually lose about $200 a weekend on hold-em. Some weekends I make it back. More often than not, I don't.

andi*pandi · Jan 23, 2009, 12:46 PM

Lost $20 in Atlantic City on the slot machines, won half of it back, and didn't see much point. Also I found the whole experience kind of depressing, with the senior citizens parked in front of the slots in tshirts and sweatpants. It was not a scene out of Casino Royale.

Won $100 on a scratch ticket once, and will buy one on occasion. I think I'm still ahead on those.

Dakar V · Jan 23, 2009, 12:50 PM

Originally Posted by andi*pandi

I found the whole experience kind of depressing, with the senior citizens parked in front of the slots in tshirts and sweatpants.

Agreed. I don't see 'fun' on their faces, just mindless lever pulling.

Railroader · Jan 23, 2009, 01:06 PM

If you go to Vegas during some kind of major entertainment event you'll get the more Casino Royale experience. People dressed to the nines at all hours of the day.

design219 · Jan 24, 2009, 03:04 PM

Originally Posted by Railroader

you'll get the more Casino Royale experience.

Does that include the weapons, poison drinks and torture?

Railroader · Jan 24, 2009, 03:28 PM

Only in the whale rooms.

Doofy · Jan 24, 2009, 05:25 PM

Originally Posted by Railroader

If you go to Vegas during some kind of major entertainment event you'll get the more Casino Royale experience. People dressed to the nines at all hours of the day.

And if you go to a particular casino, you'll get the ultimate Bond experience...

ghporter · Jan 24, 2009, 06:40 PM

Originally Posted by Rumor

Not THAT long ago!

This was in the early 1990s. The casino companies set up a number of establishments in the three coastal counties with "interesting" results. Lots of employment, lots of tourist money flowing in. And lots of work for gambling counselors. Pretty amazing.

Oh by the way, they mispronounce the name of the town in the movie. It's "Bil UX ee," not "Bil OX ee." And yes, I was stationed at the same base that did Army training during WWII.

turtle777 · Jan 25, 2009, 01:12 PM

Been to Vegas 4 times (for conventions), never even bet a single cent. Just doesn't appeal to me at all.

-t

subego · 01:33 PM

Originally Posted by - - e r i k - -

Gambling can be a perfectly valid form of entertainment as long as you expect to lose.

Thirded.

I'll burn $20 on penny slots whenever I go to Vegas, just like I burn $20 on tickets and junk food when I go to see a movie.

Used to play poker in college, but that was a different vibe.

My dad payed his way through college playing poker. He memorized the probabilities (and knew how to interpret them), which gave him just enough of an advantage for it to be essentially a sure thing.

He even made a system for bluffing, so people didn't catch on. He would always play a four in his hand as if it were an ace.

He can still pick up a deck of cards and tell you if it's light.

Andy8 · Jan 25, 2009, 07:15 PM

I buy a ticket in the local lottery when the prize pool is big enough, and always choose a computer pick for the numbers, as I did win a second prize many years ago doing exactly that.

ghporter · Jan 25, 2009, 08:16 PM

Originally Posted by Andy8

I buy a ticket in the local lottery when the prize pool is big enough, and always choose a computer pick for the numbers, as I did win a second prize many years ago doing exactly that.

I don't consider lottery tickets to be "gambling," particularly around here. It's sort of "making my contribution to the state's general fund (with a part designated to go to education)." I haven't won more than the price of a couple tickets in decades.

timmerk · Jan 26, 2009, 08:17 PM

I won $17 on Keno once.

Also a true story.