How Common is This

I have a nephew that I see in the casino a lot because he works nearby. He plays BJ most of the time, but is utterly incapable of playing roulette. In BJ, he has to make no decisions. If you play BS, every decision has already been made for you, just follow it. In roulette, its all decisions. He'll buy in and just stand there, unable to make a bet. He actually will break into a sweat, he's in such agony. He can't force his hand to make even one bet. I read an interview awhile ago with a pro sports player. He says he hires young geek computer guys all the time to do programs for him, and a lot of them have the same problem, they can't bet. Even ifs its not their own money, even if its a sure thing, they can't make the bet. Has anybody heard of this before? Maybe its some sort of decision phobia.

It's very hard for some smart people to risk their hard earned money on a bet where the odds are stacked against them (i.e. they know it isn't a positive expectation for them).

This is a good thing for them.

Quote: teddys

It's very hard for some smart people to risk their hard earned money on a bet where the odds are stacked against them (i.e. they know it isn't a positive expectation for them).

This is a good thing for them.

There's no positive expectation in BJ, yet he plays that 3 times a week. He also has no problem on the slots. Its only where he's required to make a decision and not act like a robot.

Quote: EvenBob

There's no positive expectation in BJ, yet he plays that 3 times a week. He also has no problem on the slots. Its only where he's required to make a decision and not act like a robot.

Well, a person can count pretty easily in BJ. But the only decision in Roulette is which way you want to lose your 5.26% on any given roll.

Quote: rdw4potus

Well, a person can count pretty easily in BJ. But the only decision in Roulette is which way you want to lose your 5.26% on any given roll.

The casino, like most Indian joints, has shuffling machines. Counting is worthless. You don't don't even need to know BS, just ask the dealer what to do and they'll always tell you, or somebody at the table will. And in roulette there are hundreds of different bet combo's, its mind boggling to new players.

The odd things is in Roulette there's an illusion of control, but the bet doesn't matter too much. In Blackjack there is some control, even if everyone and their wife (shaven legs or not) will tell you their best strategy.

I found Roulette easy to "learn" while Blackjack is much harder to learn to play well (ignoring counting). I know half the advice I've ever been given at the table has been B$.

How does he cope with Craps or Casino War or PaiGow?

Ever see the Utube video of the guy from the UK who went to Laughlin to bet his entire life's savings at roulette? He had a dream, all his friends and the tv cameras ... and it seemed like he didn't even know what to do or quite how the game was played.

Quote: FleaStiff

Ever see the Utube video of the guy from the UK who went to Laughlin to bet his entire life's savings at roulette? He had a dream, all his friends and the tv cameras ... and it seemed like he didn't even know what to do or quite how the game was played.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGCdBsOIKYA - it was the Plaza in Vegas, Ashley Revell, and he had a back up plan (the payment from this TV show at least). He parlayed the fame into his own poker room (though no idea how well... Poker Utd). I'm pretty sure he knew what he was doing, even if he played dumb for the audience.

Quote: EvenBob

... In roulette, its all decisions. ...

The really odd thing about your nephew's difficulty is that the "decisions" are basically equivalent to deciding whether to call heads or tails on a coin toss -- there is no such thing as a rational strategy that would make any difference in the expected long-term average outcome (for a given amount of total money wagered). I refer to roulette as random bets on random numbers, and the game bores me so much I no longer play it.

Craps, my favorite game, is not really all that much different in terms of strategy decisions. If you enjoy either game, just pay your money and take your chances, without worrying about whether a decision is right or wrong. Just try to stay away as best you can from the really stupid ones -- 5-number roulette bet and most of the prop bets in craps.

Quote: Doc

The really odd thing about your nephew's difficulty is that the "decisions" are basically equivalent to deciding whether to call heads or tails on a coin toss --

I explained to him that every bet in roulette comes down to the even chances, so just bet red or black. He can't do it. Makes me wonder how many people who play the slots have a similar problem. Slots require a finger to push a button, a chimp can do it and have exactly as much luck as a human.