Casinos - Good or Evil?

[SAS]

I've been to the casino a few times and in one ear the parents and girlfriend bleating "its bad, evil, it will suck your soul". In the other ear are my friends "its fun, and good for socialising".

I enjoy the casino, trying to work out the probabilities, the atmosphere e.t.c, but dont see it as a place to go every day/weekend.

However one mate recently commented "The other day when I won £50, and the next lost £60 I did not feel any different...". It made me raise an eyebrow, but when can gambling become an addiction?

Also if anyone has any strategies on playing blackjack or roulette please let me know (read loads on the net, but could do with some info from veteran gamblers )

 

[old.Tohtori]

Oooh...my favorite subject. Chocholate.

No wait...

Umm, as an old(when i was a kiddie) game addict i used to spend all my money on slotmachines.(in finland their a dime in a dosen and some, in other words, everywhere)

The habbit kinda left my system after spending, roughly, 50e in a week or so. As a kid that was a shocker to realise. So if you ever think yo're an addict, just blow a whole chunk of money and i bet it will leave any sensible persons system.

Now, how much is much?

If you count your bills, foodcash needs, party cash(pubs etc) and you're left with something... that's your "blowcash", so to say.

Blowcash is something you can spend without it effecting your normal life.

It's also something people "save" but i never understood that.

Let's say your blowcash amount is 50 £/$/€. That's something you can just,spendspend spend. So, you need to think if you want one big blow out casino night, or do you want to frequent. If you decide you want a lot of nights, divide your blowcash to those nights and only take with you that amount.

This all comes down to self control. If you loose it, it's annother thread alltogether.

Now, my take on blackjack and roulette.

On Roulette i usually take it safe, i just don't trust the numbers. The probability thing is what comes to effect with me.

As an example, if you draw four cards at random from a pack of cards, there's usually two red, two black. Not always, but the larger the number of cards goes, the smaller the difference. So, 100 cards drawn brings the red/black ratio into the ballpark of 50 both. Now,same works(not counting the terrible 0) in roulette.

Example on how i play, some say it's stupid but it's how i like to play:

Ball stops on red, black, black.

Now i bet on red. Bigger chances on it landing on a red.

Not the best of plans out there, but hey, it's mine.

On blackjack. I only got one rule, don't hit on 18, always hit on a lower number.

That's it from me, all these are just my thoughts and anyone flaming them....can, but won't change them

 

[~Yuckfou~]

If you go to a casino to win money you have already lost.
Go to be entertained, take an amount of money you are prepared to "spend". Then if you win it's slightly more fun.
There are no strategies that work, thats why casinos make money.

 

[Will]

The only way to make any money from blackjack is to learn to count cards. With roulette, the odds are always loaded in the casinos favour.

 

[Draylor]

There are no strategies that work

Theres 1, but its expensive: open your own casino

 

[Brynn]

Ball stops on red, black, black.
Now i bet on red. Bigger chances on it landing on a red.

To be the mathmatition there is no more or less chance or it landing on a red. The odds are still the same. If it comes up 10 black, then people can say "it will come up red next time" it wont, the odds are *still* what they were for the past 10 spins.

 

[Jupitus]

To be the mathmatition there is no more or less chance or it landing on a red. The odds are still the same. If it comes up 10 black, then people can say "it will come up red next time" it wont, the odds are *still* what they were for the past 10 spins.

I just knew we were going to get into the probability theory areas and the mind-blowing concept of independance probability.

It goes against your instinct, but Brynn is right. If I flip a coin 100 times and every time it come up heads you would think it is more likely to be a tail on the next flip. However, in isolation, I am still only 50% likely to flip a tail on the next flip.

However, if I say 'I am going to flip a coin 101 times, what is the probability that all will be heads?', the answer is indeed a very tiny tiny tiny chance.

My head hurts

 

[sibanac]

There is one winning roulette stystem, but ... its boooring as hell, needs a large amount of cash, has varry low returns, isnt alowed in some casino's or you'll hit table limits

bet x on red or black
win ... you got x profit
lose bet x*2 on red or black
win you you got x profit
lose bet x*2*2 on red or black
win you got x profit
lose ....

as you see, the betting amount raises pretty fast while profit remains the same

 

[PLightstar]

Used to spend my childhood with my mates down the gamblers on the cash machines trying to win money, max payout was £20 on the machines which was a lot for a 10yr old, so I was kinda addicted I supose, it was a bit of fun wouldn't do it now though.

Been in a casino once, didn't think much to many people shouting at nothing, plus the fact 'the house always wins'

 

[Will]

There is one winning roulette stystem, but ... its boooring as hell, needs a large amount of cash, has varry low returns, isnt alowed in some casino's or you'll hit table limits

bet x on red or black
win ... you got x profit
lose bet x*2 on red or black
win you you got x profit
lose bet x*2*2 on red or black
win you got x profit
lose ....

as you see, the betting amount raises pretty fast while profit remains the same

This system doesn't work, due to the existance of the 0 (and the 00 on American boards). As well as the limits etc as you have already pointed out.

 

[old.user4556]

I love Casinos, the Bellagio in Vegas being my favourite second to the MGM Grand .

I set myself a limit of about $150 dollars at Roulette - once it was gone, it was gone. You've got to loose a lot to gain a lot, so unless you're rolling in it you're not going to win a lot. I spent a lot of the time betting on red and black, watching the frequency of colours and taking chances. It paid off to start with and I got cocky with some single number bets and went back to lines of numbers. I eventually lost it all, but i was only in Vegas for a week so i just saw it as money on a night out and a bit of fun.

 

[old.user4556]

This system doesn't work, due to the existance of the 0 (and the 00 on American boards)

A flutter on 00 is well worth a blast. Watch the frequency of 00 then start to bet once you reckon it's due again. Laws of averages n all.

 

[SAS]

Probability theory plays a big part and although casinos are sure to check roulette tables... if the wheel is slightly unbalanced, by watching the numbers coming out you can increase your chances by targetting the area of the wheel which has the highest frequency?

Maybe not, just one of those "ideas"

 

[JBP|]

Try playing bingo instead

 

[Will]

If you want to win some money, come to one of my poker nights*.






*may actually lose cash to Will and his mates

 

[yaruar]

I love Casinos, the Bellagio in Vegas being my favourite second to the MGM Grand .

I set myself a limit of about $150 dollars at Roulette - once it was gone, it was gone. You've got to loose a lot to gain a lot, so unless you're rolling in it you're not going to win a lot. I spent a lot of the time betting on red and black, watching the frequency of colours and taking chances. It paid off to start with and I got cocky with some single number bets and went back to lines of numbers. I eventually lost it all, but i was only in Vegas for a week so i just saw it as money on a night out and a bit of fun.

I love the MGM grand, i stayed there last time i was in Vegas, some of the nicest and friendliest staff there.

Best odds in vegas though are in the old town where the payout percentages on the machines are way higher due to the fact that the casinos have already paid off their setup costs, much friendlier though, less of a production line feel than the strip casinos (although half the women there look like 2 dollar crackwhores.......) the free shots were bigger too and the free booze was the best bit about gambling, especially if you play percentages and lose low.

 

[ReActor]

Good or evil? Evil, but just like many other evil things, fun. Just a case of having some kind of limit on yourself.

 

[nath]

I love the MGM grand, i stayed there last time i was in Vegas, some of the nicest and friendliest staff there.

but its run by teh evul tery benedict!!!!!11 he'll shut down your brothers van dealership :|\\\\\\\

 

[maxi]

Neither.

 

[Yaka]

casinos=evil 3 of my close mates whent to vegas last summer 2 of em blew so much cash away i was gob smacked. the other was sensiblke gambled a little lost a bit but not as much as the other 2.

but casinos make thinga hard for addicted gamblers read an article in some paper today how the pump some kind of drowsy odour thr a vent system make it hard to find exits wining type ping ping noises flooding from empty slot machines etc.