Stay in Control Part Two

27 January 2024

By Jerry Stickman

This is the second 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 last article covered a player’s gambling bankroll.

Losing streaks can also cause a control problem.

Losing control at a slot machine, a video poker machine, or at a table game is usually caused by losing. Losing consistently is no fun for anyone, but losing streaks are a fact of gambling. Unless you play only one hand and it happens to be a winner, there will be losing streaks. Even though the loss will ultimately settle around the casino edge, there can be large losses between wins.

Learning how to navigate these losing streaks will do wonders in preventing loss of control. The best way to do that is to make sure the gambling bankroll consists of money that is devoted strictly to gambling. Make sure none of it is needed for anything else, such as food, car payments, rent, etcetera. Losing money that is not needed for anything else is a whole lot easier on a person than losing the next house payment – or worse.

Setting aside a dedicated gambling bankroll is only a part of the solution, however. The bankroll must also be large enough to handle the desired playing time. For example, a bankroll of $100 will not cover four hours of play at a dollar video poker game ($5 per hand). It is not even enough to cover four hours of play at a quarter game ($1.25 per hand).

Before heading to a casino or sitting down for an online casino session, try to realistically estimate how long you want to play. Think about how much you will be betting on each hand you play. Estimate how many hands you will play each hour.

Be realistic. The numbers may surprise you. As mentioned above, video poker players bet $1.25 per hand on a quarter machine and $5 per hand on a dollar machine. They can play hundreds of hands an hour. Some can play more than 1,200 hands an hour. That is 20 hands a minute or one hand every three seconds!

Realize that even though the overall house edge may be low, the sheer volume of hands can deplete the bankroll quickly.

More than that, the house edge is not taken in a smooth fashion. Gambling has streaks – both winning and losing. Allow for the quick drawdown while on a losing streak.

Until your bankroll is large enough to handle the expected amount of play – and it is dedicated to casino play, there will be pressure to lose control in adverse conditions.
aside for gambling.
Do not even think of gambling if you do not have a large enough bankroll that is specifically set

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

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