Stay in Control Part Three

3 February 2024

By Jerry Stickman

This is the third article in a series about how to stay in control when gambling. It does not matter if the gambling is in a casino or online, the pressure to lose control is there both ways.

The previous articles covered bankrolls and dealing with losing streaks. Yes, winning streaks can also cause a problem with losing control.

The opposite of prolonged losing streaks can also happen. There will be times where everything seems to be going exactly as you wanted. Seemingly every hand is a winner. The winnings keep climbing. There is a feeling of euphoria. You are invincible. You start to believe this will continue forever.

You have found the keys to the casino’s vault!

You raise your bets. You are striking while the iron is hot. Money continues to roll in.

Eventually, reality strikes. No longer is hand after hand a winner. With the increased bet size, your pile of winnings is dropping quickly. But you are still under the influence of the rush you had from winning.

You raise your bets even higher knowing that eventually you must start winning again and you want to recover what you are now losing in short order.

Randomness has streaks – winning streaks and losing streaks. You are now betting that the winning streak will continue. The problem with randomness and streaks is you never know when streaks will start or end. That is why it is called random.

It is true that eventually you will reach the house edge. But in this case, you have been maintaining a player edge. To reach the normal house edge is losing at a higher rate for a while.

What can be done to preserve control in this situation?

• ***Keep your bets consistent. Randomness dictates that streaks cannot be forecast, do not bet into them.

• ***Preserve a portion of the win.

o *If playing a table game, set a portion, perhaps a third or half of each win aside. Start this once you are up a set amount of 10 to 20 units for example, and continue adding to this pile as you win. Set this aside or put it in your pocket. This will be taken with you when you leave the table. It will not be used to continue play – at least not this session.

o *If playing a slot or video poker game, when the total credits reach a set amount – maybe two times (or more) of your buy-in, cash out the game. Cash the ticket hold the initial buy-in amount and put the excess in your pocket. Feed the initial buy-in amount into the machine and continue play.

• ***The preserved portion is not to be played during this session. It is money you will take with you. It is a guaranteed win! If you lose what is left, leave the game. Take a break. Savor the winning session for a while before beginning play again.

That is all for this installment. More to come next time in Part Four.

As always, may all your wins be swift and large, and your losses be slow and small.

Jerry “Stickman”

Jerry “Stickman” is an expert in craps, blackjack and video poker and advantage slot machine play. He is a regular contributor to top gaming magazines. He authored the video poker section of “Everything Casino Poker: Get the Edge at Video Poker, Texas Hold'em, Omaha Hi-Lo, and Pai Gow Poker!” You can contact Jerry “Stickman” at stickmanjerryg@gmail.com