This is definitely not the first time I’ve written about generates; especially when the data shows that problem gambling can break down marriages. Wouldn’t be the last time either.
Just that today is Friday, and I need to write about something. Wanted it to be something on the happier side, but the gambling world is not Candyland. Well, may be it is; if you’re a casino.
But let’s not digress. So, I was surfing through the Gambling subreddit, and saw a thread, with a good number of replies. It was about a guy who was doing well playing blackjack – a few good hands – but then went crazy and blew $10K during the course of a night.
Now, this gentleman, instead of taking his loss like a man, and walking away, wants to fight back. He has a bankroll – probably his savings, I don’t know – of $50K and wants to recover his losses, by hitting a local casino.
And, he expects everyone’s input in making it happen.
He plans to lose his money either – mind the sarcasm – on blackjack or baccarat. Doesn’t mind doing Martingale, to run after the losses he will most probably incur.
I messed up big time. Recently, I was playing Blackjack on some online casinos, lost a few hands early on, and went full tilt. End result? I blew $10K in a single night. I’ve since self-excluded from those sites, but I can’t just sit with that loss—I need to win it back.
I know I’m a complete degen, and I’ve come to terms with that. Right now, I have a $50K bankroll, and I’m considering heading to my local casino. My goal is simple: recover the $10K and walk away.
I’m torn between Blackjack and Baccarat. One option I’m considering is going in with a $10K bet—if I win, I cash out immediately. If I lose, I could try a Martingale strategy to chase the loss.
I fully understand how risky this is. If things don’t go my way, I could easily lose the entire $50K. But at this point, I feel like I have to take the shot.
What would you do in my situation? Any advice?
The Redditors first don’t take him seriously, but soon realized he was real. An authentic moron to say the least; a typical degenerate gambler that casinos need day in and out to keep their corporate bank accounts flush with cash.
There were a few funny replies like:
Next Post. I’m down 60k, that’s my child’s college fund, please help.
Take a picture of that 50 grand so you can remember what a f**king dumbass you are after it’s gone.
There was one who had the right idea:
My advice: join r/problemgambling and read and learn from others who tried to chase their losses
But the thing is this man had done this at least on two occasions before.
This was when a man asked him to take his $10K loss and call it quits; taking it as a hard lesson on life. But, it seemed the OP was not having any of it.
This is already my third time, I’ve been in this situation before. I was lucky to get out of it the last 2 times. This time it could be different or luck may be on my side again, the first outcome is likely but the degen in me is still hopeful (hopium on deck).
It seems he’s adamant on losing his savings. There is little we can do here.
Ah well, I guess he can do a dragon link slot title, put $100 per spin on it. This will probably increase his odds of hitting something by few percentage points; even though the RNG will decide the fate.
Or as one other user suggested in the thread, he could try Baccarat, which could give him a slight edge on the odds coming in his favor, provided he made the correct choice on being the banker or the player.
Baccarat is your answer. The only decision you have to make in the game is whether to play banker or player. You can’t screw yourself over by taking one too many when you shouldn’t have hit. Or the guy in the 6 seat hitting with 13 against a 6
Behavioral economics might play a part why players chase losses
This is nothing new. I have written about it many times before.
It’s all in the brain.
According to an article posted on ResearchGate:
Loss-chasing, the tendency to continue and/or intensify gambling following losses, is a key clinical symptom in gambling disorder and a central feature in problem gambling, endorsed by at-risk problem gamblers.
New gamblers tend to feel it less compared to the experienced and the vulnerable ones. Especially true for within-session loss-chasing. This is when a gambler’s thinking capacity simply diminishes. The reality leaves the ground. He or she simply wants to win one way or the other. The amounts don’t even matter at this point. A person could lose $5,000 playing slots machines and a single win of $50 would give him or her the same even-out feeling as a $50,000 jackpot.
It is as if the problem gamblers genuinely want to know if the God is on their side, and he is just testing their will to stay on. All they need is a small confirmation in the form of a few wins here and there to keep their delusions intact. They could lose $10,000, doesn’t matter as long as they can still score $1000 to $2000 by the end of the session. The brain-blindness is real. People with serious gambling problems don’t know – half of the time – why they do what they do.
Therapy can help some. But, the problem is not easy solvable for most. Such is the human nature.
This is precisely why casinos will remain extremely profitable business ventures for a foreseeable future.