Page 8 - Jackpot Magazine South ~ December, 2024

PLAY TO WIN
Time to review how you played right, wrong
“Year’s end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us.”
— Hal Borland, American writer and journalist
At the end of the year many of us take time to reflect on the year that was. We examine it all, asking what went right, what went wrong. Ask yourself: What did I do right, what could I have done better, and where did I really mess up. We use these questions in looking at our family lives, our careers, our personal relationships. And, we could also use them in looking over our casino playing habits.
No matter how good a blackjack player you think you are, you will eventually experience a losing session. How you manage yourself when this happens is just as important as knowing when to double down and split, wrote gaming author and blackjack expert Henry Tamburin in a column for Jackpot!
Tamburin said sometimes players lose their money because of their lack of self control caused by the exciting atmosphere in a casino. Here is an excerpt from his book, The Ten Best Casino Bets:
“When you enter a casino, you are entering a place of business. Moreover, like all successful businesses, the casinos are run by... businesspeople whose job is first, to keep you playing and happy, and second, to separate you from your money as quickly and painlessly as possibly. To meet these objectives, they create an atmosphere in the casino that can be described as a ‘Disneyland for adults.’ No clocks to let you know it’s time to leave this utopia, no windows to let you see out to the real world, free drinks at
the tables, free lounge shows, and, of course, plenty of pretty girls to keep you happy and playing.”
Tamburin continued in his column, asking what happens to the gambler when he enters this casino excitement? For the player, the rewards of winning all of the casino’s money far outweighs the risks of losing his meager bankroll. Moreover, this exciting atmosphere makes it easy for the average player to feel lucky and go broke at the chance of winning the jackpot.
In order to be a winner, players must learn to control their emotions in the casino. As casino gambling author Lyle Stuart put it, “The real struggle when you are playing is, in most cases, not between you and the casino, but between you and yourself.”
There is plenty of temptations to keep you playing and losing; therefore, you must develop a sense of timing or
awareness of when to play, and more importantly, when to quit. Looking over the past year and remembering specific playing sessions, how did
you do? Did you play when you were too tired to pay attention? Did you keep playing well after losing what you set aside for that session?
Here are some specific tips that you can use to avoid the traps that doom players into losing. Follow these and when you recount your experiences next year, hopefully there will be a better outcome.
• If you are tired from a long drive or flight, now is not the best time to hit the tables. Play only when you are rested
and alert.
• Watch the
alcohol consumption when playing. It is easy to take drink after
drink, but be sure to intersperse with water and coffee.
• If you get ahead, don’t get caught in the trap of thinking that you are betting with the “casino’s money.” Once the chips go from the casino’s chip tray to your side of the table, that is now your money and not the casino’s.
• Keep track of time and set reasonable win goals. Unless you are a card counter, the odds are stacked against you so be content with a modest win. If you manage to get ahead by, say, 30 percent ormoreofyourstartingbankroll,pocket half of your profit plus what you started with, and play with the rest. This way, even if you lose “the rest,” you will still be able to go home with a profit.
• Set a stop loss... and discipline yourself to stop playing if you reach it (we know that part can be hard). You have nothing to be ashamed of if you have a losing session. The casinos will always be open for you to try your luck again, hopefully, with better results.
• There is a reason that you bet chips and not cash in a casino. If you were to put down a couple of $10 or $20 bills as a bet, you might think twice about doing it. However, once your cash is converted to chips, players often lose sight of the fact that those chips represent hard- earned money. Take your time when playing.
• The odds of winning the next hand don’t change just because you lost the previous hands. If you run into a buzz- saw dealer, who consistently draws to 20 and 21 and beats the table, quit, and take a break. Relax, catch your breath, and try your luck at another table.
Play To Win Again
The Best of... Series
8 JACKPOT! MAGAZINE • December 2024
THE SOUTH’S LARGEST GUIDE TO GAMING & FUN • www.jackpotmagazine.com