Just a thought
- Thread starter Severity8
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My parents are semi-skeptical about the whole notion. My dad accepts it more than my mum. He saw a program about casino cheats, which included counters, so he kind of thought from that point onwards that if casinos attempted to eject counters, it must have been for a reason. They were winning. So I sat down with him for about 30 minutes and went over how BJ can be beaten, and reassured him that it wasn't cheating at all. So now he doesn't question me anymore, but he does like to look at my win/loss sheet from time to time and point out the red sessions. Variance is a thing many people don't understand. He will often ask, "So if you're counting, why did you lose $xxxx this night?"
My mum understands it even less so, I don't bother explaining anything to her. All she says is "no one has ever become rich from going to a casino or playing poker (I play that, also)". I could rattle off names from both the BJ and poker worlds, but I don't think it would register with her. They're European, they'd be prouder of me if I made $1000 a week working my ass off in a factory, than $2000 a week playing BJ, hypothetically speaking. I don't understand their logic at times.
I introduced the game to several friends of mine, at a friend's house, and their parents were even worse than mine! I could have presented an entire 2 hour presentation on the subject, but all they could say at the end of the night is that it was gambling. No one beats the casino, no one. They weren't the least bit interested in anything I had to say, and thought I was attempting to rationalise myself as a hopeless gambler.
Moral of the story is, some people get it, some don't.
My mum understands it even less so, I don't bother explaining anything to her. All she says is "no one has ever become rich from going to a casino or playing poker (I play that, also)". I could rattle off names from both the BJ and poker worlds, but I don't think it would register with her. They're European, they'd be prouder of me if I made $1000 a week working my ass off in a factory, than $2000 a week playing BJ, hypothetically speaking. I don't understand their logic at times.
I introduced the game to several friends of mine, at a friend's house, and their parents were even worse than mine! I could have presented an entire 2 hour presentation on the subject, but all they could say at the end of the night is that it was gambling. No one beats the casino, no one. They weren't the least bit interested in anything I had to say, and thought I was attempting to rationalise myself as a hopeless gambler.
Moral of the story is, some people get it, some don't.
Explain all play is continuous, sessions are artificial. One can manipulate this in play by playing longer when losing and cutting thigs a little early when winning.
or
cook the books and divide the sessions so you win all or most of the time. This actually is not deceptive at all.
example:
day 1, 2 hrs up 400
day 2, 2 hrs down 100
or
1, 2 day session, 4 hrs up 300
or
cook the books and divide the sessions so you win all or most of the time. This actually is not deceptive at all.
example:
day 1, 2 hrs up 400
day 2, 2 hrs down 100
or
1, 2 day session, 4 hrs up 300
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I have printed your post and will show it to my wife. I doubt it will help, though. When I try to explain this to her, her eyes glaze over and she doesn't really understand or believe it.
We attended one meeting of AP's, and she was quite impressed with how nice everyone was. In advance of this get together, she thought we were going to a meeting with Bugsy Siegel and Michael Corleone.
We attended one meeting of AP's, and she was quite impressed with how nice everyone was. In advance of this get together, she thought we were going to a meeting with Bugsy Siegel and Michael Corleone.
I also bet horses.
My brother once asked me, "Say you lose $200 at the track. What did you get for that money?"
My brother likes to fish and owned a cabin 100 miles away.
I asked him, "When you add up the costs of your cabin mortgage payment, gas, license, tackle, bait, boat, maintenance, etc. HOW MUCH DOES EACH FISH COST YOU?"
He said, "I never thought of that."
I said, "You have the chance and the challenge of catching fish and enjoying getting away from work and the city with your money. I enjoy the challenge of picking the winning horse and winning money with my money."
The same goes for blackjack.
My brother once asked me, "Say you lose $200 at the track. What did you get for that money?"
My brother likes to fish and owned a cabin 100 miles away.
I asked him, "When you add up the costs of your cabin mortgage payment, gas, license, tackle, bait, boat, maintenance, etc. HOW MUCH DOES EACH FISH COST YOU?"
He said, "I never thought of that."
I said, "You have the chance and the challenge of catching fish and enjoying getting away from work and the city with your money. I enjoy the challenge of picking the winning horse and winning money with my money."
The same goes for blackjack.
In explaining why people buy lottery tickets, etc. economists invoke the "Utility Function"
to explain what most people see as a "bad bet" that "wastes money"
The bettor gains psychological satisfaction, [more than just "Fun"], because he "buys a dream"
He gets to fantasize that he is about to reap "life-changing" winnings, improving his outlook.
This is why most lottery tickets are sold to people who cannot afford them
Your neighbor, a cardiologist, is unlikely to buy any tickets; but the dude who is tending to his rose garden is.
I feel qualified to comment on this.
My wife plays poker but only begrudgingly tells friends and relatives that I am an A.P., and not a gambler, with all that that means.
In her case, it is because a win of X dollars is barely superior to a loss of ¾ X dollars. She perceives risk as being somewhat toxic, even though she plays poker reasonably well.
It is odd how stridently humans hold onto their persistent delusions, ie. religion, superstition, the occult, etc.
My wife plays poker but only begrudgingly tells friends and relatives that I am an A.P., and not a gambler, with all that that means.
In her case, it is because a win of X dollars is barely superior to a loss of ¾ X dollars. She perceives risk as being somewhat toxic, even though she plays poker reasonably well.
It is odd how stridently humans hold onto their persistent delusions, ie. religion, superstition, the occult, etc.
As Einstein himself states, religion (and I'm sure other superstitions included) are a product of human weakness. Apparently god (as opposed to God, I do not wish to grant him the satisfaction of importance), or whatever you'd like to call him, created us in his image, but really, we created him, as well as the plethora of gods(s) before him. This explains why he is not as infallible as people think he is, and numerous problems lie within religious institutions and practice. This same weak mindedness applies to gamblers and their fallacies, who can seem to rationalise many an obvious flawed system with illogical garbage, that makes perfect sense in their own mind.
