Wisdom II

10 September 2024

By Frank Scoblete

The Captain had a lot of sayings. One of his favorites, one he adapted from someone, was “the contest was not between you and the casino but between you and yourself.”

Over the years I realized this saying was absolutely true, at least for many casino players. What got them into trouble were elements of their personalities that laid them low.

If a player couldn’t handle losing, well, that player might start to over bet and lose even more in a vain attempt to gain back his previous losses and add some wins to the mix. Instead of handling what had recently happened, he would pursue an ill-fated remedy. He would, by his own designs, plunge himself into much worse territory.

The Captain had a two-fold way to handle the games where the casino had the edge – which it does almost 100 percent of the time. If you couldn’t get an edge, and almost no one can, then that person should figure what is the lowest amount he or she should wager and stick to that amount.

If you are playing poker for pennies losing doesn’t hurt at all. After all, what is a penny? Now go to a nickel and maybe that can cause this same person to think about what is happening. It isn’t terrifying but it does stir the juices somewhat. That’s the place to be when betting; not more, not less.

The Captain believed that a player should make the smallest bet that will tend to get his or her heart racing (a little) but not give him or her a heart attack. Betting too much was worse than betting too little.

Make as few bets as you can in such situations. Do you really have to bet on three numbers at craps? What about one number? Can that satisfy you? If so, why make a bet of more than one number in a game where you have no edge?

These were the types of questions that the Captain asked…and answered. Less to him was more benefit. That is in a game where the edge is in the casinos’ benefit, not in the players’ benefit. What was the point of giving your money away?

If you had the edge, of course, your betting could be for more but you never made bets where the casino edge was more than about one and a half percent. You had to make bets where your skill was enough to overcome the house advantage. At craps that was very few bets indeed.

The Captain did not play blackjack; he did not play any games where the casino banked them. He only played craps.

Can a normal player; one who is used to throwing money at a game he or she cannot beat, learn from the Captain? A few, yes, but most just don’t have the will power to stop their habits in the face of Lady Luck. They want to go for it even though “it” cannot ultimately be achieved.

The Captain understood that the casino fueled the players’ desires for “untold riches” where no riches could actually be found, except on rare occasions.

I don’t know if it bothered him that almost none of the crew ever asked him about his ideas and the rare time he gave them, the crew just ignored him.

But I listened and learned.

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.