Page 8 - Jackpot Magazine South ~ September, 2023

PLAY TO WIN
Winning means knowing when not to play
“In this game, everyone needs a break to refuel, recharge, and jump back in full throttle.”
— Helen Edwards, author
My father loved to play blackjack. He lived in Las Vegas so he could play pretty much whenever he wanted. And when he’d come visit me in Biloxi, he knew he could visit the casinos just about anytime, as well. That amounts to a lot of blackjack, and a lot of winning.
Wait a minute. A lot of winning? Truth be told, not every session of play is a winning one. In fact, some might say they’ve had more sessions where the cards were not in their favor than the other way around. No matter how good a blackjack player you think you are, you will eventually experience a losing session. How you manage yourself when this happens is just as important as knowing when to double down and split.
That last piece of advice comes from gaming expert Henry Tamburin. Author of many best-selling books on gambling, including Blackjack: Take the
Money and Run, Tamburin once wrote a column for Jackpot! titled “Losing Sucks.” And it does.
Tamburin wrote that sometimes players lose their money because of their lack of self-control caused by the exciting atmosphere in a casino. In his book, The Ten Best Casino Bets, he wrote, “When you enter a casino, you are entering a place of business. Moreover, like all successful businesses, the casinos are run by businesspeople whose job is first, to keep you playing and happy, and second, to separate you from your money as quickly and painlessly as possibly. To meet these objectives, they create an atmosphere in the casino that can be described as a ‘Disneyland for adults.’ No clocks to let you know it’s time to leave this utopia, no
windows to let you see out to the real world, free drinks at the tables, and, of course, plenty of pretty girls to keep you happy and playing.”
In his Jackpot! column, Tamburin asked what happens to the gambler when he enters this casino-centered excitement? “For him, the rewards of winning all of the casino’s money far outweigh the risks of losing his meager bankroll. Moreover, this exciting atmosphere makes it easy for the average player to feel lucky and go broke at the chance of winning the jackpot.”
There is no denying in order to be a winner, players must learn to control their emotions in the casino. As casino gambling author Lyle Stuart succinctly put it, “The real struggle when you are playing is, in most cases, not between you and the casino, but between you and yourself.” Players will find
plenty of temptations to keep them playing and losing; therefore, they must develop a sense of timing or awareness (also known as discipline) of when to play, and more importantly, when
to quit.
Tamburin offered some
specific tips that everyone can use to avoid the psychological traps that doom players into losing. The first one, especially, applied to my father — after a long trip, he needed rest and food more than chips and cards.
Tamburin’s Tips
• If you are tired from a long drive or flight, now is not the best time to hit the tables. Play only when you are rested and alert.
• Watch the alcohol consumption when you play. There is a reason why they offer players free alcoholic drinks (if you don’t know the reason, I’d strongly recommend you stay away from the blackjack
tables).
• If you get ahead, don’t be caught in the trap of thinking that you are betting with the
“casino’s money.” Once the chips go from the casino’s chip tray to your side of the table, that’s now your money and not the casino’s.
• Keep track of time and set reasonable win goals. Unless you are a card counter, the odds are stacked against you so be content with a modest win. If you manage to get ahead by, say, 30 percent or more of your starting bankroll, pocket half of your profit plus what you started with, and play with the rest. This way, even if you lose “the rest,” you’ll still be able to go home with a profit.
• Set a stop loss... and discipline yourself to stop playing if you reach it. You have nothing to be ashamed of if you have a losing session. The casinos will always be open for you to try your luck again, hopefully, with better results.
• There’s a reason that you bet chips and not cash in a casino. If you were to put down a couple of $10 or $20 bills on the felt as a bet, you might think twice about doing it. However, once your cash is converted to chips, players often lose sight of the fact that those chips represent hard-earned money. Betting chips rather than cash makes it easy for players to over bet their bankroll, resulting in a quick and painful losing session.
• The odds of winning the next hand don’t change just because you lost the previous hands. If you run into a buzz-saw dealer, who consistently draws to 20 and 21 and beats the table, quit, and take a break. Relax, catch your breath, and try your luck at another table.
After a losing session, my father would do just that. Relax, maybe get a meal, take some time off. Then, he’d try his luck at another table.
Do you have a question on the best way to play to win? Email jackpotmagazine@gmail.com.
Play To Win Again
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8 JACKPOT! MAGAZINE • September 2023
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