I think I'm addicted to Gambling

[Dyepaintball12]

For about a year now I have been very much interested in Blackjack. I have read 6 books on it (and 1 1/2 on Craps) and have gone to my local casino about 6-7 times and played for about a week on a cruise.

I have been moderately successful, and would be more successful if my Casino didnt use CSMs.

I am 18 years old, and recently have just come to Michigan State University. When I got here, I opened a checking account that uses on-line banking, so I am able to play Blackjack online.

I learned about Bonus Hustling, and made about $300 from doing it up and down by playign about 9 casinos on-line, but then I ran out of casinos I thought had good bonuses.

Then I decided that since Blackjack Switch on Goldenpalace had such low house advantage (under .18% advantage), that I would just play that and take my chances.

I went up and down for about a week, but have ended up losing over $1,000. I was playing with money I kinda could lose, but in reality losing it was very bad.

I am making this post because I think I am addicted to gambling. I kept playing becausue I would lose, and then put in another $100 to try and win it back. I know i was chasing my losses, but i just didnt care.

Every time I would lose more money I would get very upset, but just end up putting in more money.

I have talked to my dad about this, and he says I should stop gambling altogether, not just online. He said I should not even play poker for money with my friends.

What do you guys think? Am I a classic addicted gambler? My grandma is basically addicted to gambling, and my dad says he once lost alot of money playing a roulete "unbeatable system" while he was in the Navy.

Do I have to give up the thing I've loved and put so much time into for the past year of my life and my future plans around it?


Thanks guys.

David

 

[ScottH]

For about a year now I have been very much interested in Blackjack. I have read 6 books on it (and 1 1/2 on Craps) and have gone to my local casino about 6-7 times and played for about a week on a cruise.

I have been moderately successful, and would be more successful if my Casino didnt use CSMs.

I am 18 years old, and recently have just come to Michigan State University. When I got here, I opened a checking account that uses on-line banking, so I am able to play Blackjack online.

I learned about Bonus Hustling, and made about $300 from doing it up and down by playign about 9 casinos on-line, but then I ran out of casinos I thought had good bonuses.

Then I decided that since Blackjack Switch on Goldenpalace had such low house advantage (under .18% advantage), that I would just play that and take my chances.

I went up and down for about a week, but have ended up losing over $1,000. I was playing with money I kinda could lose, but in reality losing it was very bad.

I am making this post because I think I am addicted to gambling. I kept playing becausue I would lose, and then put in another $100 to try and win it back. I know i was chasing my losses, but i just didnt care.

Every time I would lose more money I would get very upset, but just end up putting in more money.

I have talked to my dad about this, and he says I should stop gambling altogether, not just online. He said I should not even play poker for money with my friends.

What do you guys think? Am I a classic addicted gambler? My grandma is basically addicted to gambling, and my dad says he once lost alot of money playing a roulete "unbeatable system" while he was in the Navy.

Do I have to give up the thing I've loved and put so much time into for the past year of my life and my future plans around it?


Thanks guys.

David

It's probably best to quit if you can. If you have a gambling problem, which it sounds like you do, you could always have a relapse at any point.

There are always "good reasons" for relapsing into your old habit. Let's say you're playing poker with your friends and you lose from bad beat after bad beat. You know you "should" be up but you're way down. In the heat of the moment you will have a good chance of chasing your losses if you have a gambling problem. Gamblers always want to just get to that last point they were at and then quit.

If you want to be an advantage player you have to be mentally tough. No matter what happens you have to just keep playing correctly and not chase any losses by playing online or playing poker while you're "on tilt". It is possible to recover from your problem and be a successful advantage player, but it's tough.

You could make the decision to keep playing blackjack with an ADVANTAGE for now, but if you ever have a relapse then you'll know that you should quit. You know that you have a problem, and that you know that you shouldn't do it, so if you have another relapse after this point then you know you should quit. Hopefully though you have just learned your lesson and will never have to deal with it again.

Good luck!

 

[EasyRhino]

Hell, I've been doing a lot of bonus hustling lately, and I'm starting to wonder if I'm not going to far with it myself, even though I'm rigorously sticking to hustles where the math is still on my side.

However, it sounds like you are violating two very important fundamentals:

1) Advantage players play because the maths give them an edge. Playing blackjack switch at one place does not give you an edge, the house still has it. Play it long enough and it will take all your money. That's not luck, it's math.

2) Every player, advantage or otherwise, should determine how much they can afford to lose, and not lose more than it.

If you break rule #1, then you're spending money that a poor college student probably shouldn't spend. If you break rule #2, then you're in big trouble. If it take stopping all wagering for money to rein it in, then do it.

 

[Automatic Monkey]

Please read this suggestion

All right man. I think I see the problem. You're 18, and all of us were at some time, so we all know it sucks to be told "you're too young to be doing..." Limited life experience can cause emotions to have undue weight in decision making, and I believe you are letting the emotions of hope and desire control your betting, rather than the methodical play and decision making that is absolutely necessary for advantage play.

If' you've read all those blackjack books and are still playing at CSM tables, it appears that you are not making use of the knowledge in the books. You cannot win without an advantage! Hoping for the best doesn't work. Everyone who has bankrupted themselves with gambling has hoped for the best. Some of them have even prayed to God for a win. Guess what- God only cares about your soul, not your bankroll, and that didn't help either. To win, we have to put enormous leverage on advantage techniques and only on select games, for an advantage of a few percent at best. Even playing online, we have to do a lot of work, record keeping, game research etc. to eke out a similar advantage. This is not easy, and anybody here or anywhere who tells you it is is a damned liar.

So here's my suggestion. You don't have to assume you have an illness and can never again wager. Why not wait until you finish college and get your first professional job to go back at it? You'll have a few more years of general life experience, a few more years of study, and a better sense of the value of time and money behind you, and I think at that point if you are still interested in playing you'll have better results. Besides, as a college student you're going to be too busy for this. You've got many decades ahead of you where advantage play can increase the quality of your life, so there's no point in letting it decrease the quality right now which is what it appears to be doing.

 

[WABJ11]

I am the same age as you, and was in you're situation about 8 months ago. The $1,000 that you lost is gone, the worst thing you can do is continue to dwell on it and think about different ways to make it back. However, what you can do from this experience is learn. Learn to stick to limits, and when I say stick to them, I MEAN STICK TO THEM. If you cannot stick to limits, or you find yourself going tp the casino with $300 intending on only losing $50, but lose the whole thing then you have an issue. I have learned that limits and sticking to them are key to preventing a disasterous gambling adventure. Learning this lesson at our age I think is better than later in life when you actually have $100,000's you could lose.

I think the only way to know for sure if you have a gambling problem is for you to decide. I know exactly how you feel, and what you are going through. I even attended a G.A. meeting, only to see that it really wasn't for me simply because I couldn't imagine never making another bet again, which is what they demand of you.

You lost 1k, learn you're lesson that you have to stick to limits. If you can't keep limits then you may have to quit gambling.

 

[Midnite]

You received some good advice, but at 18 you probably won't listen to it.
I know I didn't listen to most of the good advice I received at that age.

Yes, you should stop.... (at least for now)
But if you are truly addicted, you will not be able to. (without help)
Just like someone addicted to liquor or drugs.

Most people can handle liquor or gambling, some can not......
The fact is Most people lose money gambling.
If $1,000 is all you lose in your lifetime, you will be ahead of most gamblers.

For now, hit the books and not the tables.

Good Luck !!

 

[JimmyFortune]

Hi, you've almost read more books on advantage play than having played in real casinos. Good thing, because most gamblers won't ever read a book about gambling. So you already know of the chances etc before even starting a serious carreer. You have all the knowledge and still you say you think you're an addict. that sounds strange to me; most gamblers will only say that when they're taking part of an Anonymous Gamblers program, they will never admit it. So, if you even are an addict you're way ahead of other gamblers who suffer 20 years or longer. Take advantage of that and use your ratio. The only one that wins in the long run is the bridge under which you're ending up, giving it some company. You have not even fallen into the stream that leads into the black box (see attachment) I don't think you're an addict (yet), because you haven't played enough. However getting angry en being unable to stop are strong indicators of a higher risk. Come on you'd better watch these movies than waiting for a broken CSM and see the sadness:

Owning Mahowny http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0285861/ or a more feel-good movie:
Two for the money http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0417217/.

gr Jimmy

 

[ortango]

David, I don't know if this makes you feel any better, I am truly addicted at this point, where I am going there almost every day. Its hard to resist because it is on my way to work and to just slip a few hours in. THAT CHART posted by Jimmy above is extremely sobering to me, as I recognize all the symptoms of the winning phase in my current actions.

Here is my advice, and I hope you take it to heart. You don't have to give up Blackjack, but I strongly recommend that you put it away for a long time yet. You are way too young to start this type of career, as you don't have the money saved up at your age. When you get older, and more successful, disposable income will hopefully come your way and you will play a much more enjoyable and accurate game. Nothing messes up good play like being under, making it that much harder to recover the loss. Risking your hard earned money now is not something you can probably afford.

More importantly... Your young mind is brimming with curiosity. I remember when I was 18. The world was my oyster. I had dreams of learning 5 languages, being a professional cartoonist, a personal trainer, martial artist, a teacher, philospher, etc etc. Your mind needs to expand and grow and you have to let yourself follow things that interest you. Gambling is NOT what you call an enlightening journey, which improves the value to a person to humankind. It is frought with peril at every turn. And that is partially why people are doing it, for the thrill while ignoring the danger. I hope you have other desires you can pursue while you put your gambling habit on hold for a while.

 

[countfast]

David, face the fact that you are a stupid gambler. Anyone who would even think about playing CSM's and playing BJ on a cruise has no sense. No sympathy here. You know what you have to do.

 

[Caruso]

For about a year now I have been very much interested in Blackjack. I have read 6 books on it (and 1 1/2 on Craps) and have gone to my local casino about 6-7 times and played for about a week on a cruise.

I have been moderately successful, and would be more successful if my Casino didnt use CSMs.

I learned about Bonus Hustling, and made about $300 from doing it up and down by playign about 9 casinos on-line, but then I ran out of casinos I thought had good bonuses.

Then I decided that since Blackjack Switch on Goldenpalace had such low house advantage (under .18% advantage), that I would just play that and take my chances.

There are contradictory statements here.

You learned about BHing and read BJ books, which suggests you understand the concept of +EV.

On the other hand, you say you would be "more successful without CSMs" and you decided to "chance it" with a crap online game, which suggests you're a sucker.

Which is it?

You don't have to give up gambling. Just learn about +EV and play within your financial limitations.

 

[Dyepaintball12]

Thanks to everyone who has posted here. I really have read everything and am trying to figure it out.

David, face the fact that you are a stupid gambler. Anyone who would even think about playing CSM's and playing BJ on a cruise has no sense. No sympathy here. You know what you have to do.

You, however, I don't like.

 

[WABJ11]

and playing BJ on a cruise has no sense.

Whats wrong with playing BJ on a cruise? Ever heard of card counting?

 

[MGP]

I have talked to my dad about this, and he says I should stop gambling altogether, not just online. He said I should not even play poker for money with my friends.

What do you guys think? Am I a classic addicted gambler? My grandma is basically addicted to gambling, and my dad says he once lost alot of money playing a roulete "unbeatable system" while he was in the Navy.

Do I have to give up the thing I've loved and put so much time into for the past year of my life and my future plans around it?

David

I agree with your father - I would stop completely. A year of life seems like a lot now but it's really not that much. I imagine and hope that there are other things that you love or can love that don't have the potential to destroy you financially and emotionally as well as the potential make you lose self control and/or waste your education. Many, probably even most, people get along just fine living their lives without gambling anything so it's not exactly a life necessity.

Asking this on a gambling board btw will have people talking about advantage play which works, but one answer to that is: "so what?" Getting an education and then a job gives you a much greater advantage without the risk of losing it all.

 

[ScottH]

Getting an education and then a job gives you a much greater advantage without the risk of losing it all.

But at jobs you actually have to do hard work...:laugh:

 

[Cass]

By the time I was 22 I had lost at least 10k gambling. I used to play at least a few times a month. I would lose MOST of the time. I remember thinking that I should get a part time job so I could bet more at blackjack. After learning advantage play I put together a Bankroll, and I played a lot! 20+ hours a week. Since jan 06'(when i started counting) im up 26k. So overall you could say im up 16k. I like to forget about my first few years of being a typical ploppie (or addict). After playing many many hours the rush is gone, but I still like it. I look at all the ploppies next to me, and I think wow.. what fools! I don't know why you would play if you know you are at a disadvantage, maybe you do have a problem. I wish I would have read the books I did a few years earlier. At this point in my life I could not gamble unless I KNOW i have a positive EV in the long run.

-Cass

 

[ScottH]

By the time I was 22 I had lost at least 10k gambling. I used to play at least a few times a month. I would lose MOST of the time. I remember thinking that I should get a part time job so I could bet more at blackjack. After learning advantage play I put together a Bankroll, and I played a lot! 20+ hours a week. Since jan 06'(when i started counting) im up 26k. So overall you could say im up 16k. I like to forget about my first few years of being a typical ploppie (or addict). After playing many many hours the rush is gone, but I still like it. I look at all the ploppies next to me, and I think wow.. what fools! I don't know why you would play if you know you are at a disadvantage, maybe you do have a problem. I wish I would have read the books I did a few years earlier. At this point in my life I could not gamble unless I KNOW i have a positive EV in the long run.

-Cass

Proof that you can still become a successful AP after losing money from gambling. That's good news for you dyepaintball.

I actually have a similar story to Cass. I started out as a gambler and lost quite a bit of money. I was sick of losing but didn't want to quit playing. I was looking for a solution, and found my way to this site and learned how to play with the advantage. So I get to keep playing blackjack and other games, but now I actually expect to MAKE money instead of LOSE it.

So yeah, it is possible to go from gambler to AP, you just need to make sure you never go back to your old gambling ways.

 

[EasyRhino]

David, I don't know if this makes you feel any better, I am truly addicted at this point, where I am going there almost every day.

You told your wife you'd only go once a week!!

 

[Canceler]

EasyRhino started, I'll continue...

You told your wife you'd only go once a week!!

THAT CHART posted by Jimmy above is extremely sobering to me, as I recognize all the symptoms of the winning phase in my current actions.

Seems to me you ought to look a little further down the slope to "Careless about Spouse/Family" and "Homelife Unhappy", from reading some of your previous posts.

Not really any of my business, I know.

 

[Automatic Monkey]

By the time I was 22 I had lost at least 10k gambling. I used to play at least a few times a month. I would lose MOST of the time. I remember thinking that I should get a part time job so I could bet more at blackjack. After learning advantage play I put together a Bankroll, and I played a lot! 20+ hours a week. Since jan 06'(when i started counting) im up 26k. So overall you could say im up 16k. I like to forget about my first few years of being a typical ploppie (or addict). After playing many many hours the rush is gone, but I still like it. I look at all the ploppies next to me, and I think wow.. what fools! I don't know why you would play if you know you are at a disadvantage, maybe you do have a problem. I wish I would have read the books I did a few years earlier. At this point in my life I could not gamble unless I KNOW i have a positive EV in the long run.

-Cass

That's a good post. I've been an AP for about 3 years now- my first night counting was the night Roy was attacked by the tiger. I was across the street. This fact has always been significant to me- never count on luck because apparently there was some real bad luck in town that night. Before that I would play kitchen table poker with friends and visit a casino a few times a year to relieve boredom. So I never had the symptoms of compulsive gambling. (Although I do feign them at the table! That GA chart was very useful to my act, thanks.)

But I always have enjoyed the math of gaming, and I even wrote a simple blackjack simulator for the Commodore 64. For me playing the game without applying the advantage methods and beating the game has no allure. None whatsoever. It's really quite a dumb game when you think about it. For a thrill I'd rather play Scrabble or bridge.

 

[countfast]

David, it's called " tough love."

Scott, you are an enabler.