Double Up! Self-Discipline at the Tables?

Does self-discipline at the tables improve the longer a person has been gambling?

I'm trying to test out some strategies in WinCraps, and I get the almost uncontrollable urge to double-up my bet after losing the previous bet in an attempt to "erase the previous loss" and get back on track. I'm glad I'm not at a real table since the doubling-up usually hurt rather than helped.

Maybe it's just a natural phase that the novice gambler goes through? I'm hoping that the urge to double-up after a loss eventually fades away and isn't as strong as a gambler gets more seasoned.

Quote: blount2000

Does self-discipline at the tables improve the longer a person has been gambling?

If you last long enough, yes, your skills will improve greatly. Its like anything else, theres no substitute for experience.

Quote: blount2000

Does self-discipline at the tables improve the longer a person has been gambling?

I'm trying to test out some strategies in WinCraps, and I get the almost uncontrollable urge to double-up my bet after losing the previous bet in an attempt to "erase the previous loss" and get back on track. I'm glad I'm not at a real table since the doubling-up usually hurt rather than helped.

Maybe it's just a natural phase that the novice gambler goes through? I'm hoping that the urge to double-up after a loss eventually fades away and isn't as strong as a gambler gets more seasoned.

The cure for the urge to immediately get even after a single loss is the realization that only long-term results have any real significance. Particularly in the context of testing strategies, you shouldn't care about small groups of results, let alone a single result.

One thing that often does happen, and works against self-discipline, is that a gambler gets used to his regular-sized bets, and the game itself, and thus needs to increase his bets to give himself the "thrill" that before, he got simply from playing. The novice bettor is usually pretty cautious. The veteran gambler often throws caution to the wind (and you can see how dangerous that is in a negative expectation game).

No - you might become more skillful but if you don't have discipline to start with you won't gain it at a craps table. I'm a very disciplined player with over 40 years of gaming experience but every now and then I just can't beat the urge to put a "nickle on the yo." I lose it, get over it, and then go back to my disciplined albeit boring play.

As for doubling up I advise never after a loss. Craps is a streaky game - while the norm is chop-chop (win-lose-win-lose-lose-win and on and on) every once in awhile a losing streak will hit and you'll suffer many losses in a row. Such a troublesome proposition can occur whether you play the dark side (as I do) or the sunny side as most do.

On the other hand because of the streaky nature of craps I frequently raise my bet after the first win following a loss. But never more than once, only on the odds, and only by the amount I just won - up to table limits, of course.

I'm with you, I have a habit of running a martingale-like strategy without even planning on it. I have to watch myself very closely to make sure I don't bust my bankroll too fast (I play with a low bankroll and know what the risk is). I find that this is something that I just cannot shake, when I started playing I never did it but as I started to fully understand the game I started to feel the pull. So it isn't getting worse or better, I'll probably feel the martingale pull for as long as I keep on gambling.