college kid: I found out...

[college kid]

what it means to gamble, for the first time this weekend. I went to a 'net casino (I've left a few posts about my ventures in match-play hustling.) and put in my 150, got the 150 bonus, and started playing at $4 units (flat bet). Shortly thereafter I was down to about $208, just below 1 SD by my (hopefully more accurate) calculations. That's when it went sour... I bumped my bet up to $10 thinking that surely it will have to swing up to maybe 238 or 248 sometime, you know, just as a diviation of a few bets. Soon I was completely out of my mind and betting 10 and 20 and 40 and a few 80s. I got down to about $40 when I just got plain lucky and got back up to about $265. I then did something equally as stupid, but thankfully it worked-- I used a Martingale staring at $4 and worked my way up to the origional $300. A half hour later, after calming down with two dollar bets, I stopped play, with $308, and $2616 in action. Even after trying to calm down, that was the most heart-wrenching thing I've ever experienced. To top it off, I got an e-mail from the casino saying that I would not receive the bonus anyways, because the rules for promotions I read were just for the flash version. Damn! The whole experience made me sit and think to myself "is gambling, even with an edge, worth this stress?" and "Do I really want to learn to count and be an advantage player?" Exactly 0.00000000024 seconds later, my mind let out a howl of "YES!!!!"

God how I love this game!

--CK

[suicyco maniac]

YOU BETTER PAY A LOT OF ATTENTION IN CLASS BECASUSE YOU DON'T HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO PLAY THIS GAME RIGHT NOW!!! Maybe in the future you will learn to handle your emotions (Hopefully before you have a devastating loss) The Martingale ..............come on

> what it means to gamble, for the first time
> this weekend. I went to a 'net casino (I've
> left a few posts about my ventures in
> match-play hustling.) and put in my 150, got
> the 150 bonus, and started playing at $4
> units (flat bet). Shortly thereafter I was
> down to about $208, just below 1 SD by my
> (hopefully more accurate) calculations.
> That's when it went sour... I bumped my bet
> up to $10 thinking that surely it will have
> to swing up to maybe 238 or 248 sometime,
> you know, just as a diviation of a few bets.
> Soon I was completely out of my mind and
> betting 10 and 20 and 40 and a few 80s. I
> got down to about $40 when I just got plain
> lucky and got back up to about $265. I then
> did something equally as stupid, but
> thankfully it worked-- I used a Martingale
> staring at $4 and worked my way up to the
> origional $300. A half hour later, after
> calming down with two dollar bets, I stopped
> play, with $308, and $2616 in action. Even
> after trying to calm down, that was the most
> heart-wrenching thing I've ever experienced.
> To top it off, I got an e-mail from the
> casino saying that I would not receive the
> bonus anyways, because the rules for
> promotions I read were just for the flash
> version. Damn! The whole experience made me
> sit and think to myself "is gambling,
> even with an edge, worth this stress?"
> and "Do I really want to learn to count
> and be an advantage player?" Exactly
> 0.00000000024 seconds later, my mind let out
> a howl of "YES!!!!"

> God how I love this game!

> --CK

[methodman]

Wake up online gambling is a complete scam,you ber lucky if you even get the money.

[Geoff Hall]

> Wake up online gambling is a complete
> scam,you ber lucky if you even get the
> money.

Not true - there are plenty of educated players making money from online gambling.

It's like any form of gambling - you have to know what you are doing and study the methodology.

Best regards

Geoff

[college kid]

[PunkEye]

> what it means to gamble, for the first time
> this weekend. I went to a 'net casino (I've
> left a few posts about my ventures in
> match-play hustling.) and put in my 150, got
> the 150 bonus, and started playing at $4
> units (flat bet). Shortly thereafter I was
> down to about $208, just below 1 SD by my
> (hopefully more accurate) calculations.
> That's when it went sour... I bumped my bet
> up to $10 thinking that surely it will have
> to swing up to maybe 238 or 248 sometime,
> you know, just as a diviation of a few bets.
> Soon I was completely out of my mind and
> betting 10 and 20 and 40 and a few 80s. I
> got down to about $40 when I just got plain
> lucky and got back up to about $265. I then
> did something equally as stupid, but
> thankfully it worked-- I used a Martingale
> staring at $4 and worked my way up to the
> origional $300. A half hour later, after
> calming down with two dollar bets, I stopped
> play, with $308, and $2616 in action. Even
> after trying to calm down, that was the most
> heart-wrenching thing I've ever experienced.
> To top it off, I got an e-mail from the
> casino saying that I would not receive the
> bonus anyways, because the rules for
> promotions I read were just for the flash
> version. Damn! The whole experience made me
> sit and think to myself "is gambling,
> even with an edge, worth this stress?"
> and "Do I really want to learn to count
> and be an advantage player?" Exactly
> 0.00000000024 seconds later, my mind let out
> a howl of "YES!!!!"

> God how I love this game!

> --CK
I've said this before and I'll say it again. The neophyte's best chance is to sign up as someone's protege. Learn the ropes from the ground up from a solid veteran and you rate to come out on top. Otherwise, you really should do something else. The Punk has spoken.

[Buick Riviera]

>I found out what it means to gamble, for the first time >this weekend.

It's not too late for you to get out of this game before it consumes you. You are not (and may never be) psychologically mature enough to handle the physiological reactions to this game. You're infatuation with the thrill of gambling rather than the competition of advantage play is a very early indicator.

Please read Double Down: Relfections on Gambling and Loss by Frederick and Steven Barthelme and stay out of virtual or real cansinos.

Buick

[Norm Wattenberger]

> Wake up online gambling is a complete
> scam,you ber lucky if you even get the
> money.

Absurd. The casino did nothing wrong. He played very poorly.

[Waters]

Maybe a wild ride will be what it takes to cure someone of their folly? College Kid failed his first test, but the next time he goes to a casino, he will be tested again.

AP is not about the thrill of gambling; it is the mind-game of working hard and yet still taking a risk. College Kid sounds like a gambler, not an investor. Saying "I bumped my bet ... thinking surely it will have to swing up ... you know, just as a diviation [sic] of a few bets" indicates a lack of understanding of statistics.

But all the theory in the world is useless unless that theory is tied to reality. I am using simulators to see those swings rather than real life. The theory told me what to expect; the simulator is *showing* me, with harder numbers, what is likely to happen in the real world.

Here is to hoping that College Kid decides to become an AP, and not a gambler. He is free to make that decision at any time.

Waters