The beginning of a new year is the nudge for many people to sit down and really think about their life and their goals, and perhaps make some resolutions. I do that every January myself. I always resolve to eat in a healthier manner and hope that will let me take off the few pounds that are determined to keep coming back. It wouldn't be frugal if my present wardrobe becomes so tight that I would have to buy a whole new one!

This year I have decided to go back to a technique that I have used off and on down through the years – eating mini-meals 5-6 times a day rather than 3 big ones. This can be difficult since we frequently eat in casino buffets. But I have found that if I make only one trip to the food counters and take only very small portions of several of my favorite foods, I feel full and satisfied rather than deprived. As I say to Brad, "There will be more food here tomorrow!"

But there is another area that I always analyze carefully in January and that is the gambling part of our life. It is a natural time to do it since we are gathering up the financial figures from the previous year for our tax returns.

Actually our gambling win/loss figure is not as important as you might think. Since we live in Las Vegas and play a total (for the both of us) of around 15-18 hours a week and we almost never play a casino game unless we have an advantage, and usually a fairly large one, we know that we will almost always have a profit.

In 17 years of playing video poker we have had only one year with a loss and it was a very small one. However, the win totals vary considerably, from just a bit over break-even to we-just-can't- believe-how-much: for example in 2006 when Brad grabbed the half-million first prize in a Caesars slot tournament.

But although the win/loss total isn't terribly important to us – remember our goal in a casino has always been just to break even on the money part and enjoy all the comps – January is still a period of contemplation for us about our gambling. We go over all our casino plays, figuring out the EV (expected theoretical value) of each one to be sure we are still playing at a good advantage.

However, we are more and more thinking as we grow older that balance is the key word here. Balance in life is a very individual thing and depends on what you consider important in your life. A single bachelor who treats gambling as his full-time occupation will have a different definition of balance than a married woman with several young children and who gets to a casino only once a month on a girls' night out.

Balance for Brad and me has recently been to cut down on the number of hours we spend in a casino. One reason is that I wanted to pursue some volunteer work in a "real-life" setting, which now involves tutoring 2nd graders in reading. We both are wanting to reduce our time in a smoky atmosphere that is no good for Brad's stent-filled heart or my allergies. Another factor is our desire to see more movies, one of our favorite pastimes. Another is to give me more recliner time and Brad more couch time, something we seem to need more of as we age.

And in December we had an extra reason, one that was a joy beyond anything gambling could give us. We had family here for 11 days over the holidays, including my sister, daughter, and two beloved grandchildren. Our goal was to keep Angela and the two kids so busy that they didn't have time to dwell on the fact that Steve was in Iraq and couldn't be home to celebrate Christmas with them. We were in casinos a lot while they were here - eating, shopping, seeing movies and shows, playing in arcades - but the video poker machines had no appeal for us that whole time.

This beginning of 2008, have you thought about balance in your life and specifically whether you are happy about your gambling time last year? Many people have talked or written to me about this subject and almost everyone has mentioned that they wished that, even if they can't win, there was a way to lose less in casinos.

I don't have time to answer in detail all the e-mails I get with this issue, but I do have a lot of tricks up my sleeve for winning more/losing less. So off and on I am going to use some of this blog space to discuss some of the techniques that might help you lose less and maybe even win in 2008.

Jean $cott

QueenofComps@cox.com

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