Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Question for the gamblers.....

Just got back from a 10 day family vacation. Flew out west with the wife and 2 young sons. Hit five states we'd never been to before and saw a lot of interesting things. My wife planned the whole thing and she did a great job.

We spent 2 days in Vegas. I had never been there before and had never really been interested to go as I don't drink or gamble. We had a great time there and the kids loved it. We went to a Cirque de Salais show which was great. Had 2 of the best dinners ever. Did a lot of shopping at the outlets and generally walked around the Venecian.

I had a much better time than I would have expected and would not be opposed to going back.

Obviously the place is built to attract gamblers so that they will leave their fortunes on the tables. And this is what my question is: for those of you that enjoy the experience of going to gamble, and typically losing lots of money.... what is it about the experience that makes it worth the longterm monetary loss? How do you justify the expense of it?

Just curious...

Long term monetary loss? You should never wager more than you can afford to lose. It’s a game. You’re sucking all the fun out of it. How much were the cirque tickets? I’d rather have put it on a blackjack table.

If you plan ahead and save up funds to spend it's not so bad.

But don't spend money you cannot afford to be without.

It helps if you win some put your grub stake back in the hole,that way you will be playing with house money.

The rush is one has a chance of winning.

Electram: I am with you.
I am not a gambler nor a hard liquor drinker but I just absolutely love Las Vegas!
Been there three times now and can't wait to get back.
We have done all the Cirque du Soleil shows along with Elton John and a couple other big name entertainers.
Some of my favorites are:
The Bellagio Fountain
The Bellagio stores
The Coca-Cola store
The M&M store
In & Out Burger
The Street "Famous People Impersonators"
The Hoover Dam Tour
Pawn Stars Shop
Fremont
The Pallazo
The Stratosphere (1,149' high!)
Several high dollar restaurants (I forget their names but the food was superb!)
Sadly most all the gunshops in Las Vegas that I could find are "black gun emporiums" - will keep looking though.
VIVA Las Vegas!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy
P.S.: As far as the "monetary loss" - "expensiveness" - I say screw it YOU only live once and they won't let you fill your coffin with money!
Once every few years "letting it go" is not irresponsible nor a sin.

I never win, be better off mailing it to them.

It’s Cirque du Soleil.

Oops, thought this was about bitcoin.

Stammster: I had to ask "what does Cirque du Soleil" mean in English - it means Circus of the Sun from the poem of the same name.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Elton John !

Sheesh!

Hold into the hair dye

I bought it at 17500 a few weeks ago!

A dear friend once told me when I was around 15 years old, 'always bet with your head, not above it'. When we were young we'd go to the ponies and the puppies in Severe Revere to try and get lucky. Wheel this, wheel that. I don't gamble much, but for 30 years it's been his life. I've seen him drop $60K in a night. I've also seen him win $120K in under an hour.

Casino gambling is for sharks who know the odds and what it takes and there are those who have some disposable income to play with and understand the risks and odds. When the wife and I do casinos, we set limits. Take a few grand and have at it with lady luck and some understanding of the numbers. If we lose our nut, that's it. We expect to lose and call it the cost of having a shot at a score, a fun night with great food and booze. My rule is, if we triple our money, we call it quits. In the past 18 years, we're ahead maybe $10K. Craps and blackjack. Pay yer dough, takes yer chances!

This guy ^^^^ knows the deal.

Have watched a guy, tall Chinese guy, in Reno, playing with chips I'd never seen before at the baccarat table. Saw the dealer when he got off shift, he said they were $10K chips. We asked how he did and were told he lost $120K that day, but to not feel bad for him as he won $250K the night before. Apparently a high roller from Taiwan or some place as they knew him well.

I used to do good at single deck blackjack. Too hard to figure the cards when there more than a deck or two. Single deck and you know there's still a bunch of facecards and a few aces left after a hand or two, time to double your bet, or split cards.

Lived a 5 hr drive or so from Vegas for a number of years. Would take what I could afford to lose, couple of hundred maybe, throw a $20 bill in the glovebox for gas, smokes, and a burger on the way home and play until it was time to head home or until my stash was gone.

Blackjack and craps supposedly are the best for the player. Scheidt like roulette are house winners.


Never expect to win big.........................just hope to have fun and make your money last.


And always remember this......................


It's better to bet on a horse than a football game.....................that way you're only betting on one dumb animal, not a couple of teams full.

It's a form of entertainment like any other for most people. I'd rather spend my money fishing, but boats and gear and gas and bait... all costs. Hell take the family to disneyland now and it's 5000 bucks easy for a family of 4 for 5 days.

Kent

Conversely, I don’t understand how some people have zero affinity for gambling in some form

“Gambling” is also an umbrella term

Horses is different than roulette is different than poker is different than craps is different than sports etc. some are easier to beat than others. It’s fun to try. I have for sure made overall profit in my lifetime at poker, craps, and betting dogs.

Entertainment comes in many forms. Shopping and eating at nice restaurants in Vegas isn’t the best “deal” for those activities. You’re paying a premium for the atmosphere and the experience. Sounds like it was worth it. Is that really much different than spending money on a game where you bet money to win or lose money?

For those that don’t understand why gambling is fun, is it just that you can’t wrap your mind around paying for that experience?

We all pay for fun in some form or another. Most people don’t make money at fishing, but it’s fun as hell and it ain’t free

Gambling is awesome and can be done responsibly

There are a lot of group charters around here that cross the Mississippi to gamble. I don’t think they go to win big , I think most of them go as a social group for the free food and drink comps.

Have been to Vegas quite a bit in earlier days.

Did shows at the convention center.

Gambled a bit ....always found it boring.... even when winning a bit.

However, I loved the great gun shows at the long gone Riveria Hotel. That's where my $$$$$$ went.

My wife loved the action at the hotels , she did not spend much gambling. Although she embraced it more than I did.

Spent a bit of time out in the country on day trips , Hoover dam of course, a lot of interesting areas within driving range.

Haven't been back since Riveria gone.

Just say to yourself "I could be shopping at the outlets with the wife and kids, just think of all the money I'm saving."

"Plus, I'm not at the outlets shopping with the wife and kids."

Friend is a big gambler and loves to bet on sports games. He can afford it.

Went to Vegas with him last year to drive his car back after he sold his condo there. One afternoon was enough for me and I didn’t even put any money down.

I don’t mind the ponies as I can get a decent dinner and spend 2 bucks a race for a nice night out. When I’ve gone I’ve usually broke even.

Otherwise, I played some poker when I was younger. Learned fast that I didn’t have the head or skills for it. No interest at all now.

My father and grandfather both gambled. Heck, I'd say everyone in the family gambled. I gambled. I never saw them lose, except to each other.

Take Dad as an example: He grew up in the casino scene in Northern KY-- this was the mob's training ground for Vegas. He'd walk into a game like BlackJack, get up a few hundred and cash out and go home. He was still doing this in his Eighties.

Grandpa's game was Gin, and it was played in the clubhouse after a round of golf. The man was a machine. It was small stakes, but those small stakes added up. Underneath it all, he was the head union negotiator for a major company. This was just keeping his claws sharpened. His real game was ultra-high stakes.

Dad's Mom was the real animal. She'd go on a day-trading binge at the local brokerage down in Miami Beach. At the end of the day, she'd cash out and hit the dog track or Jai Alai or Hialiea-- and always come home money ahead.

The ultimate money machine was Mom's Mom. She could beat us all black and blue in Gin. She was in the nursing home and diagnosed with dementia, but still running the underground Gin game. I'd go to visit and she'd give me sacks of quarters.

My game turned out to be Backgammon. I sharked it for about 3 years in college-- mostly low-stakes games. That doubling cube was my sincere friend. I stopped, because I stopped liking the lifestyle and decided being a good Methodist boy was easier.

1) Play to win. Play only to win. Nothing else matters.
2) Know your odds and don't ever play against them.
3) Know your opponent.
4) Only play games you know you can win.
5) Never mix alcohol into the deal. Stone cold sober is the way to go-- slightly hungover works even better, but I was never a drinker.

Of all the family, #2 son Moose is the only one who has inherited the gene. He can walk into one of the local casinos, play for a few hours, get a free meal and walk home with a few hundred extra in his pocket.