Irregularly for me. I go to the track about once a year to drink beer in the sun. I’ll play in the Caribbean or Vegas when I’m there. Go to the local casino maybe once a year if that (really fucking depressing place). I’ll bet a couple if college football games a year, maybe the SB, and always do a bracket (upset heaven baby).
I just don’t get a thrill from it but I ascribe it to trading is a bigger thrill and/or I know the odds. I see what I lose as an entertainment expense like an opera or sporting event ticket and know if I win it is literally luck.
Growing up my dad owned race horses (harness racing) so we would go to the track sometimes with him. At some point they got slots in the state as well. He and my brother are way into it. Like you I find casinos (and the track) to just be depressing places. A bunch of people pissing away money they don’t have to piss away.
Been to Vegas several times for conferences. I don’t get it. All the bright neon lights, and faux architecture is just unappealing. Not sure why, fake is the word that comes to mind.
I go to Vegas once a year or so for tech conferences. I try to go out at least one night with a group and play craps. For me the money is just entertainment, I would spend the same amount going to a show or something similar. I like craps because it is pretty much everyone at the table against the house. Everybody gets excited for someone on a streak, because it means they are winning money as well.
I go to the casino to play poker semi-regularly. It isn’t really gambling since there are enough really bad players I almost always make money. You don’t have to be good, just not a moron.
I was stationed at Nellis AFB in Las Vegas for two years. My wife and I were in our early twenties, so it was sort of cool to go to the casinos to take in the glitz. But when we wanted to gamble, we’d go downtown where it was cheaper to play blackjack. We’d limit ourselves to $20 each (this was the late '70’s) and see how long we could make this last. We knew we were going to lose, but we’d have a few of the watered down gin and tonics while we played. Never seemed like the greatest fun anyone could ever have, but it was something to do.
Since then, nothing except buying an odd raffle ticket for some high school fund raiser.
Occasional Powerball or Mega Millions ticket but that’s it. Only been to a casino once and found it depressing.
Wow, same.
I remember going to the Las Vegas Hilton (family driving vacation around CA/NV/AZ) as a teenager in '89 and feeling a weird depressing/desperate “vibe” from the gaming floor. Since then, I’ve set foot in a casino less than a handful of times and always get the same feeling - even when it’s just been for concerts at Atlantic City casinos. Last summer the wife and I stopped into the former Bethlehem Steel works, which is now a casino, because we were in the area and she wanted to check it out. She gambled $40 and won $100, at which point I told her to collect her winnings so we could leave.
Back when I was full time sales/biz dev I was a regular on the “Presidents Club” trips which always included an all inclusive in some other country which also always involved a casino. I would put in some serious time on the blackjack tables at night but it was always such a crapshoot (pun not really intended). Best strategy I would employ would be watching the table for some time just to make sure the other people knew what the fuck they were doing. If even one of them was hitting on the wrong cards I was out…one guy can sink a table.
Now having sounded like a blackjack bigshot I only knew to do the above after being that guy numerous times and getting my 20 something ass chewed by some interesting people in interesting locations. I also never made a ton of money. Just enough to entertain myself and end up on top.
Outside of that nada. I just enjoy(ed) blackjack as it’s a fun us vs the house scenario (but obviously the house still has a slight advantage).
All of the above was pre-kid. Don’t really see ever getting into it again (even 1x a year).
We did occasionally (like twice a year) go to Arlington in your (relative) neck of the woods which was more for the overall experience of drinking beer in the grass, getting some sun, and watching a sport I know nothing about while losing a small amount of money. After that we would hit the large asian market up there (name escapes me) and get some solid food. Not a bad one-two punch if your so inclined.
I will buy a lotto ticket when the pot gets over $200M. It’s basically a $2 daydream, which I’m ok with every once in a while.
I’ve been to Vegas 4 or 5 times, I played $20 of blackjack there to say I’d done it, otherwise I just play slots if I’m waiting for someone to meet me to go do something else.
Sometimes will go in on an office pool for March Madness just for the social aspect of it.
Gambling is one vice that just doesn’t hit the pleasure button for me at all.
I used to gamble fairly heavily. Around $2500 was my typical upper bet, and would bet through around 5-10g a week on college football/soccer. Most of the bets were through shops that took live betting. In college football, each team can really only “get it up” for around 2 times a year, mostly on big home games. A lot of times you could make a decent amount just by watching games where a sizable home dog was playing well at home against a ranked team. In baseball you could also ride a hot historically hot pitcher.
I stopped gambling in 2016 after two brutal back to back weeks. the oregon TCU alamo bowl where I had around 10g on oregon (I think the spread was Oregon -5). Oregon was up 31-0 at half and ended up losing. The next week was Vikes / seahwaks in a wet weather game. the vikes were up 9-0 at the end of three, and had to kick a 27 yard field at the end of the game to win, and missed.
We did occasionally (like twice a year) go to Arlington in your (relative) neck of the woods which was more for the overall experience of drinking beer in the grass, getting some sun, and watching a sport I know nothing about while losing a small amount of money.
That’s what we do, but sitting in the grandstand
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Back when I was full time sales/biz dev I was a regular on the “Presidents Club” trips which always included an all inclusive in some other country which also always involved a casino. I would put in some serious time on the blackjack tables at night but it was always such a crapshoot (pun not really intended). Best strategy I would employ would be watching the table for some time just to make sure the other people knew what the fuck they were doing. If even one of them was hitting on the wrong cards I was out…one guy can sink a table.
Now having sounded like a blackjack bigshot I only knew to do the above after being that guy numerous times and getting my 20 something ass chewed by some interesting people in interesting locations. I also never made a ton of money. Just enough to entertain myself and end up on top.
Ah, good to hear from another blackjack player. I have basic blackjack strategy memorized and that’s the only way to get the game close to 50/50. Here is basic blackjack strategy in text:
Split
Always split aces and 8s.Never split 5s and 10s.Split 2s and 3s against a dealer 4-7, and against a 2 or 3 if DAS is allowed.Split 4s only if DAS is allowed and the dealer shows a 5 or 6.Split 6s against a dealer 3-6, and against a 2 if DAS is allowed.Split 7s against a dealer 2-7.Split 9s against a dealer 2-6 or 8-9.Double
Double hard 9 vs. dealer 3-6.Double hard 10 except against a dealer 10 or A.Double hard 11 except against a dealer A.Double soft 13 or 14 vs. dealer 5-6.Double soft 15 or 16 vs. dealer 4-6.Double soft 17 or 18 vs. dealer 3-6.Hit or Stand
Always hit hard 11 or less.Stand on hard 12 against a dealer 4-6, otherwise hit.Stand on hard 13-16 against a dealer 2-6, otherwise hit.Always stand on hard 17 or more.Always hit soft 17 or less.Stand on soft 18 except hit against a dealer 9, 10, or A.Always stand on soft 19 or more.
It looks like it copied and pasted in well. That’s a little bit of memorization, but it goes a long way.
It’s a subtle difference between doubling a soft 14 against a dealer 5, but not 4. It’s a difference of percentage points and not super intuitive.
I do pretty well at blackjack. I’ve had nights where I came out well ahead and times where I’ve lost my buy-in. But it’s just entertainment. It’s just a lot more fun if you know how to play it properly.
You mentioned newbies on the table and I know exactly what you’re talking about. The last position on the table is where I’ll walk away with a newbie in that spot. Otherwise I just ride it out. I’ve had enough times where a missed bet worked in my favor and busted the dealer. It works out.
The last position on the table is where I’ll walk away with a newbie in that spot.//
That’s the spot I like to take if it is open. And for me, I will most often stay on any of my hard 12 to 14’s if the dealer is showing the same. The % difference here is very slight, and I always would rather have the dealer take that 10 than me. I also have a hard time splitting 8’s when the dealer has a 10 showing. Haven’t looked at the books in a very long time, but perhaps a spot they say to surrender?
Anyway nothing more fun than playing with about 4 or 5 folks that know how to play the proper strategy, gets a lot of cards out of the deck to see, and when 10’s are heavy, everyone knows when to hit or stay…I cannot count a 6 deck shoe that well, but I can surmise direction one way or the other, so maybe the finest of help to push those winning odds to 50/50… Then it is just a matter of riding streaks, and getting off and out before it reverses…
