At What Point Should I Start?

[redietz]

This is the flip side of the previous thread, "At What Point Should I Stop?"

I think that everyone who gets a player's card should also get copies of "Whale Hunt in the Desert" and "Addiction By Design." These should be required reading.

I recommend never starting unless you are playing positive expectation games or unless you benefit from the social interaction of gaming in a way that trumps any financial losses.

[Alan Mendelson]

I think it makes sense and is good advice not to play any casino game until you know what you are playing. My very first time in a casino was in 1977 in St Maarten and I played $2 blackjack. The rules were "standard" back then and the pay on a blackjack was the standard 3/2. Now there is 6/5 and different rules of play at different casinos.

The slot machines were simple and basic then: three reels and you put in one or two coins and the pays were displayed on the machine. Today you have to choose among various video slots and God bless those who understand all the pictures and symbols and their pays.

I remember the first time I went to play at a craps table I was with my sister and brother-in-law who explained to me the basics of the game. Then I went to a casino class and then I started reading the books about betting strategies and "dice influencing." While the books don't make you a winner, understanding what you are doing makes you smarter with money management.

I read While Hunt In The Desert and frankly that applies only to frequent players who might think they have an advantage over the casino. That book is really a wake-up call for so-called "advantage players" who try or think they milk the system for comps.

I've always said this: go to a casino with recreational dollars. Good for you if you get lucky with your recreational dollars, but don't think you can make a living at it, even if you think you have an edge.

I know too many advantage players who went from playing $1 video poker to 5-cent video poker.

[Vegas Vic]

I've always said this: go to a casino with recreational dollars. Good for you if you get lucky with your recreational dollars, but don't think you can make a living at it, even if you think you have an edge.

This is my philosophy as well. My wife and I do not golf anymore, do not have a "cottage up North", or other such recreational activities which might consume our recreational dollars. We travel, go on cruises, spend lots of $$$$ on grandkids (I think it's a Federal Law), AND go to casinos. Naturally, we have some friends who do not understand our casino visits, but the money we allocate for this is no different than the money they allocate for their leisure choices. We live comfortably and the visits to casinos do no harm to our lives.

[timspeed]

I, like a few notable poker players, have a lot of "leaks" in our game...I talk a tough game in how to beat the casino (+EV video poker when factoring in comp/cashback/perks/etc) however once the "play" is put in...I often get bored, and begin playing -EV games (craps, UTH) THIS is where I begin to lose money....

[RoeIncarnate]

I think that everyone who gets a player's card should also get copies of "Whale Hunt in the Desert" and "Addiction By Design." These should be required reading.

Read your recommendation "Whale Hunt in the Desert".

What a great read. I read it almost non stop. Thank you Redietz.

[redietz]

Glad you enjoyed it, Roe. That was an entertaining eye-opener. Having a host is literally like swimming with a shark -- you get a thrill as long as you don't get ripped to shreds.