I’ve written before that the reason I started gambling was because of the sex! Although there is some truth in that claim, the main reason I said it was to entice readers into continuing to read.
Gambling, among other things, contributed to James Bond’s sexual success. Blackjack author Lawrence Revere talked about gorgeous dates being willing to accompany successful card counters to comped hotel suites in Las Vegas. When I was in my 20s, that sounded pretty good. As is fairly common for guys that age, I was constantly in search of more and “better” sexual conquests.
I can’t say that I ever got more sex or prettier girls vying for my attention simply because I was a successful gambler. Maybe it worked for some guys, but not for me. Now I’m a 65-year-old married man and “more and better sexual conquests” is no longer one of my motivating goals.
Somebody once wrote that a comped meal tasted better than a meal for which you had to pay full price. That’s probably true for me. I’m naturally inclined to be a frugal guy, and actually paying for some of the gourmet meals we’ve had comped is out of the question. If Shirley and I aren’t somewhere near a casino at dinnertime, we might well go to Sweet Tomatoes, a soup-and-salad-bar kind of place where dinners cost less than $10 apiece. And we’d both be satisfied with the meal.
Also, we enjoy the comped suites, cruises, and around-the-country locations we’ve gotten to visit because of playing video poker. The only three times I’ve been to Europe have been comped, and we’re going a fourth time next year. I can’t say Atlantic City and downtown Detroit are exotic by any stretch of the imagination, but if it weren’t for casinos, I wouldn’t have gone there at all. And at least I get to join in the conversation if someone else is talking about these locales.
In addition to the comp benefits, I enjoy beating the casino at its own game. The casino gets to set the rules, sometimes intentionally changing them to keep guys like me from prospering, and I’ve still been able to succeed. This gives me pleasure.
For a period of about 15 years in my life, I worked for a total of four different companies in corporate America. I didn’t like it and I wasn’t particularly successful. Some of you are aware of some “doesn’t-play-well-with-others” issues I’ve had as a video poker “guru.” Similar issues were worse when I worked for corporations. Although I can assure you that problems were always the other guy’s fault, at the time, no one seemed inclined to believe my protestations of innocence. A big reason why I’m gambling now is that I get to be my own boss. That works out much better for me. I’m not the only one with these sorts of issues. However, I am one of the fortunates whose Plan B turned out to be more successful than Plan A.
I enjoy being considered a video poker guru. Doing the research to better understand all things video poker is fun for me. Figuring out how to beat a particular promotion and then going out and executing that plan is very rewarding. Teaching is something that expands my personality. Standing up in front of others and having them attentively listen to everything I say is a real gift. Most people don’t get to experience that. Having thousands of people come up to me and tell me that I’ve made a difference in their lives is extremely gratifying.
It used to bother me that a certain number of people chose to throw rocks at me simply because I’m in the spotlight. Or that I’m “too much” in the spotlight for their taste. People made up untrue stuff and repeated it often enough that others believed it. Now I understand that this comes with the territory and I mostly just ignore it.
Learning computer perfect play is easier for me than it is for many others. But PLAYING perfectly takes effort. I need to concentrate or I’ll miss something. I don’t mind concentrating and it pleases me when I play well.
I’ve spent years around other advantage gamblers. Personality-wise they are not that much different from my classmates in graduate school. They are predominantly bright, successful, and somewhat cynical. I’m comfortable around this group. Not surprisingly I like some of them better than others, and some I don’t care for at all. And I’m certain that feeling is mutual.
I also spend a lot of time around square dancers. This activity is one of Shirley’s hobbies and my life works better if I participate. These are nice people, but mostly they are retired and not striving to meet any goals more complicated than getting to the dance by 7 o’clock and remembering the various dance commands. I quickly run out of things to talk about with these folks. I don’t dislike them, but I’d much rather be debating how to adjust to the recent slot club change at Casino A or whether or not the promotion at Casino B is worth playing. Some people want life to be free and easy and uncomplicated. Maybe I’ll feel that way when I’m eighty, but for now, I much prefer my mind to be active and dealing with some complications.
I’m able to “not sweat the small stuff” better than a lot of players. I’m able to focus on the big picture where I’m pretty sure I’m going to come out ahead, rather than worry too much about daily or weekly swings. Some people live and die by today’s score. That makes gambling a very stressful activity. I’m very fortunate that I’m not that way.
So those are my reasons. Your reasons may have some overlap with mine, but everybody has a different rationale for doing this. One final reason is that I like to play the game. If that’s not on your list as well, you’re probably better off finding something else to do with your life.