Why gamble and why so many casinos?

16 July 2013

By Frank Scoblete

FROM GEORGE: I know writing to you about this is probably a mistake but here goes. Why do people gamble in casinos? What is the thrill of risking money you have earned at games where you can’t win if you play any length of time? I just don’t get it.

FRANK'S RESPONSE: For most players I think it has more to do with an adrenaline rush than any real hope of winning in the long run. It is exciting to think that you can win money and with each decision the possibility of winning is right there, coming right up. A part of the intellect is put aside, much as it is put aside at the movies or theater, and you just go with the flow of your emotions and imagination. The fun in gambling probably has more to do with the doing of it than anything else.

FROM CHRIS: Aside from making bad bets what are the biggest mistakes players make at craps?

FRANK'S RESPONSE: Not following the rules of the game. Too many players throw bets onto the layout when the shooter is about to throw the dice. Too many players dangle their arms over the table. Too many players buy into the game just as the shooter gets the dice. Throwing a wad of bills on the table can stop the game like that. I also think that players who moan and groan about how bad they are doing as if the other players have purposely caused them to lose is another big annoyance. No one wants to lose. All the shooters want to win. Good luck or bad luck determines the outcomes, not the desire of the players. Too many craps players take the game too personally.

FROM PAULINE: In blackjack if a whole bunch of 10s have come out on the first round are the cards coming up favorable to the players or to the casino?

FRANK'S RESPONSE: Generally the fewer 10-valued cards left in the deck, the better it is for the house. The more 10-valued cards left in the deck the better it is for the players. Essentially that is the theory of card counting; you follow the 10s/aces and non-10s, usually the 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. When one group of cards is ahead in the game, the player or casino will be the favorite in the upcoming round(s). If the player has the edge, he bets more; if the casino has the edge, the player bets less.

FROM BIG BOY: I am a true believer that luck runs in streaks. I have had runs at blackjack where the dealer has busted time and again. I have had runs in craps where I just kept hitting the numbers I was betting on. Then I have had blackjack streaks where I can’t win a hand and craps streaks where I get the dice and seven-out right away. Is there some scientific study that explains why these streaks happen? If there is can’t we develop a plan for using this information to win money from the casinos?

FRANK'S RESPONSE: There is no doubt that streaks occur in gambling. Sadly, we just can’t predict when they will occur. Certainly if you count cards in blackjack you know the coming cards might favor you or favor the house but you really can’t say exactly how things will unravel. I agree, if we could accurately predict streaks we would hammer the casinos until there were no more casinos. Then again, what good would that do us?

FROM MELANIE: I am of the opinion that there are too many casinos in America and that is why the industry as a whole is hurting. Just about everywhere in the country legislatures are trying to bring casino gambling to their cities and towns. I think we are at a point of diminishing returns. I think we are past the point of diminishing returns. There are not enough new gamblers to fill all the new and old casinos. I go to some of the local casinos and there are times when only a few players are in the whole place. Maybe casino companies should reduce their plans before they become like the Titanic after hitting the iceberg.

FRANK'S RESPONSE: I think you are right. There are a finite number of gamblers out there and even though that number is huge, some 54 million Americans, the total is not growing in any way that can support the overdevelopment of properties. Unless the economy booms and gambling suddenly becomes the “in” thing to do, I think you will see some casinos and some casino venues going face up.

Readers: If you write me a letter that I publish I will send you a free copy of my new book "The Virgin Kiss." My e-mail address is fscobe@optonline.net. Frank Scoblete's newest books are "Slots Conquest," and "Everything Casino Poker: Get the Edge at Video Poker, Texas Hold’em, Omaha Hi-Lo and Pai Gow Poker!"