“AP” stands for “Advantage Play,” which basically means using your wits to gain an edge. These may be found in and out of the casino. Squeezing every last penny out of a video poker machine is not very useful if you waste dollars elsewhere.
Here are a few AP moves I’m fond of, in no particular order. I’m sure you have others:
- Back into parking spaces. It’s easier to pull into a parking space frontways than it is doing it in reverse, but there’s a price to pay for this ease. When you back out later, you have huge blind spots and it’s much harder to avoid oncoming traffic and pedestrians. If you back in, you know in advance what your target is and nearby obstacles will be stationary, and that leaves you in good position to leave later.
Many modern cars have backup cameras that make backing in easier than it used to be. Since many cars can now parallel park unassisted by drivers, they may well be cars that can also safely back into parking spaces. And if there aren’t these cars now, there will be soon.
A move that gives you the best of both worlds is when you can pull in frontways and then continue to the next parking spot, leaving you facing the correct direction when you leave.
- When you have multiple errands to accomplish, plan them in advance so you don’t zig zag back and forth across town multiple times. I try to plan going to food markets last before I come home. Sometimes I get goods that need refrigeration and I don’t want such products sitting in my car on a warm day while I do something else.
- For me, I don’t prepay taxes except when required by law (as in estimated taxes.) I like to keep the money in my possession and use it rather than let the government sit on it (although it needs the money too!) I know some people can’t or won’t do this for a variety of reasons and habits, but it’s expensive not to.
- Don’t buy new cars. New cars lose a significant percentage of their value immediately after leaving the dealer’s lot. Buying low mileage used cars a year or two old is much cheaper. (Perhaps needless to say, having the best and the newest are not high priorities for me.)
- Eat before you go grocery shopping. Impulse buying is much higher when you have active hunger pangs.
- Exercise and diet are important. It’s not certain, but the odds say you’ll live longer with fewer ailments if you pay attention to your health. Our nation is considerably fatter today than it used to be, partly because of the way our food is created, and partly because our lifestyles are more sedentary than those of our forefathers. You don’t have to let that happen to you.
- Figure out how much your time is worth and hire people to do mundane tasks (like mowing the lawn or changing the oil in your car) if it costs less than what your time is worth. Of course, starting out, most of us have more time than money and it makes sense to do these things for yourself. But as wealth increases, these things change. And personal preferences weigh in here. If you like to do yard work or to work on your car, then it’s not strictly a dollars and sense calculation.
- Use markers in casinos if you can. Markers allow you to use the casinos money for free and puts you in line for extra casino promotions sometimes, but being eligible for these requires certain financial minimums. Plus, you have to be able to use money well and pay your bills when due. (Some people get into financial trouble using markers. If this could be you, stay away from them.)
- If you fly twice a year or more, get TSA Pre-Check. It’s something like $85 for five years, and it lets you skip long lines at the airport and keep your shoes on. (If you fly internationally, get the Global Entry. This is a little more expensive, but it includes TSA Pre-Check.) This allows you to get to the airport much later than if you have to deal with the TSA lines. It also allows you to skip the full-body scanners, meaning you can carry your cash in your pockets without having to reveal what you have.
- Don’t be too busy to stop to smell the roses. A little bit of enjoyment along the way makes for a much better life.
- For me, life works better with a partner, although I know some of you don’t mind living alone. Does it take some time and energy to find and keep a good partner? Of course. Statistics say you’ll live longer if you do. Cynics say you won’t live longer, but it will just feel like you do!
- Try not to be friendless. The best way to get a friend is to be a friend. Friends are useful. Helping a friend now can pay dividends down the road when you need a hand. Sharing in the joys and problems of other people gives you a better perspective on life.
- If at all possible, obtain good health insurance. You never know when a catastrophic accident or illness will come along. The argument of “I’ve always been healthy — insurance is a waste of money” is only good until it’s too late to get it. Don’t believe me? Ask the turkey who, prior to November 15, always had the Life of Riley without a care in the world. Then one day, unpredictable to the turkey, everything changed big time.
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Thank you, Heloise!
Mufasa
My thought exactly….
AC…did you OK this column? #8 the only one that has anything to do with Vegas or gambling.
Kinda weird……
Mufasa
My thoughts exactly…
Wonder if AC approved this one….
OMB
Today’s column was sort of a refreshing break from the same old same old, but that’s not to say that there’s anything wrong with the usual subject matter, but just that thinking of other things does indeed make for a more well-balanced and overall-better life. So, while the gates are open for sharing non-VP ideas, let me share just one:
HAVE 2 OF EVERYTHING.
Life would be better for everybody if all entities and people followed this rule. We can’t do anything about the entities, but let’s note things like: It would be immeasurably better if buildings would always be built with 2 or more elevators, because if there’s only 1 elevator, and it breaks down, then either everybody has to use the stairs; or worse, people who can’t use stairs (especially the wheelchair-bound) cannot exit their floor and do whatever they need to do. But on our personal level, we definitely can heed this maxim. You can and should make a copy of your house key, your car key and its related alarm, your work key or card or pass or fob, and anything else that could get lost or stolen that could seriously have negative consequences. And I mean that you have the 2nd key on you whenever you go out of your residence, because if the 2nd key is sitting at home, it won’t do you any good. You simply store the 2nd key in a different place on you than your 1st key, i.e., not in the same pocket or wallet or purse, but in a pocket (or different pocket) in your clothing as opposed to in something that you carry. For me (a guy, who understandably does not use a purse), I keep my main key in my right front pocket, on a key holder or key ring like most folks, and my backup keys in my left front pocket. Works great.
Great AP moves. Thank you for sharing.
Sounds like someone needs to take a safe driving course for senior citizens.
It is refreshing to read common sense advice that applies to our everyday events. Like the adage ‘haste makes waste,” or “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” these concepts generally make sense (and cents). Good advice is generally free, learning the hard way is generally costly. We all have the freedom of choice which allow us to continuously learn life’s lessons. And, “if something seems to good to be true, it usually isn’t.”
Depends on what car you want, sometimes the re-sale value is so absurdly high it pays to spend a tiny bit more for a new car that you know has not been thrashed by the previous owner. We bought a Rav4 a few years back, the used ones were only a few grand less than a brand new one.
Many years back, I read an article in the Card Player Magazine which was one of my favorite things to do during my time away from the poker tables. Until today I remember 2 of those articles which I wished to have saved in a collector’s box or so. One of those articles describes the life of a winning poker player ( a pro) who lives his life the way he likes and has total control of himself and his gaming behavior. We all know that there’s a difference between to know how to play well and to play well. And of course, taken all aspects into consideration, a winning player (AP) , even in terms of videopoker, must know that the edge is small and it’s a thin line between winning and losing. If you don’t have your life and your behavior under control, your spending and your attitute in general, how do you want to make sure that you got your gambling under control alway?
The other artictle describes the very well known problem of a gambler who wins a lot and suddenly feels the urge to spend that cash on luxury items he/she always wanted to have. I think that article was called “Don’t buy the bracelet”, it was either written by Mike Caro or Roy Cook, not so sure anymore. If you happen to win big and then drive to the nearest shopping mall to treat yourself, then it’s definetely not the right way to survive the rainy days during your career as a gambling man. Not saying that you shouldn’t spend your money and not live from time to time, but spending your Royal Flush payout on expensive items may cause financial problems later on when you need the cash.
I think what Mr Bob Dancer is saying, it’s about attitude. No matter how well you can play videopoker and know all the hands with penalty cards etc., if you’re unable to control yourself during your time away from the action, then there’s no point to go all through this.
From Switzerland
Boris
I’ve always been intrigued by Advantage Play and didn’t realize it was a thing until I started to listen to the Gambling with an Edge podcast. It’s exciting to consider that AP can be used in all aspects of life to extract an edge. Optimization is such a great concept.
Well said Boris, and I used to read that magazine too, Roy Cooke was my favorite writer… Now I have my phone to read when I throw away my garbage hands, but I do pay attention to the table action to pick up tidbits about the players…
Definitely true, TSA Pre and Global Entry are great investments.
I forgot too, once you get your Global Entry you go to the passport office and they code it right onto your passport.
Your passport and Global Entry expire at different time so this requires an extra trip to the passport office now and then, but time well spent.
I always pull headfirst into parking spots and enjoy the excitement of backing out of them. Yes, I like to live life on the edge because that’s where the fun is!