I’m approaching the twilight of my life and career, and I sometimes reflect on whether I could have done it better. My readers are, for the most part, younger than I am, and at least some of them would like to pursue successful gambling as a career. Perhaps there are some lessons for others in my musings.
For the sake of today’s blog, I’m going to take it as a given that I became a successful gambler, writer, and teacher. This ending was never a foregone conclusion. That’s just the way it turned out.
Education:
At the time I stopped going to graduate school in the mid-70s, I had never heard of video poker. While I was reasonably proficient at games and just beginning to play backgammon professionally, I didn’t envision my life turning out the way it did.
I studied a lot of math and economics in school, which was a good choice. Gambling is mostly applied math, especially probability, and the more I knew about that the better. When I attended UCLA, economics was taught as logic applied to the real world. That’s a perfect background for a gambler.
Today I wish I knew more math and computer programming. There were many video poker games that arose which needed to be analyzed by computer programs. Commercially available computer software came of age during my career, but there were many problems these software programs couldn’t solve. Sometimes I hired others to do the programming for me, but I could have addressed these games more efficiently had I known how to program myself.
I had no idea I was going to be a writer. Somehow, I went all the way through school while never having to write a term paper. I never completed my Ph.D. dissertation, largely because I didn’t know how to write well. Today I get my blogs edited before you see them.
The irony of this is that if I had been a competent writer, I probably would have completed the dissertation and become a professor of economics — or at least started out that way. Others have gone from academia to the world of gambling. Perhaps I would have too.
I took some public speaking classes along the way, including debate. This was valuable training for teaching classes. Debate teaches you the principles of argumentation. There have been a lot of disagreements with casino players and other players. Knowing how to present my case clearly has led me to have a better-than-average results in these arguments.
I’m fortunate that my career included both teaching and writing. I wouldn’t know the subject nearly as well as I do without all the study required for these two activities.
Consulting:
I consulted for a variety of casinos and game manufacturers — although I haven’t for several years. The effects of this were both good and bad.
On the good side, I was paid well to look at casinos and their inventory all across the country. I wrote reports to the casinos that hired me to do this, but I also learned so much while I did this. Plus, getting paid well was a nice cushion when my gambling activities weren’t going so well.
On the down side of consulting, there were a lot of players who were very uncomfortable with me doing this. Basically, they wanted me to “pick a side and stick to it.” If I were going to write for players, fine. If I were going to write for casinos, that’d be okay too. But writing for both led to a lot of mistrust because they didn’t know where I stood. Many believed I was doing something shady or detrimental to players’ interests. I don’t believe I was doing either of those things but convincing some players of that proved impossible for me.
I took a lot of abuse from a large number of players over the years. In the early days of the internet, a lot of people using pseudonyms anonymously criticized and ridiculed me on video poker forums. I tried responding, but when the abuse is coming from several different directions with many choosing to believe the worst about me no matter what I did or said, it became an impossible situation. The only available response for me was to shut up and try to ignore it. No fun at all.
Love life:
My love life has been nothing to brag about. While I believe that humans should mate for life, I haven’t been able to manage that. By a long shot.
Still, for some reason, I ended up okay. Bonnie and I have been happy with each other, and we didn’t get together until we were both senior citizens. I’m used to the debate concerning “skill versus luck” in gambling. Finding Bonnie when I did was definitely good luck.
Podcast:
I was interested in doing a podcast at the same time Frank Kneeland was. Unfortunately, Frank and I were not a good fit together, and we lasted only six months before I asked him to bow out.
Richard Munchkin was a miraculously good replacement. He gambled successfully for decades at table games — which is different from my expertise. He knows tons of people in the gambling world and is universally well-respected. At his first stint as co-host, he still lived in Southern California. He felt the podcast was better if he did it in person, so he drove four-or-so hours each way each week. Understandably that got to be a drag and he asked to find a replacement for him after a while.
I talked Michael Shackleford into being a co-host, and that worked pretty well for a while. Michael was far more mathematical than I was, and the guests he knew — game designers, other mathematicians, and sports bettors — were a change-up from the guests Richard and I attracted. Which wasn’t a bad thing.
After a year and a half, Shackleford became bored with the podcast. Richard had moved to Las Vegas by this time and was willing to resume cohosting the show. I was delighted.
For more than 10 years, we aired more than 50 podcasts per year. We attracted professional gamblers and wannabe professional gamblers as an audience. I was preparing for the podcasts more than playing video poker — which was good.
I learned details about winning at other forms of gambling — especially blackjack and sports betting.
For whatever reason, I started being criticized less and respected more. I’m not exactly sure why, but I’ll take it. My best guess is that many of the people who previously criticized me had not met me but had merely heard things about me. Now they heard me on the podcast and figured out I wasn’t the monster I was portrayed to be.
My detractors will never go away completely. My style/personality/sense of humor rubs some people the wrong way. I am what I am.
Health and Diet:
For the most part, I’ve been good at this — with some lapses. I struggle to keep my weight under control, but it’s not terrible. I’m up to date on my vaccines and hope I’ll always be able to get them regardless of whomever is in charge of the CDC.
I’ve done a lot of study on longevity and believe I’m doing things that will give me a decent chance to reach my 90s or maybe beyond. We’ll see.
Conclusion:
Yes, I could have done things differently, but I’ve had a good life and a good career. And my writings will leave a legacy of sorts behind me. Not such a bad result.
interesting what you wrote and as one gets older we reflect back on life and most of it we would not change but some we would one thing though try and learn from your mistakes.
keep up the good work as i for one enjoy your articles.
thanks
The good thing about all of this is that it keeps you busy, and sharper than if you were sitting on your butt watching TV. Having a great partner makes this all the better. I will be curious to see what you do starting next year. It looks like the 90% write off rule will take effect Jan1/26, since they cannot even get anything passed in congress. Staying away from playing will be more difficult, and I know you are very disciplined. It will be interesting to see what you do, how you do it, and what you write about it. Will be interesting to see if the new tax law hurts gambling income and Las Vegas and around the country.
That’s a lot of reflection, Bob. Thank you for sharing. I’d say your life so far has been a whole lot of useful preparation bringing you to where you’ve been up to now, the kind that makes “luck” happen, as they say. This can be an uneasy time of life, knowing you are closer to the end than the beginning (me too), wondering what the sum total of your life has meant to anybody. I’d say you have meant a lot to so many, impossible to count the legions of vacationers, students, listeners, readers who’ve enjoyed and benefited from your contributions. And what a blessing to have someone to share this part of your life, whatever it turns out to be. My two cents–don’t look back; don’t compare. Happy 90th, however sooner or later! LOL.
A thoroughly enjoyable read. Hope you and Bonnie have a long and happy life ahead of you.
This is a great read, Bob, and thanks for writing it. I think people who have been critical of you have mostly been out of line. I attended two of your VP classes when I was visiting Las Vegas about ten years ago and both were very helpful. I have also read most of your books, and they have all been very useful for playing VP better and they were also very entertaining. The VP players of the world should be grateful that you have provided us with great tools for learning and playing better.
Talking about criticism, whatever happened Rob Singer?
Thanks for sharing Bob.
I can tell you that my wife and I have enjoyed the casino life for the last 26 years because of you.
I bought your 3 books/guides to playing video poker in 1999 and I still have them.
We have enjoyed many free vacations to Vegas because of the comps we’ve earned playing VP.
We’ve also had some very expensive ones as well, but that’s going to happen sometimes.
Congratulations on a life well lived!! You’ve helped others and that’s a good thing!!
I wish you nothing but the best in your future. Please keep doing what you are doing!
It means a lot to some of us!! Thank You!!!!!
I’m soon to be 65 and I’m sure a lot of people my age ( and possibly younger) ponder the same thing. I don’t think there is a person alive who doesn’t wonder “What if I had done x instead y?” It is inherently human to wonder about your past decisions.
Everything you have done in your life , good and bad, contributes to the person you are today. And that is the only person we can do anything about. I can’t do anything about 25 year old Jimmy Jazz, although I can think of a dozen major mistakes I had made by that point.
Not to bring religion into the discussion, but there is a quote that says “Thank God for the prayers that were not granted”. And Spock, on the original Star Trek, said “After a time, you may find that having is not so pleasing a thing after all as wanting. It is not logical, but it is often true”
If you can be happy in your own skin , you are the richest person in the world.
Jimmy, similar to the Spock quote, my mom used to say “Anticipation is more fun than realization.” Similar thought said another way.
Bob, without you, Anthony and Jean, my life would not have been the same. My mom and dad went to Las Vegas many times without knowing the world of comps and good play. My husband and I have so enjoyed all the free vacations we’ve taken over the last 30 years. So thank you for all the decisions that you made because they certainly affected many of us.
Hear, hear! I never played enough to earn many comps, but nearly all the great deals and value we’ve enjoyed in Las Vegas are because of you, Anthony, and Jean Scott. Thanks for this gerat read.
“In the early days of the internet, a lot of people using pseudonyms anonymously criticized and ridiculed me on video poker forums.”
I remember when this was happening. I no longer can recall the specifics such as the websites or the individuals (user names and whatnot) involved, but the vitriol toward you was a combo meal of their jealosy and ignorance. At times, comical, but more often just plain cruel. I’m glad you weathered those storms.
I began learning how to play VP in 2003 using your products as both an activity and as therapy following my quad bypass. I hit my first 2 royals in 2004 and with limited play over the years, I eagerly await royal number 60. Thank you very much for what you taught me, as I enjoy playing to this very day.
Bob, if you really want to talk about regret, focus on the example you mentioned in your blog post:
https://www.lasvegasadvisor.com/gambling-with-an-edge/can-everything-correctly-video-poker-still-go-broke/
(One anecdote isn’t proof of anything, but this one is close to home for me. My father, born in 1915, was 92 years old when the 2007 stock market crash happened. He had about $60 million invested in the market in 2007…)
If you could have saved your father from losing $60M, that would have been the achievement that truly mattered. Compared to that, every other accomplishment you list – or anything you think can be improved – pales in significance.
We stumble through life and then it ends. That’s the assignment.
But, as Sly Stallone famously said, it comes down to, “Ninety percent of what I did in life was stupid and wrong, but that doesn’t detract from the 10% I did really well.”
Amen to that.