Casinos.. yay or nay?

[xmontrealer]

Have to say, when I used to play on-line Blackjack, I was astounded at the poor play of so many players at my tables.

Examples:
Staying on A-5
Pulling to 12, 13, 14, 15, or 16 when the dealer is showing a 5 or 6 .
Splitting 10's at any time.
Taking "insurance" every time when the dealer is showing an Ace.
etc. etc. etc.

 

[Gators]

As long as you play within in your means enjoy. I do go crazy on big horsing events like Kentucky Derby, Belmont and Breeders cup but it is all within my means.

 

[deep fried toast]

it's bad if you think you are going to make money, and if you make money and think you might make more if you put it again...

 

[Massivo]

Have to say, when I used to play on-line Blackjack, I was astounded at the poor play of so many players at my tables.

Examples:
Staying on A-5
Pulling to 12, 13, 14, 15, or 16 when the dealer is showing a 5 or 6 .
Splitting 10's at any time.
Taking "insurance" every time when the dealer is showing an Ace.
etc. etc. etc.

The poor plays I see most often in live casinos is standing on 12 when the dealer is showing a two or three...Those are always a hit... And then you have the players who stand on 16 when they should be hitting...

Not all side bets are bad... The bust it side bet has made me quite a bit of money even when the cards were not coming... I don't know what the odds are on that particular bet...

 

[SchlongConery]

At the Blackjack tables the worst bets are the side bets that pay off only for various card combinations. Slot machine odds.

Like playing Encore on OLG lotteries. Worst possible payout/odds for the extra $1. And you can't win a jackpot.

 

[SchlongConery]

Oh, and on the subject of lotteries.

Buying any more than ONE ticket for each draw is a waste of ppney. You don't double your odds. You just now have TWO ping pong balls with your name on them in an olympic size pool of ping pong balls.

So instead of 1 in 30 million odds, you have 2 in 30 million odds. But you have doubled your bet for effectively the same odds.

 

[Zoot Allures]

Don't willingly go down the rabbit hole of gambling... or as the Provincial Mafia calls it "gaming". Marketing it as good family entertainment!

The ONLY winner in gambling is the house. Full stop. Period. End of conversation.

Don't listen to anyone who says there is a system, or if one table or machine is not "lucky" then move to the next one. The odds are the odds and while casinos can programme the random number generators that come up with winning combinations, certain boundaries are still programmable to maintain the desired payout of a particular machine.

Winning big the first time out is the WORST thing to happen to YOU and the BEST thing for the gambling racket. That endorphine rush of winning gets burned in your brain and you can easily get hooked. And don't think YOU are exceptional. Nobody's grandmother goes into a casino thinking that they will get hooked. Yet, there they are... planted in front of slot machines all day long. Nobody is immune.

The house always wins.

I liken it to just trying heroin. Why introduce a new vice into your life that can ONLY make life worse? We all know of people or heard stories of gambling ruining families, friendships, credit ratings, business, losing their life savings, house, stealing and embezzling or committing suicide. NONE of them started out thinking anything other than "well, let's try for fun, what harm is there in it if I stick to my limit?"

I don't think many of us know people who have changed their lives for the better by gambling.

I really resent the governments promoting this horrible activity. So many lives are ruined because of it.

That is what I was gonna say

If you win you think you got them beat and if you lose you want your money back

Sadly, it is a form of escape like drinking or drugs for the addicted

Do not let gambling get into your head

I fnd it incredibly boring unless you bet more than you can afford to lose

Trump had a casino in Atlantic City that lost investors a lot of money and ruined lives

 

[SchlongConery]

Trump had a casino in Atlantic City that lost investors a lot of money and ruined lives

Orillia and the area used to be quite a nice, safe and prosperous little town with good tourism and a nice downtown. Good restaurants, interesting shops, good employment etc. When the casino was proposed everyone thought that it would be a windfall for the city with all the people it would attract and the money they would spend iin town.

Didn't work that way AT ALL!

People drove directly to the Casino and then straight home, never so much as stopping for gas. Maybe a Timmies when that one opened. And the locals would go to the casino for a change of pace, which led to more habitual visits. The restaurants were okish enough to kill off the nice restaurants in town.

Downside was many notable bankruptcies, suicides, business failures due to gambling, divorces etc. Many business' were the victims of internal theft/embezzlement and property crimes went up, pawn shops flourished for a while. Even the Manager of the local BIA (Chamber of Commerce?) was convicted of embezzling BIA funds and emptied the bank account to gamble at the Casino. I knew a couple of OPP coppers, two VIP Casino Hosts and a couple dealers. They said for a while there were suicides by hanging in the bathrooms and car suicides in the parking lot at least once a week, sometimes more.

Now? The city of Orillia has devolved into a much lower class. low employment and higher drug use area. I used to love the city and now hate it. About the only good thing about it is Lake Couchiching, Tromblays Tackle Box, Country Produce and the Mariposa Market stores. Ironically, the owner of the Mariposa Market(s), Maryann, is a top VIP Casino host (maybe supervisor now).

The fact that the government actively promotes gambling is despicable.

 

[Zoot Allures]

Orillia and the area used to be quite a nice, safe and prosperous little town with good tourism and a nice downtown. Good restaurants, interesting shops, good employment etc. When the casino was proposed everyone thought that it would be a windfall for the city with all the people it would attract and the money they would spend iin town.

Didn't work that way AT ALL!

People drove directly to the Casino and then straight home, never so much as stopping for gas. Maybe a Timmies when that one opened. And the locals would go to the casino for a change of pace, which led to more habitual visits. The restaurants were okish enough to kill off the nice restaurants in town.

Downside was many notable bankruptcies, suicides, business failures due to gambling, divorces etc. Many business' were the victims of internal theft/embezzlement and property crimes went up, pawn shops flourished for a while. Even the Manager of the local BIA (Chamber of Commerce?) was convicted of embezzling BIA funds and emptied the bank account to gamble at the Casino. I knew a couple of OPP coppers, two VIP Casino Hosts and a couple dealers. They said for a while there were suicides by hanging in the bathrooms and car suicides in the parking lot at least once a week, sometimes more.

Now? The city of Orillia has devolved into a much lower class. low employment and higher drug use area. I used to love the city and now hate it. About the only good thing about it is Lake Couchiching, Tromblays Tackle Box, Country Produce and the Mariposa Market stores. Ironically, the owner of the Mariposa Market(s), Maryann, is a top VIP Casino host (maybe supervisor now).

The fact that the government actively promotes gambling is despicable.

They actually raise minimum as the place fills then lowers it as the place empties
to maximize profit from what I saw on my one trip to Niagara

 

[SchlongConery]

They actually raise minimum as the place fills then lowers it as the place empties
to maximize profit from what I saw on my one trip to Niagara

You mean raise the minimum bet or minimum wage?

FWIW, I wasn't commenting on how busy the actual casino is, rather the false promises of regional spin-off benefits and the real consequences of bringing gambling to more people's lives.

I lost two friends to (secret) gambling related suicides from financial ruin and two divorces that ruined the families with one prominent family's two sons rebelling, acting up and becoming criminals over the divorce.

 

[Zoot Allures]

You mean raise the minimum bet or minimum wage?

Minimum bet. Black Jack started at 5 minimum then up to 10 then up to 20 etc as the night wore on

Gamblers wanted the minimum tables as they were packed so the casino , it seemed to me, would raise the minimum until they were not packed then lower it as the crowd left to keep them packed because the casino does not want to lose the gamblers who refuse to play the $50 tables but they start the night at $5 to get you in and once in you are not leaving so you play the $20 table

You can lose a lot quick at $20 minimum at a table where they limit seating
so the dealer can go faster and people bet more often. That is all thought out.

They even got an automatic shuffling machine because it is quicker than
letting the dealer shuffle so that means more bets are played

The main job of that guy who walks around watching is to
keep the bets going and make sure the assembly line keeps moving at top speed

I thought the idea of the government controlling gambling was to stop
over betting but when I was in Vegas there were always a $5 minimum table
to play at so WTF??

As the women served the table drinks to keep you from getting up and going to the bar (lost casino $ if you did) , I thought it would be a great idea to have topless waitressess as that would pack customers
in as the babes would all have the most amazing breasts as the tip $$$$ would be too hard '
to resist but, then again, the casinos want your eyes on the tables

The tables, the slots that make those musical sounds that are so alluring with their light show, etc are all at eye level and the rugs are ugly so you do not look down and that is just the subliminal stuff I noticed that keeps you spending

Oh yeah, there was a sign that warned you to bet with your head not over it
What a pointless sign. You have to bet over your head IE bet money you do not wanna lose as otherwise it is not fun

Disgusting indeed

 

[Robert Mugabe]

Nay

 

[Zoot Allures]

They all do research and know how most humans behave. Same thing applies to many other addictions like smartphones, junk food, booze and weed. A lot of people suck at self control and get a bunch of people together who have a similar mindset and they tend to spend more. Peer pressure generally works cause the person left out typically wants to just join afterwards.

Good point about crowd behaviour, they want the crowd to lead as they know
losers will follow the crowd. Best seen in the slots. Lots of small wins with cheering and the machines make these alluring musical sounds with the smallest payout. Those are the sounds research has shown to induce more gambling

What really worries me is the stuff I do not know


I just thought of one and that is colour. The colour of the walls etc are the colours that
encourage you to gamble, I have no doubt .

 

[eddie kerr]

I was just having some drinks with a friend and he said that he went to the casino over the weekend and 81 close to $600 playing blackjack and roulette and he said the most nights he hits a nice profit

So I’m gonna take $500 and see what I can do

any ideas or tips on what games to try that have the best odds of winning?
Totally new at this

The best odds to win imo at Casinos and online poker sites such as Poker Stars is NL Holdem poker. I play tournaments only with $5 to $10 buyins and have won over $3000. in the last 3 years. Only other game for a chance to win is Blackjack. Stay away from all slot games.

 

[xmontrealer]

Minimum bet. Black Jack started at 5 minimum then up to 10 then up to 20 etc as the night wore on

Gamblers wanted the minimum tables as they were packed so the casino , it seemed to me, would raise the minimum until they were not packed then lower it as the crowd left to keep them packed because the casino does not want to lose the gamblers who refuse to play the $50 tables but they start the night at $5 to get you in and once in you are not leaving so you play the $20 table

You can lose a lot quick at $20 minimum at a table where they limit seating
so the dealer can go faster and people bet more often. That is all thought out.

They even got an automatic shuffling machine because it is quicker than
letting the dealer shuffle so that means more bets are played

The main job of that guy who walks around watching is to
keep the bets going and make sure the assembly line keeps moving at top speed

I thought the idea of the government controlling gambling was to stop
over betting but when I was in Vegas there were always a $5 minimum table
to play at so WTF??

As the women served the table drinks to keep you from getting up and going to the bar (lost casino $ if you did) , I thought it would be a great idea to have topless waitressess as that would pack customers
in as the babes would all have the most amazing breasts as the tip $$$$ would be too hard '
to resist but, then again, the casinos want your eyes on the tables

The tables, the slots that make those musical sounds that are so alluring with their light show, etc are all at eye level and the rugs are ugly so you do not look down and that is just the subliminal stuff I noticed that keeps you spending

Oh yeah, there was a sign that warned you to bet with your head not over it
What a pointless sign. You have to bet over your head IE bet money you do not wanna lose as otherwise it is not fun

Disgusting indeed

There are no clocks in Vegas casinos, and almost never outside windows.

There was a rumour that the A/C would pump extra oxygen into the casinos to keep people energetic and at the tables for as long as possible.

Also the free drinks from the busty cocktail waitresses would take a while to arrive, and more than once in Vegas I lost money by waiting for my "free drink" to arrive...

 

[Butler1000]

I normally go to Vegas once a year(not now, the USA won't be seeing my tourist dollars for awhile). I have a few simple rules for those trips.

I set a loss budget every day for gambling, and that's it for that day, even if I'm up at the tables. I use winnings to pay for meals etc. Hit my limit, I find something else to do. There is lots to do, and I don't have a clock.

If it ain't fun, you shouldn't be gambling. This is so important. It's supposed to be fun, with a bit of dopamine hits(you get them btw from winning AND losing). So the minute you are hunched over, grumbling at the dealer, pissed at other players, say WTF to yourself, get up, and walk away. Don't chase loses. Get a drink, get a meal, go back to your room, flip on the TV, or your computer(I take my laptop). Watch something that will put you in a better mood. Take a nap. A workout even. Whatever it is that will even you out. Then when you are calm again, you can go back.

Alcohol is free. But mix in a free water with every order.

I actually never play between about 5pm and midnight now. I usually sleep then. It's the worst time for bad players, trying to get something to eat etc. Day time has lower minimums, more local players, better dealers. Just my experience. 3 am has a fun vibe. Gamblers specials in restaurants, and a clientele that is a show in itself.

In Vegas, the strip just sucks now. A few places that are fun to play now are the Cortez and Golden Gate in the Freemont st area. Easy vibe, low table stakes all the time. GG has dealers that double as go go dancers on raised platforms at night. So eye candy galore.

On the other end I recommend the Southpoint. Huge casino, 14 restaurants all good, and still reasonably priced. Great sports book and poker room(lots of local sharks but beatable). A real gem.

Good luck!

 

[Zoot Allures]

There are no clocks in Vegas casinos, and almost never outside windows.

There was a rumour that the A/C would pump extra oxygen into the casinos to keep people energetic and at the tables for as long as possible.

Also the free drinks from the busty cocktail waitresses would take a while to arrive, and more than once in Vegas I lost money by waiting for my "free drink" to arrive...

Good points

Now that I think of it, they are rather slow bringing your ' free' drink over


The cafeterias are in the back so you have to walk past the tables to get to them
so you will make a casual bet

I just thought of some more stuff
The stuff they do not do
No music is played
If music made you bet more they would play it . I am sure they studied it
Staff are friendly but trained in keeping conversations 'closed' as in not inviting a discussion
as you are supposed to bet not talk

I saw this documentary on Vegas cheaters

They actually want card counters to play 21 as most of them are bad at it .
It is a skill few can do as the cards are played too fast then they ban the few good players

If cheaters get caught with a cheating device they throw their cheating device across the room so now
the casino has to prove it was yours

Anyone can buy a slot machine and that is what the professional cheaters do to back engineer
them to see if they can beat them

The slot machines near the entrance pay out more to attract players that are walking by


The real big betters are called 'whales' as in big fish

They fly them in for free and I am sure they have all kinds of techniques to
keep them at their casino

Watch Casino movie. It is the staff that are the bigger concern when it comes to cheating


They hire the good cheaters to watch for cheaters


The shows are timed to get you back to the tables

George Carlin got banned for his criticism of betting
'They banned me for saying "fuck" on stage. Meanwhile, they got big Texans playing dice saying
'Oh shit I crapped", They fly them in for free then kicked me out for saying fuck. Fuck


Bottom line is stay away because no adreneline flows unless you bet more
than you can afford to lose

 

[IRIS]

But if you are a new player in the casino the chance to win is higher because they want you to come back and lose more money. They use their face recognition system .

 

[Zoot Allures]

But if you are a new player in the casino the chance to win is higher because they want you to come back and lose more money. They use their face recognition system .

They use face recognition to spot banned card counters

As it is not illegal for them to be there so they wear disquises
They also have dummies play bets through signals then the dummy leaves and another takes their place so to not arouse suspicion

The MIT team that created card counting each rented a different room to avoid being
spotted but security tracked the winning players to their rooms and noticed they all put MIT as their residence
Cant think of everything LOL

Face recognition to induce first timers to come back, interesting. Never heard of that
but if they spot a new potential whale letting them win a small amount sounds like an
intriguing play, nothing illegal in letting someone win but if that was discovered and the
whale came back and lost sounds like grounds for a lawsuit

This is just the stuff we know!
It is the stuff we do not know that should us keep away

While I may seem to know a lot about casinos I have only gone a few times and have no intention of going back or gambling in any form as I do not want the addiction

 

[GeeBee]

Should I have a time limit in my head?
Like play half an hour and take a break sort of thing?

A time limit isn’t as important as a dollar limit. Take only what you’re willing to lose, and bring a bit of extra cash for food and drink.

Leave all your credit cards and debit cards at home, not even in the car, so you have no way of accessing any more $$ than you walked in with.