A lot happier since I quit

[jcs152112]

Actually I have only quit playing for real money. After going to the Super Bowl party at the Venetian in February, dropping 7 grand and not even getting a meal comped, I said some rather harsh words at my new host. I receive invitations for some event almost daily, but I am not going back. In fact, I am through playing for money. I can't even hit anything playing for fun. I play every single day on the monthly game, having played every hand since January 1. In a few days that will be over 180000 hands or so. I have never been within 20000 points of the winner any month. I have hit 2 royals this year and aces with a kicker only 3 times. At one point I went over 4000 hands without a four of a kind. My luck is gone. Now that I am retired, I have no money, thus no ability to play for money. Vegas is now just a memory, the closest casino's are not worth playing. I am weeding myself off the vido poker come the first of the year. That is my New Year's resolution. To forget the game ever existed. I wish each of you a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful Happy New Year. I thought old age would be a blast....boy was I wrong.

[notes1]

sorry to hear about your casino experience and financial situation, but congrats on being upfront about it and quitting VP. i can assure you that you are not alone, i am sure others have had a similar experience, maybe they were not a disciplined as you, took responsibility and quit. i have made many posts regarding those who post/talk about their positive VP play, but fail to mention the losses. nearly every person who plays on a regular basis... loses. many have had sessions where they lost much more than they budgeted.  one part of your story i can really relate to. i have slowed my work schedule down as i approach retirement, and was looking forward to spending more time playing VP. but, the games have changed over the past few years and i just cannot stomach throwing away money into the machines, at the rate they now take it. that is why i only play quarters, single line and limit my time in the casino. others are also making adjustments.

[FAA]

A sobering post indeed, JCS. I am okay with quarters CS, fervently praying I miss a premium hand and its whopping windfall. I will drop 1% of your loss on a terrible day. Discretion is the better part of valor. The Bard knew what he was talking about.

[DaBurglar]

wow  I am truly sorry jcs152112......Although I am somewhat perplexed by your Venetian story......how did you come to dropping 7 grand at a Super Bowl Party weekend?  What did you play???    And why on earth did your host not even give you a free meal????I would like to invite you to look into playing plain old LIVE POKER.....you have much more control of your gaming decisions, you do not need to rely on LUCK as there is a fair amount of SKILL in poker, and if you start playing LIMIT Holdem at the $2-4 level you do not need a big bankroll at all, and yet as long as you log enough hours at the tables most casinos will give you a really cheap room rate (maybe even compd)....once you master LIMIT HOLDEM  you can graduate up to No-Limit Holdem.Just a thought.....you can practice online if you want.

[alpax]

So much damage done beyond repair, video poker is not meant to be for everyone based on general consensus.

I hope you will find some hobby soon that is fulfilling during your retirement days.

[luvelvis]

Probably one of the most honest posts I have read. You usually only hear about people's winnings and not their losses. Good for you for realizing that this activity is just not for you.

[Chicagoan]

I know 3 people who went bust in video poker, one of them had to file bankruptcy. One of them tried to quit and couldn't. He got himself banned from all Illinois casinos and then he started driving to Michigan and other places to play. He lost his job because he got caught playing on-line video poker during working hours. 20 years ago he was set for life, nice family, nice job, good 401k. My understanding is that he has lost it all AND STILL PLAYS VP! I am totally expecting to wake up someday and find out that he is a suicide. So for every story of a winner, there is also a very sad loser. I am happy for jsc152112 that he found reality!

[FAA]

I have problems retaining $50 of winnings sometimes. Staying small is my guarantee of averting disaster.

[DaBurglar]

I know 3 people who went bust in video poker, one of them had to file bankruptcy. One of them tried to quit and couldn't. He got himself banned from all Illinois casinos and then he started driving to Michigan and other places to play. He lost his job because he got caught playing on-line video poker during working hours. 20 years ago he was set for life, nice family, nice job, good 401k. My understanding is that he has lost it all AND STILL PLAYS VP! I am totally expecting to wake up someday and find out that he is a suicide. So for every story of a winner, there is also a very sad loser. I am happy for jsc152112 that he found reality!We are venturing off into a totally different realm of issues here......there is a HUGE difference between someone who understands the game, chooses the most advantageous games and situations to play, manages money well and then simply suffers extremely BAD LUCK,  VERSUS   people who suffer from ADDICTION to gambling (which actually is a psychological condition / disease that manifests itself in a variety of ways in different people....some are addicted to Booze, Drugs, Sex, Food, Shopping, Cigarettes, and yes, GAMBLING....), or who is simply DEPRESSED and self destructive.    An ADDICT generally does not seek to self destruct (they enjoy their addiction too much), and many addicts survive and function for long periods of time, some indefinitely, simply because they are able to maintain their supply of whatever (whether its booze, or drugs, or in the case of gambling, MONEY.)I think jcs152112 is simply a very shrewd and honest/realistic individual who understands that whatever "FUN" (or utility) he derived from playing video poker, it was not nearly worth the cost in dollars (and time) he was spending.....plus, his treatment at the hands of his Venetian host was horrible, and was enough to cause him to sour on the whole "CASINO experience" in general.    And as I have maintained, what he has experienced with his Venetian "host" is something that a great many people have seen or experienced (albeit not quite as extreme perhaps) over the past decade in a number of casinos and markets......simply because the Casino/gaming industry has become saturated, mature and ultra-competitive to the point where it is now no longer economically viable for every casino to treat every customer as well as possible.....certain customers now literally "no longer count" due to the crazy mathematics employed by many casino hosts and programs when evaluating customer "value" (or profitability.)   Sad but true.....I think many of us here have had to reluctantly come to grips with the fact that the enjoyment we USED to get from casino experiences has been sapped by the changing circumstances and reality of the industry......I know the last 5-6 years for me, is NOTHING at all like the previous 20 in terms of the total fun, joy and satisfaction I received from my casino gambling and frequenting.    As a result, I have adjusted rather drastically the manner and details of how I spend my yearly gambling "budget", which really is not a Budget at all but a general range or amount of money I devote to self entertainment and fun......for every person this amount is different, but a simple way you can tell whether a person has a gambling problem or not is if....IF they prioritize spending (not only) MONEY but TIME  on GAMBLING  over basic things in life most consider far more important, like family, bills and necessities (food, medical), and personal well being (meaning if a person spends oodles of time sitting in a casino but refuses to do any physical exercise and becomes extremely overweight and unhealthy, then gambling is a problem.....)    And hearkening back to my previous point.....I admit I do NOT have a gambling "BUDGET", and I submit/surmise that the majority (vast majority) of people here also do NOT have a "Budget"....but most of us just "know" when enough is enough.....Its a sad fact of life, that life is unfair.....I know this better than some, and yet others know this a LOT more than I myself could ever understand......some people can enjoy a drink, or three, and not allow it to take over their lives......likewise, many people can gamble, sometimes maybe even overdo it a little, but always keep it within manageable, non-harmful ranges.....others cannot.You help the people who need help, while at the same time NOT infringe on the rights of all the other people who can use, indulge and play without any problem.

[FloridaPhil]

Jcs152112, you are where I was three years ago. There is a cost to play video poker. These costs can be financial, but the mental cost can be substantial as well. When you are in retirement you think about money differently. It's not easily replaced and you start thinking about how long you'll need it, how much you need and all kinds of other issues you never thought about before.

What I did was separate the money from the game. I asked myself if those two things are tied together or was this just in my mind. What I found was that while playing video poker without money was OK, adding money completed the game and made it worthwhile. The next question was how much money did I need to risk to have fun? For me, it turns out that even a small amount of money solved this problem and CS was born.

I wish you luck with your retirement from video poker. Cold turkey didn't work for me. If you decide to come back, think about playing the game super cheap. There are many advantages and not many disadvantages.