what qualifies someone as a problem gambler?

[Eduardo]

This fills the casino with hopeful losers which is exactly what the casinos want to happen.

I've never seen such a strong argument for being a hopeless loser.

[Tedlark]

To say that only those who utilize advantage play will become problem gamblers, and not say the same thing about those who utilize recreational play, is hogwash.

[stephmo]

A problem gambler is one that plays more than he/she can afford to lose, misses important events to gamble, doesn't honor commitments in order to gamble, and plans his/her entire life around casino visits. A problem gambler always thinks they are one big hit away from ending their losses, and keeps chasing them. If all of these apply to you, you might want to consider getting help. There is nothing wrong with enjoying a casino visit and looking forward to being there. That is not a problem. The issue is having the ability to walk away when the visit is over and not feeling like an idiot. Best of luck

[Vman96]

Most problem gamblers wouldn't have a problem if they believed they were going to lose. Advantage Play strategy gives them hope that they will be among the one in a million who can. This fills the casino with hopeful losers which is exactly what the casinos want to happen.

Do you have any data to support this? I think that many of those with gambling problems don't believe they will win. I'm sure some do, but I would guess more of them don't.

[FloridaPhil]

A problem gambler is one that plays more than he/she can afford to lose, misses important events to gamble, doesn't honor commitments in order to gamble, and plans his/her entire life around casino visits. A problem gambler always thinks they are one big hit away from ending their losses, and keeps chasing them. If all of these apply to you, you might want to consider getting help. There is nothing wrong with enjoying a casino visit and looking forward to being there. That is not a problem. The issue is having the ability to walk away when the visit is over and not feeling like an idiot. Best of luck

I couldn't have said this any better.

So how do you accomplish this? You do it by understanding that the chances of you beating the casino are an extreme long shot at best. You understand the limitations of the games, your skills and your emotions. You know there is an overwhelming chance the casino will use your human frailties against you. You don't gamble bigger than you can afford to lose. You learn to be happy with small wins and you don't chase your losses. You play the best games you can as accurately as you can at a denomination you are comfortable with. Above all, you go to the casino to be entertained not to get rich.

[stevel96a1]

there all better answers then Webman's panthlet

thanks all, so as long as im able pay rent/mortage and dinner what i do with my disposable income is my choice.

with that being said its fun to gamble but hurts when you lose and knowing im gonna lose without FPDW makes me not want to gamble at all

[FloridaPhil]

with that being said its fun to gamble but hurts when you lose and knowing im gonna lose without FPDW makes me not want to gamble at all

I felt this way for years. Reading about all those full pay machines in Vegas caused me all kinds of problems. I felt like I couldn't win unless I had access to them. This forum is especially bad in that regard as the experts say not to play them and some people never seem to lose. I assumed if I was going to lose anyway, why not play single coin quarters to hold down my losses?

I flew to Vegas and played those machines. I didn't win or lose any more than on the 97% machines I had at home. My money did last longer. I eventually changed my attitude and it made a big difference. Video poker for me is cheap entertainment. If I play the games I have to play as computer perfect as I can, it's much cheaper than most of my other entertainment options.

There is no way to keep from losing on any particular day. That bothered me for a long time as well. It's part of the game, so you need to get used to it. When I go fishing, I always have to put gas in my boat and truck, buy tackle, food, sun screen and whatever else gets thrown in. I don't always catch fish.

[olds442jetaway]

The one that got away.....hooked a stray ocean sunfish by accident one extremely hot summer up north here. 10 pound test line against 500 lbs. That day I really was a problem fisherman. I drew a large crosd though. Was fishing for porgies. I was so glad when he got off. Im not sure he even knew he was hooked. I was 11 then.

[FloridaPhil]

The one that got away.....hooked a stray ocean sunfish by accident one extremely hot summer up north here. 10 pound test line against 500 lbs. That day I really was a problem fisherman. I drew a large crosd though. Was fishing for porgies. I was so glad when he got off. Im not sure he even knew he was hooked. I was 11 then.

I've seen some big sunfish back when I was offshore fishing. I caught a world record pacific sailfish on 8 pound test in Guatemala back in the early nineties. I didn't document the record because I released the fish. I have photos and everything on cassette tape. I've traveled all over the world chasing fish. The crazy stuff I've done always makes me laugh. Most people wouldn't believe half of it. Kind of like making a million dollars playing video poker in six months.

That's a joke. I hope no one takes it the wrong way. The fishing part was not. There are many parallels between fishing and playing video poker. 10% of the fishermen catching 90% of the fish for one. Sticking to a strategy that works is another. The most significant one is "If you want to catch big fish, fish where big fish live". My favorite is "What is the secret to catching more fish? Go early and stay late".

[Tedlark]

For some reason FloridaPhil rolls off the tongue a bit easier than FloridaSantiago.