Gamblers don't care if they win?

A friend of mine insisted that gamblers don't care if they win. Do you care if you win? Even if you do care, would your actions communicate to the casino that you don't?

 

I never really win. I just want to play.

I would love to win, don't get me wrong....but I just love to gamble, and take only what I expect to lose.

 

I not only care if I win, I sit down at every table actually expecting to win.
If I don't, I end the session with a shrug and move on to the next 'target'.

Now, slots, roulette & keno are a different story...I never expect to win playing any of them...which is why I usually stay away from them.

 

Same here! I hate losing a lot more than I enjoy winning, which I think tends to keep from getting into too much trouble. For me, gambling is just flat no fun if I'm losing.

 

Your friend has no idea what he/she is talking about. Every gambler cares if they win or lose. They may not expect it. It may not be a big deal at all if they do lose. But I have never met a gambler in my life that did not prefer winning to losing. and that means they care

 

Ditto to what just about everyone has said.

Knowing full well the house always has the edge, I still try to gamble at games that give me a better shot at winning. And that doesn't include slots, keno and all of the "carney table games" that are popping up in every casino.

If I didn't care about winning, a large reason for me going to Vegas in the first place would be gone.

 

I think there's different kinds of gamblers. I think of it as a scale. Anything that releases feel good chemicals in your brain has the potential to be an addiction. We're dumb animals essentially. The world and life has changed but our brains and bodies haven't yet. We have all these instincts and not all of them fit in with the modern world. So your casual gambler is on one end of the scale and your hardcore, lost everything and doesn't care gambler is on the other end of the scale. They all probably care if they win or not. But, it doesn't always look that way.

 

Well put!

 

I care about winning. I would like to win. However, if I lose it's not really a big deal because I set aside that money specifically for gambling. I fully expect to lose all my money every time I play. Mostly, I play because it's enjoyable and I have a good time. I play games that are fun and avoid games that aren't as much fun for me (like Blackjack). When I win it's really nice, but I don't cry about losing.

 

The problem is that we do win sometimes, don't we? That's what brings us back and they know it. All those flashy lights and jackpots will be won by somebody, will it be you? If you go to a casino with an expectation of loss, why go? That's a real depressing attitude. Give the money you were going to lose to your favorite charity, they will make better use of it than the casino and it's deductible (for now...)

After my multitudes of trips to Las Vegas I've observed the excitement and buzz on the plane when we begin our descent. Everyone seems happy. Then when you enter the gate area and see all those waiting to board the plane you just landed in, how many happy faces are there? I wonder why? I guess some are happy to leave but there are lots if sad faces.

There is a big difference between illusion and reality. I still enjoy Las Vegas, will be at Monte Carlo starting 3/2 for 13 nights and expect to come back and pay cash for an ocean front Mansion in Kauai. I'll be bringing about what it would cost for a door knob. Wish me luck! If I win, you're all invited to the housewarming party!

 

How I put it to my buddy just yesterday is this: to me personally, I hate the idea of losing more than I enjoy the idea of winning. Thus, I don't chase any losses and I will almost always be the first one to step away from a table even if others think I am crazy. If that makes any sense.

 

I'm sure most gamblers prefer to win. But for many it's a trade off between the chance of a win and enjoying themselves.

For many people playing a low house edge game like BJ, learning perfect basic strategy, finding the best games (and perhaps developing into a counter) is just not fun.

Similarly most VP players will not learn perfect strategy, restrict themselves to the best games, play on point multiplier days and so on.

It's a trade off. For many (most?) gamblers taking it too seriously removes the fun element. That's why slots are so profitable for the casinos. A lot of players find them very entertaining and they require no real knowledge. But players would still like to hit the jackpot even if they view playing as pure entertainment.

 

I wish I could remember where I read it, but there was a study published recently that measure the neuropathy of gamblers and found that they experienced a larger brain response with the rush of gambling rather than with the rush of gambling. The study also stated that gamblers were more likely to stop after a loss than a win as the only value in a win was more money to gamble with.

This was obviously based on the hardcore gambling addict and not the casual gambler. I know I was one happy man after winning on my last trip!

 

As captainron said, I've also read the same thing with regards to pathological gamblers. Winning was looked at as just more money to gamble with. Same with any money they came across. What sco's friend said isn't really far off from what I've read for those types of gamblers.

There's a good NPR podcast about gambling that has been linked on this site before. It includes a long interview with a compulsive gambler and some neurologists who studied the brains of pathological gamblers versus normal people while they gambled. They had some pretty interesting results.

 

My belief is that there are "levels" of pathological gambling. The total "present tense" action junkie probably cares less about winning than I do.

I'd say personally I am at a level just below total degenerate. This is a slight rehab from my earlier level of total degenerate.

I've always tried to fool myself into locking in current wins by convincing myself that not risking a win on the current trip allows me to be immediately available for the next trip (as opposed to the standard bankroll building delay).

I have no dillusions that over time I will lose a set amount of money gambling. My goal is to decrease play to increase variance, hoping for luck to win avoiding the certain loss of long-term play. I want to minimize my play, diluting the amount of monetary risk per day of Vegas enjoyment.

There is a reason casinos want that 4 hours per day minimum of play, each day of the trip.

I much prefer a hit and run approach, and have many times, in fact almost every trip the past few years, quit gambling early on a big win to lock up the profitable trip.

Winning determines if I go back from Vegas feeling good or bad about the trip. It is VERY important to me.

 

Very well said and I feel the same way. I won last two trips, its been great. I am only going back next month because of this months win. I stopped as well ahead both of my last trips. I am not that huge of a gambler though, so its not a big deal for me to stop.

 

First and foremost I want to be entertained.
Second I want to win.

Why not the other way around?
Well, I can usually control being entertained by moving to another machine.
Moving to a different table or machine doesn't always make you win.

So, its mostly a mind game I play.

 

"Winning determines if I go back from Vegas feeling good or bad about the trip. It is VERY important to me."
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Truer words were never spoken as far as I'm concerned. It also has a lot to do with when I'll return, like Ron said.

 

Most regulars will bring, or have access to, only as much as they are comfortable to lose. Therefore, if they lose it all, they have achieved a sad expectation. If they win, they have achieved a happy hope.

I guess the difinitive word is "care". And we all have our own definition of what it means in regards to our gambling.

So do I care if I lose my whole bankroll? No, I kind of expected it or I would have brought less. But it's sure better if I come home with something.

 

I agree with Terry Benedict...the key word is "care.". I gambled because it's fun and social...I play cards and craps, not slots. I find it a relief from work and other pressures. The thrill of a win is great, moreso than the actual $$ value. I do care if I win or lose, but my intent when gambling is having fun. See you at the tables March 8th!