What do you consider to be a successful gambling session?

What sort of a gambler are you? Are you only satisfied with a huge win? Or are you happy to play the game, even if you go broke doing it? Does your style of play and game of choice reflect your goals?

My goal is to double up on each session, and on every trip. My bets are large relative to my bankroll, and my sessions are short, so as not to let the house edge overcome the variance of the game. I recognize that my odds of going broke are a little higher than my odds of doubling up, and that's a price I'm willing to pay. But I won't be happy about it.

I'm in it for the time at the table. My goal is to play several hours, have several drinks, have a fun time, all for a reasonable price. Success is combating the house edge for several hours and breaking even.

I voted for "win something, anything." Breaking even just doesn't do it for me. To be honest, I would rather lose than break even. Breaking even does not even feel like gambling to me.

Of course, a successful gambling session should be one in which you played the right way, made all the right decisions, and didn't lose your head. It shouldn't matter whether you won or lost. But try telling that to 99.98% of people :)

Quote: teddys

Breaking even does not even feel like gambling to me.

That's why I tell people I don't gamble. I play slow low stakes games. Worse case ends up with me losing no more than my typical bar tab at the pub. So it's not really gambling, or risking money, when your tab at the end of the night may be less than usual.

If I drink more than my losses (I calculate 5 dollars per drink) then its a winning sesh.

I want to win enough to buy the casino.
It never seems to work out that way but ... .

I realize these lower expectations are more rational and realistic. I wish I could adopt them.

I too like to slurp up enough booze that I "break even". Or atleast win enough that I double my money. Or just have enough BJ winnings that I get RFB-Airfare and go home with cash and comps to my benefit.

But darn it, I sure would like to hold the dice for five hours or something and make the record books and require half a dozen fills.

I voted "break even" but then, that term requires definition.

Since it's nearly impossible to leave with exactly what you started with, just how much of a loss or gain is still considered "breaking even"?

When calculating it, to you use the value of the comps to offset the amount of losses?

Its nice to break even solely on your bankroll but sometimes you have to fudge it emotionally and say well on Dollars I lost a bit but when I add in the free drinks I broke even.

We all know gasoline is involved, meals, etc. ... how much lying you do to yourself is one thing. Always go home and hand SOME money to your spouse.

I like to focus solely on the buy in versus cash out.

When I win big im not used to carrying that much cash. I'll come home plastered and stash the cash somewhere in my house. I wake up the next morning forgetting where I stashed it or that I even did. When I find it again months later during spring cleaning its like winning twice.

Quote: kp

I'm in it for the time at the table. My goal is to play several hours, have several drinks, have a fun time, all for a reasonable price. Success is combating the house edge for several hours and breaking even.

I'm with kp, minus the breaking even requirement. As long as the fun is proportionate to my loss, I'm ok with walking away when I'm down a bit.

It helps to leave on a high note - like walking away after you've been the hot shooter at craps, even if the overall session was a (hopefully small) loss.