On the Way to the Poorhouse

24 September 2024

By Frank Scoblete

Most casino players have some control over how much they bet and when they should quit whatever game they are playing. If that were not so then we’d have many more former players in the poor houses of America and the rest of the world.

Still, there are many players who often, more often than not, make the wrong choices when they definitely know better. They bet the wrong kinds of bets where the house has unimaginable edges over them. No one can beat house edges in the double digits for very long, even on good sessions.

You will see such bettors tackling craps by making silly bets.

Craps is a game where a few bets (very few) are supremely manageable. Yet it is a game that offers some of the absolute worst bets in the casino. And players often flock to these bets.

Is it because writers such as me never get through? Are we asking for the impossible?

I mean there are plenty of writers such as me – do they never get through either? I think most writers such as me tell players the truth about the games and the various bets at the games. So, heck; why don’t these admonitions ever get through?

It is not the fault of the writers; no sir; the players just refuse to listen. There I said it and I’m not taking it back. We are singing a song with just one lyric – “don’t make those bets!” And then they make those bets. What gives?

I know, after years of writing about craps, that it is a game that people go into thinking okay thoughts such as, “I will make the best bets and give myself a good chance to win!” and, instead, they come out of thinking, “What the heck did I just do?”

Why is this so real that so many players who know better before the game kick themselves in the butts after the game is over? It is not a rare occurrence certainly. It’s a daily one for the dealers certainly.

I think I know the reason – and this might also be a reason why some other games tank many players – they are too exciting. There I said it. You get caught up in the ins and out of the games you enjoy playing and you forget, temporarily, the wise advice of the sages who warn of the wise advice you should be listening to.

And I think you can take the wise advice and just add (maybe now and again) a little craziness if you feel compelled to.

And if you don’t feel compelled to or if you are now 100 percent in control of your emotions, ride that into the sunset. The smaller the edge, the better chance you can beat it. That’s a good general statement.

All the best in and out of the casinos.

Frank Scoblete’s books are available from Amazon.Com, Barnes and Noble, Kindle, e-books, libraries, and bookstores.