One of the fundamentals of successful casino gaming is knowing when to quit. Better still, the very best casino players will recognise when they need to take a complete break away from the table for a short period of time.
It is hard to understate just how important this ability to be self-aware about your gambling is. Almost all the most profitable casino gamblers, poker players and the like have an innate ability to understand that they can't spend all their time and money at the tables and there has to be a certain amount of time spent away from the tables doing other things.
The importance of recognising when to take a break can be best shown by taking a real life example. That of the extraordinary tale of Greek-American gambling legend, Archie Karas.
In 1992, Karas had won and then lost over $2,000,000 gambling at high stakes poker in California. Almost broke, he arrived in Las Vegas with just $50 in his pocket.
Karas then embarked upon what has simply become known as "The Run" - the longest and most successful gambling run in history when in the space of just three years, Karas gambled his last $50, into a $42,000,000 fortune.
At this point, Karas fame along the strip was legendary. Few players would even consider playing at the stakes he was willing to play for and those that did, usually came off considerably worse off financially.
Given that Karas had amassed so much money and that finding opponents willing to play him was almost impossible at times, this should have set the alarm bells ringing in Karas head that it was time to quit when he was ahead. However, if they were going off, Karas chose not to listen, with devastating results.
Within a three-week period in 1995, Karas lost $30m of his fortune playing baccarat, dice and poker. By this time, he finally listened to the alarm bells ringing in his head and took a break from the casino, however it wasn't a long enough break as he shortly returned to Vegas and lost a further $11m, meaning he was now down to his last million.
He managed to double up his million playing poker, but then lost it all just a few days later playing baccarat.
This somewhat tragic yet salutary tale highlights the importance of recognising the need to quit when you are ahead, or better still, when you are in the midst of a poor run of results. Bad beats happen to all gamblers and there are days, weeks and months when you just cannot seem to buy a win.
It is that point when a top casino player will realise that they need a break. Taking time out away from the casino will allow you to re-evaluate your situation and allow you to give time and priority to other aspects of your life.
Quitting while your ahead, or when you are in the middle of a poor run of results is easy to recognise but not that easy to do. It is easy to feel almost invincible when you are winning, and when you are losing, you can always feel that the next big win is 'just around the corner'. You need to fight these urges and take stock by taking a step back away from the table for a time.
However, these are not the only signs there are that you need to take a break from gambling. Here are several other key indicators:
1. The amount you are spending on your gambling is starting to be more than simply disposable income
Without doubt the fundamental rule in any form of gambling is that you should never bet with more money than you can afford to lose. That means only using disposable income (and ideally only a fraction of it) to meet your gambling needs. If you find that you are spending more and more on your online gambling, perhaps even to the extent of your gambling eating into the money you need for day to day life, it is time to stop and re-evaluate what you are doing.
2. Increased amount of time spent playing online
If you are playing online regularly but can then go several days without playing, then that is a healthy sign. It shows that you are in control of when you play. However, if you find that you are spending an increasing amount of time online then you need to take a step back. Your time playing in a casino should not effect the amount of time you have for other hobbies, your friends and family or similar in a negative way. If you find that you no longer have time to go the gym, or take the family out of a weekend because you 'need' to be playing at the online casino. It's time to take a step back.
3. Tiredness and sleep deprivation
Many people will play online casino games and poker into the night after work and while once in a while this is fine, if you are doing this regularly then you need to be aware of the effects of what you are doing. If you are tired, then this will effect how capably you can perform at work, as well as how happy (or grumpy) you are likely to be at home. Furthermore, it will effect your judgement when it comes to playing casino games. Tiredness and casino gaming are not happy bedfellows, so if you are playing casino games too late, too often, then it's time to step back.
4. Playing because you are 'bored', or if playing games bores you
The important thing to remember about casino games is that they should be a form of entertainment. For some people, who play games with friends, they can even be a social event. As such your enjoyment levels when playing should be high. If that changes, if you find playing to be a drag and more of a habit than a form of relaxation or enjoyment, or if you play only for something to do because you are 'bored', then these are good warning signs that you need to take a short break until you rediscover what attracted you to the games in the first place.
The great thing to note is that the majority of online casinos will offer players help to control their gambling and they have facilities which will ensure that a player doesn't over-spend, or gamble too often, which can be implemented from a simple menu system on the site. You can set your maximum deposits and maximum spend at some casinos to ensure you don't ever spend more than you need to.
Irresponsible gambling is not profitable for casinos and as such, the new era of online casinos takes sensible precautions to allow players to enjoy their games sensibly. Of course, much is down to the individual player, but it is pleasing to know that help is available should any individual player need it.
Sometimes taking a break away from a casino, for whatever reason is a sensible thing to do. You can re-evaluate your spending and the time you spend playing. You can even use the time productively to perhaps learn the rudiments of a new casino game, or brush up on strategy for games like blackjack or poker.
Whether you need a break depends on factors like those outlined above and the circumstances of the individual player, but at least being aware of what the key factors are, will help most players be able to judge their own circumstances and come to an informed and correct decision as to whether they need a time out.
Next Post: So you lost your free spins? Relax, there’s plenty more!
|
|||
|
|||
|
|||
|
