The Pause that Refreshes

11 August 2024

By Frank Scoblete

“Take a break,” I’ve told players who are either bleary-eyed, too tired, losing too much, winning a lot, winning loads of money, or they just look like they need a rest. So why don’t they take a rest?

Resting is good. It is very good. You will rarely see an athlete who does not require intervals of rest. It is par for the course of life and gambling life is no different than, well, real life. In fact, it is real life.

People who work too hard are asking for trouble. Players who play too much; who bend their waking hours in order to play this game or that game for prolonged time periods, are asking for fatigue and other aspects of tiredness to take over their decision making. We rarely make good decisions when we are tired or when we are burdened with multiple hard decisions to make.

Think about that for a few seconds.

So why won’t gamblers stop gambling and take a much-needed rest? What happens inside Uncle Billy to thwart his putting his head down a resting for a while? I think a certain syndrome hits casino players at certain times that prevents them from listening to their bodies.

This syndrome -which I now call “No, I’m not tired” syndrome – will hit players after certain length of time – and slowly these players will give up the ghost. This ghost is their awakening consciousness, that inside you that will give good advice if only you will listen to it.

Now, I will use a modern movie to crystallize this syndrome.

That movie is Hangover the story of four friends who go to Vegas for a bachelor prewedding party and find they have lost one of themselves.

“What happened to him?”
“Did he go somewhere?”
“We were so drunk last night? Weren’t we?”
“Vegas is the place where we can let it all hang out!”
“What do you mean I am engaged to a stripper?”
“We have to relocate our friend. I hope nothing happened to him.”

Now, as unreal as this movie sounds, we know that many players go Vegas to lose themselves in wine, beer, and drinks galore until they can’t actually remember what they did parts of last night when this morning came.

Losing it is considered by many to be a good thing. Losing it is often accompanied by losing money – perhaps vast amounts of money. (Hey, that’s Vegas for you!)

Vegas is sometimes given credit for a kind of amnesia. “We went so all-out last night that I don’t actually remember last night.”

Why do many players believe that “letting it all hang out” means that they will “let it all hang out.” Is that rational? I say no.

Yes, okay, you can let a little bit hang out – very little. Losing one’s mind does not seem like a good thing to do.

Now, when some tells you to quit and go take a rest, why not listen to this person?

You don’t want to lose your friend do you?

All the best in and out of the casinos!

Frank Scoblete’s books are available at Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, Kind, e-books, libraries, and bookstores.