What do you consider to be a successful gambling session?

Quote: teddys

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 :)

Maybe they're out there, but I have not met a single one of the .02%

>>>>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. ... But try telling that to 99.98% of the people.
>>Maybe they're out there, but I have not met a single one of the .02%

Ideally Teddys views are quite correct. Thats why on a very choppy craps table anything short of getting your bankroll totally consumed is indeed a victory. Sometimes we tell ourselves to include the comped drinks and comped meals and sometimes we don't really have to focus on these psychological nuances. We know its a negative expectation situation and if we acquit ourselves well that is a good thing of and in itself. Still... I sure would like to leave the casino with the deed and the manager's teenage daughter! Alas, its not quite likely to happen.

Much of a table's income comes from ignorant players or reckless players.Those who are informed and who exercise some self control are ahead of the game.

Quote: FleaStiff

I sure would like to leave the casino with the deed and the manager's teenage daughter!

Can you post a picture of said teenage daughter?

Look at the results. The casinos certainly have us well trained! FleaStiff is right about reckless play. Even if you don't play recklessly, the house still has the advantage. When I was in Las Vegas last, the thing I saw the most often of was someone putting ALL his chips on the field bet in craps. For tables where 2 and 12 pay double, the house advantage is 5.56 percent; that is a little worse than the 'outside' roulette bets. Not a particularly good bet. Yet, I have repeatedly seen folks place ALL of their chips on this bet and expect to win!

Exactly what the casino and their employees want you to think: "Gambling is a form of 'entertainment' and the HE is the cost of that entertainment." Such hogwash. If it were entertainment, there would be admission at the door and all games would be free.

I'm in the casino for one thing only. To find an edge in my favor and then and only then, get my money on the table win, lose or draw. Comps and freebies are nice but I couldn't care less about them.

Quote: kp

Can you post a picture of said teenage daughter?

Gaze upon Hot Blonde's photo and subtract five years.

As to mistakes: Consider my recent sojourn to Hollywood. No, No... not the Hollywood that is located in Burbank, CA. I mean the Hollywood in Florida that contains the Hard Rock Casino owned and operated by the Seminoles determined to take the White Man's wallets but leave his scalp alone.

Care to tally but a few of my mistakes?

Last minute decision making.
An outing into a risky situation while rather exhausted and frustrated by inability to read a map.
An evening that started out with a "freebie" drink that was stiff enough to curl my toes.
A choice of 6:5 rather than 3:2 because the table limits were lower.
A choice of crowded noisy chaos rather than the calmer waters of a half-empty 3:2 pit because my companion threatened to kill me.
A forbearance of the desired MiniBacc due to table limits and lack of a compass to find my way back in that noisy maze.
A cardless session due to the futility of comps in an Indian casino and the distance the desk was from the main entrance.
A strategy at MiniBacc that involved selecting the dealer with the best tits.
An awareness that I was at one point $175.00 ahead and should have quit.

What would the chief's daughter want with a white man who gambled like that?

Quote: FleaStiff

A strategy at MiniBacc that involved selecting the dealer with the best tits.

As long as there is no change in house edge, this is quite possibly the best gambling strategy that I've ever heard!

Quote: Ibeatyouraces

If it were entertainment, there would be admission at the door and all games would be free.

Ever been to Dave and Busters or any arcade?

In a certain sense, "The Buzz" is not just that which leads the gambler astray it is also the price of admission. Its simply not collected at the door. At the door they have this half-naked girl with a tray offering you cocktails and they've got this spinning wheel up on a high pole that looks like a real easy game to play and the guy at the wheel is beckoning to you to bring that free drink over.

Dave and Buster's has an admission charge built into every game and every burger and every beer.
Arcades? The wife says you mean I can park this disobedient demanding brat and get four hours of peace of mind? Wow. Casinos are wonderful.

The Buzz is what is enjoyed but its also what is being levied to get you to not focus on 5.26 but instead to focus on Red and Black.