Which factor usually determines your decision to leave a casino?

The question basically asks, do you leave because you want/need to leave, or because you've reached your win/loss goal/limit? I assume that if your response is: "I usually leave the casino when I'm drunk off my @#$", or "when I get bored", that it's really about the length of time you've spent in the casino.

The question is concerned with a single property's gaming floor, so if you leave to go to another casino right afterwards, I consider that as having "left the casino". But you have not left the casino if you are only taking a break.

Additionally, the question is not asking what your plans are for leaving... rather, it's asking what usually happens to you. Do you usually run out of money (hit your limit on losses), or time?

My goal of any gambling session is to either double or lose my session bankroll. My strategy is to make large bets relative to my bankroll (10-20%) so that I play relatively few hands, have large variance, and small house edge. I recognize that my typical session will last less than an hour. It is rare that I'll get up from the table for any reason other than meeting my win/loss goal.

It boils down to enjoyment but that is composed of several components: Have I been winning or losing? Is there some bimbo who thinks the old geezer playing green must be rich? If I switched thru several games and lost at them all, I'm more apt to leave than stay. Ofcourse primary consideration involves whether its a walk next door or a drive somewhere. If my companion is shopping it can affect my stay in a particular casino, since that is a meeting place.

Now if the "casino" happens to be a day boat... leaving early ain't gonna happen but otherwise it usually depends upon persistent losses at a variety of tables.

I absolutely have to find a coffee shop or something so I can wind down some way without gambling. Usually there is a bar; anymore I don't drink so much gambling, except sometimes while playing craps if it is in the evening. One of the things I like about Harrington DE is I have figured out where I can stash a newspaper at a spot that has some really nice chairs and no one will bother it. At one point it was thumbs-down for me there, now I kind of dig it.

And I am really vowing now to have shorter sessions win or lose!

This is a multi-faceted question.

What, exactly, are you leaving, and where is the next stop?

There have been times when I have 'mentally' left the casino, or at least 'gambler mode'. I.E. I'll be done for the day, and just start wandering around the casino floor, or other areas of the resort, until the time to meet up comes. Does that count?

What about leaving just to get a break, before going back to battle?

How about leaving the casino altogether, only to go to the casino next door?


I assume you mean, leave and go home.

For me, the closest casino is about 80 minutes away. So physically leaving on a whim because of any variety of reasons, doesn't happen. We leave at the agreed time.

This even holds true for the times where I have made the trip alone. I make a time to leave, and usually leave right around that time.

There has even been one time where I went alone, went broke, and then hung out watching other people play, until the time I had previously decided to go.

Over my lifetime gambling "career", I'm happy with a 4 hour gambling session; 3 hours seems too short and 6 hours seems too long. My habit has changed over the years: I started as a strict table game player playing Blackjack. Then I discovered the Wizard of Odds site and moved to other games, until Craps and Video Poker take over. Early this year, craps became boring to me as I had my monster roll and just lost excitement for the game. I became a bad gambler this year, letting the carnival games and lesser video poker games (I still won't play a slot) get a hold of me.

So I'm taking a long break for awhile as a reset and probably won't set foot in our local casino until next summer. We may take a trip to Vegas in the spring depending on how work is going.

It's a combination of the two: I have to play for at least three hours, and then I start setting loss limits (and win limits too) and figure out when to leave.

Quote: DJTeddyBear

What, exactly, are you leaving, and where is the next stop?

I assume you mean, leave and go home.

Good question. I actually meant leave the particular gaming floor of the property you are on. It did not matter if you went to another casino right afterwards. I would not count breaks as leaving.

I voted for the time length, mostly because I wanted the two bars to be even :)
I don't have a "win goal", and don't care about it. If I am up (or not much down), I'll play until I am bored/sleepy/drunk/have something else to do, and leave. If I am losing a lot, I might leave earlier though. I don't have a strict loss limit, set in stone, rather a gut feeling of how much it is reasonable for me to spend on entertainment in one night (and also, if I keep losing, at some point, it just stops feeling like entertainment).
The casino, nearest to me, is about two hours drive, which, I think, affects my tolerance to losses. If it was just around the corner, I would, probably, leave earlier when I was losing.

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When I play, I have both a money loss limit and a time limit, so neither of the choices really applies.

Quote: ThatDonGuy

When I play, I have both a money loss limit and a time limit, so neither of the choices really applies.

But the question is not about your plans. I am asking, what usually causes you to leave? So do you think you usually run out of time, or money?

The only game I play is blackjack and I will stop playing but not necessarily leave the casino when conditions are no longer favorable. Some reasons are crowded tables that cause my hands per hour to plummet, fatigue or heat. I will usually leave after a shoe in which I've had max bets out. Dropping back to a base bet could be a red flag.

Winning or losing is never a consideration for me to leave or stop playing.

Quote: kaysirtap

do you think you usually run out of time, or money?

I absolutely [anymore] insist on not running out of money. I think it comes from watching players reach in for a few more dollars to keep playing. I probably am too critical when I see that, it could be just the way someone wants to play; but to me it looks degenerate. So for me *usually* there is a time factor kicking in, although if my luck is bad enough and I am getting clobbered, I will quit for the session at least. It's subjective on that.

Usually, I leave at a set time. I live at least 2 hours away from the closest casino, so for me, I want to maximize my time there. That being said, if I run out of money before my preset time, and I'm staying in the hotel, I go back and chill. If I'm driving back that evening/day, then I just leave.

On a trip if I get a big win, I tend to play more conservatively or at a higher limit for a shorter period of time. That usually leaves me pretty satisfied. Otherwise, I go play poker, which I can make a bankroll last a while.

I don't think I've created a definitive reason yet, I haven't gambled enough. The first session I used my buy in as the limit. Money won from a wager was placed in a seperate pile from my original buy in, and when the buy in pile was gone, I left. Was up 20% at that point, big smiles.

The second day was emotionally determined. The run of cards wasn't necessarily bad, it was just irritating. I wasn't getting killed enough to accept getting killed, it was more like giving me just a peek of good before bonking me on my head, just a giant tease. I felt the anger rising and I left before it got ugly, down the 20% I won the day before, and even for the trip so far.

The next day was money. I done lost all the money I had budgeted for that day, and rather than break out the wad, I just went for a walk before retiring to my room to read a book and stare out into the empty desert.

The last day was also emotion. I absolutely killed em. I rallied back for all that I lost plus some, and I got so high on the win that I noticed I was high. I left the table because of this to go outside and get fresh air, called the wife until that buzz faded, and decided leaving Vegas as a winner was better that possibly making just a little bit more (or losing my ass on emotion).

More often than not, it would be due to win/loss. I still think that is only barely above 50% though.

A few other conditions make major differences

1) If I'm alone, I am much more likely to stay until I've won/lost. If I'm with others, I will generally leave a table after 45-60 minutes tops and go find them to see how they are doing.

2) During the day I'm much more likely to be walking around to many different casinos. In the evening, I'm much more likely to just sit somewhere for a long time. Basically just find a nice table with good drinks and have a good time. The goal earlier in the day is more to see the casinos and throw in some gambling.