Quitting Play

9 July 2024

By Frank Scoblete

There are times to leave the game. Good times and bad times.

Sometimes leaving signals that you have lost enough for today and you know it deep in your heart.

You’ve gone through the hope-for victory-feelings only to be brought low by multiple defeats. It just wasn’t in the cards or dice or spin of the reels. You’ve had enough. Time to quit.

Those quitting moments actually show your maturity and the ability to know that there will be other times, successful times, when a win is in the offing. No reason to hammer your head against the sharply spiked wall of ongoing losses. Return sometime in the future. That’s the good idea; the adult idea.

Sometimes leaving the game means you have won enough and you are totally satisfied with your victory. Indeed, on occasion those rare magic nights whisper loudly in your ear: “Take the win and be grateful. Now, go to your room (or home) and dream the dreams of joy!” You deserve this.

No one who plays in casinos for any extent of time expects to be ahead. The casino’s edge on every game is immutable.

Oh, well, maybe some slot players hold out the hope that they will crush the machines finally and at last. For most slot players, such an event is just not going to be. They know that (or should know that) and their play is based on hopeful anticipation. Nothing more; nothing less.

Okay, how do you know that you should leave the game?

Maybe a big win tells you to get away now, while you can savor the big win. Certainly, that is a sure sign of your maturity. The worst thing that can happen to a big win is for it to be chipped away, inch by inch until it becomes a loss.

Imagine a big win turning into a large loss? My saying is a simple one – savor the wins. That thought comes to mind and it usually means I’m calling it a session.

There are some players who have experienced this swing and they tell me it hurt them right in the heart. “Why didn’t I leave when I had such a great win?” Why didn’t he leave? I do not know.

Winning is the time to leave – especially if you have played what I would call a normal amount of time.

Of course, if you have been getting your head kicked in, certainly that would be the proper time to scoot away from the table. A bad loss is hard to come back from. It is easy to come back tomorrow if today’s loss is not immensely large. Please keep that in mind.

The debate!

Now for the toughest part of your decision of whether to leave the table, or the machine, or not.

I call this the great debate: Do I leave or do I stay?

Your brain will go back and forth over this. You’ll bargain with yourself: I’ll stay until I lose two decisions in a row. I’ll go if I lose two of three decisions. You could spend an amazing amount of time arguing and rebutting your arguments.

You know what? Skip the debate. As soon as you hear that inner voice saying to you “Leave the table!” Then – leave the table. It doesn’t mater if a part of your mind wants to stay – leave!

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.