It may be true that there are more questionable choices available in Vegas then in a lot of other places – well, perhaps it’s just more readily available… there is prostitution in any city in the world, there are alcoholic drinks available anywhere (and for less than in Vegas), card rooms and bookies work everywhere, not to mention the betting that goes on in TV rooms and bars on every game of every sport world wide. Somehow, Vegas gets the reputation for having all the ‘sin’ available.
It was interesting to see that more and more families are taking vacations in Vegas… bring the kids, there’s lots of fun to be had. But the gambling still gets top billing. Fortunes are lost. Some say that fortunes are won, but they aren’t really. Oh, sure, some few win a car and I’ve seen stories about people hitting it big, but most of them end up losing. There is a reason that casino owners are among the wealthiest people in the world. The ‘house’ always wins in the end. If you choose, you can get ‘free’ drinks while you play. The casino figures that if they give you alcohol you will play longer and are more likely to make poor choices, but that just leads to other issues and you will not drink enough to make up for your losses at the table… I’m just sayin.
Roulette is my favorite. I like the wheel and the fact that I can see everything out there. In general, you bet that 1 of 36 numbers will come up. The odds aren’t very good, but there are ways to increase your chances. You can pick all odd numbers, or all evens, or all black or all red or numbers by groups or numbers in pairs or quads. Of course this increases your odds, but decreases your winnings if you win. I play conservatively… and I still lose. I’ll pick odds or evens and black or red. Usually one hits and the other doesn’t so I lose one and double the other and just move it over to place the same bet again. Every once in a while I hit both and double my money… or hit nothing and lose it all. Sometimes I’ll spread it around and, often, I’ll set my original chips aside and only play with my winnings until they are gone or I have won enough to quit. I’ve watched some people bet on individual numbers and hit. They win big but usually end up losing over all. Very few people walk away from the table with any chips.
My rule: set a budget of entertainment money… don’t lose more than that. Never Play with money you need or because you ‘need’ to win. Play for fun, not for profit. Final rule: Don’t go very often.
Truth be told it’s not gambling if you know you are going to lose.
