She quit

11 June 2019

By Frank Scoblete

Most readers enjoy reading uplifting stories about slot machines and slot players. I understand this but every once in a while we have to look at the major mistakes some slot players make that not only ruins their favorite pastime but ultimately might cause some of them to give up playing the machines altogether.

Players are not responsible for the fact that the casinos have created house-edges on the machines; after all, the casinos are a business that must make money or, well, they will go out of business. Players know this. It is no secret.

In today’s column I want to look closely at one particular slot player, someone who made tragic errors in how she approached her play, such errors that caused her to ultimately give up playing the machines.

Let us call her Sandra Bernard. Here is Sandra’s highly condensed story. It is without question a cautionary tale.

“I used to love playing the slots. I’d say I played for 15 years on monthly or bi-monthly [twice a month] trips to the casinos. I played every type of machine, from the basic three-line traditional machines to huge progressives. When the multi-line machines came out I went right to them and played them as well.

“So I was not shy about putting my credits in the machine and taking my shot with good luck. And to admit it, there were some days and nights that saw me win – and on rare occasions these could be somewhat big wins. But I had a big problem with winning. I found that I wanted to increase my wins and win a bundle.

“Now I would play about six hours a day but if I won I would push my time to try to capitalize on a winning streak. I once played 16 hours straight. I know that was crazy. I was way ahead but a few drinks and off I went to the races until I lost everything that I had won on the machines.

“I can’t tell you how many times I gave back all my wins and then some. It didn’t happen all the time but it happened enough that I always told my friends that I was the kind of player who gave back my money to the house. I’d laugh about it, thinking that all slot players must play this way. After a while I started to think to myself did all slot players play this way, really?

“You know what? I even had a problem in the times I lost; almost the same problem actually. I figured if I switched machines good luck would follow me to the new machine or rather that I would find good luck on a new machine. Sometimes, yes; most times, no; so I machine-hopped a lot.

“I always told myself not to take out more in credit than I could afford to pay back immediately, I mean just write a check and be done with it even before I left the casino.

“But sometimes I just had these feelings that a win was coming, maybe a big win, and I would take out more credit or go to the cash machine when my credit ran out. That was not the way to go; I know that – now! So I would throw out more money to get on a winning streak or rather lose my losing streak.

“I enjoyed the free stuff, the comps, and I played to get these comps as if they were really free as opposed to paybacks for possible losses over time. I’ve had lunches that might cost twenty dollars that cost me hundreds! And for some nutty reason I always thought of them as free lunches. Oh, look at all the free stuff I’m getting! I mean I actually thought that.

“I think where I really went off the rails; the final blow you might say, was when I decided that I could make up all my losses by playing higher minimum machines. I knew that these paid back more but I didn’t really understand that a somewhat smaller percentage taken out of a lot more money would ultimately cost me a lot more money. Why I didn’t put two-and-two together, I don’t know, I really don’t. Maybe I did know but I refused to admit ti myself that I did know.

“Yes, playing those high-end machines over about a two year period made me the darling of the casino. I got so much free stuff that I actually totally lost track of what the heck I was doing. I lost all perspective. I mean I got free suites! I got free meals at the gourmet restaurants; free tickets to great shows. It was ridiculous. I was ridiculous.

“I am not a high roller. I make a decent living but I was playing way over my head. It wasn’t even that I went to the casino more and more. I just did my monthly or bi-monthly trips but I was off the deep end you might say.

“So to make a long story short. I quit playing the slots. I miss them but I played foolishly. I know that now.”

Sandra Bernard is not unique. Her mistakes, and there were many, tend to hurt other players as well.

Visit Frank’s website at www.frankscoblete.com. Frank’s latest books are Confessions of a Wayward Catholic!; I Am a Dice Controller and I Am a Card Counter. All of Frank’s books are available from Amazon.com, Kindle, Barnes and Noble, e-books and at bookstores.