Waffle
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Post by Waffle on Mar 31, 2011 10:09:00 GMT -5
If yes, how much, how often. I'm not talking about investment risk/reward stuff. I mean traditional gambling - lottery, casinos, poker - that kind of thing.
All of the recent real estate threads have got me thinking about a teacher in my area. He's well known for two things - owning lots of rentals and being a high stakes gambler.
I very rarely gamble - most years $0 on the lottery, I've probably never spent more than $100 on the lottery in any single year. The local casino, I visit maybe a 3 or 4 times a year - if someone asks me to go with them - not something I ever pick as my go to destination.
So what about the rest of you - are you gamblers?
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chiver78
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Post by chiver78 on Mar 31, 2011 10:16:30 GMT -5
yep, I participate in pools, play cards at casinos, and will pick up a lottery ticket most nights.
that said, I play table minimums at the casinos, at the cheapest tables I can find. I grew up playing cards, and still enjoy playing. I don't mortgage my house in order to fund my game, and pity those with addictions that force them to do so. I hope they all find the help they need.
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Epiphany
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Post by Epiphany on Mar 31, 2011 10:19:17 GMT -5
DH and I gamble fairly frequently - probably 2-3 times a month. We take 300 dollars with us. I play mostly blackjack, he plays mostly video poker. Last weekend I won 125 dollars at blackjack. We consider it our form of entertainment and it includes dinner and drinks for the night. If we win, great. If not, oh well. I also play live poker sometimes but haven't done that in awhile. We go to vegas once a year.
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achelois
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Post by achelois on Mar 31, 2011 10:21:23 GMT -5
I buy a lottery ticket every year on my birthday.
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chiver78
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Post by chiver78 on Mar 31, 2011 10:22:03 GMT -5
We consider it our form of entertainment and it includes dinner and drinks for the night. If we win, great. If not, oh well. that's my general attitude about it. I cruise pretty often for vacations, and I will always find my way to the casino onboard. I'll put in $200, and whatever I might win goes back to my onboard account. it's just fun for me.
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strider
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Post by strider on Mar 31, 2011 10:23:08 GMT -5
I put in $20 into a friendly poker game once every few months. Nothing that I'm not willing to lose.
I buy a single lottery ticket if the jackpot is really high (over 200 million)
Other than that no.
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Gardening Grandma
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Post by Gardening Grandma on Mar 31, 2011 10:24:58 GMT -5
I buy a lottery ticket about once a year....
Every few months we eat dinner at a casino. Sometimes I'll drop $5 into the slot machines.
I'm too cheap to be much of a gambler - and the slot machines are nowhere as much fun as they used to be with the coins and the arm you had to pull.
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reader79
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Post by reader79 on Mar 31, 2011 10:25:16 GMT -5
I just got back from Vegas. The gambling wasn't the reason for the trip, a basketball tournament was. I don't know how to play the table games, so I stay away from them. I only play penny slots. My limit is $20/day, which usually provides about an hour of entertainment. So, $100 total for the trip. I did gamble the equivalent amount on a penny stock when I got back - bought 135K shares for .0007, and I still have it to play with.
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Wisconsin Beth
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Post by Wisconsin Beth on Mar 31, 2011 10:28:25 GMT -5
I think we spend about $50 or so a year on lottery tickets. Once in a great while DH or I will go play live poker. My family used to play sheepshead but that's pretty much done the last 10 years or so. And a GREAT night was winning $2 or so. lol.
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dancinmama
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Post by dancinmama on Mar 31, 2011 10:29:04 GMT -5
When we go somewhere that has gambling, I play the nickel slots. And even though I won the last time I did it, I get bored with it all pretty quickly. Somehow I do not find it very entertaining for very long, but I know some people LOVE it. In addition, I look at the big crystal chandeliers and the "rich" ambiance of the casinos and I get the feeling that THEY (the casinos) are not paying for it. When I go to a casino, I prefer to people watch.
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Post by illinicheme on Mar 31, 2011 10:37:03 GMT -5
Yes, DH and I both gamble. He's a Las Vegas native, and loves math/odds. He taught me how to play certain games. We usually go to Vegas 1-3 times a year. When we lived in NJ, we used to drive down to Atlantic City a few times a year. We'll also play when we're in Tahoe.
I used to play poker fairly regularly, but haven't played much in recent years, because I prefer low-stakes limit games, and those are dying out in favor of almost exclusively no-limit games. DH loves poker, and has gone through periods of playing frequently, but he hasn't played much lately because his job takes up so much time. (We both used to play a lot of online poker, but that became a pain in the butt back in 2006.)
In addition to poker, we play blackjack and craps ($5 or lower limits as much as possible, though we'll sometimes play $10. I will not play $15 or higher). We track our sessions (DH even wrote an Android app for it), so I know that we're actually up quite a bit historically. We consider it entertainment money.
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Wisconsin Beth
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Post by Wisconsin Beth on Mar 31, 2011 10:41:09 GMT -5
I think we spend about $50 or so a year on lottery tickets. Once in a great while DH or I will go play live poker. My family used to play sheepshead but that's pretty much done the last 10 years or so. And a GREAT night was winning $2 or so. lol.
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Bob Ross
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Post by Bob Ross on Mar 31, 2011 10:44:20 GMT -5
I'll gamble once in a blue moon. There are a lot of casinos near where I live though.
I'd play blackjack, bring $200 and try to either double it or lose it. Then I found that if I doubled it, I wasn't super excited because it's not a ton of money, but I wouldn't be real happy if I lost it. If I wanted to win an amount that I'd actually be excited about (like $1k) it meant I'd have to play with more, bet more, and (probably) lose more. That's when the whole thing became pretty pointless.
I was always surprised at how many idiots there are at the blackjack table. It's pretty cut and dry, as there's one highest probability choice to make in any given situation. Your "gut" has nothing to do with it.
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Post by illinicheme on Mar 31, 2011 10:47:30 GMT -5
I was always surprised at how many idiots there are at the blackjack table. It's pretty cut and dry, as there's one highest probability choice to make in any given situation. Your "gut" has nothing to do with it. Assume the next card is a 10, and you'll make the right move the majority of the time. That makes it easy to play while tipsy. ;D
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rileyoday
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Post by rileyoday on Mar 31, 2011 10:49:34 GMT -5
When I play craps I try to stand next to the stick man. I drop a dollar on the 12 for every roll. It pays 30 to 1 and i don't track it perfect but it seems the 12 comes up enough to pay.
Would I do it with 5 ? no. But it seems you could.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 31, 2011 10:55:25 GMT -5
Haven't bought a lottery ticket in my life, and I'm 58. I've occasionally been in casinos when meetings of my professional society were held there (Las Vegas, one in Puerto Rico) or when we stayed at the Hampton Inn across the river from Omaha for the Berkshire-Hathaway meeting. It's in a complex with a couple of casinos. I used to all my spare change in the slots even though I knew they had the worst odds- now you have to get a special card and it's just not worth the hassle to me. I do have to stay away from those machines with the trays of quarters in Myrtle Beach- you swear that if you put in JUST one more quarter you'll start an avalanche of quarters into the tray. Hasn't happened yet.
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Bob Ross
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Post by Bob Ross on Mar 31, 2011 10:58:20 GMT -5
Assume the next card is a 10, and you'll make the right move the majority of the time. That makes it easy to play while tipsy. ;D Well, it's not quite that simple. Do a google image search for "Standard Rules Blackjack" and it should pop up an image of the strategy chart. I'd do it and post it but my work blocks gambling sites. Most casinos let you use the chart at the tables. Sometimes, jacka$$es have given me crap for using the chart, saying they don't trust it, to which I respond with "math doesn't lie". That is, if I respond at all, given that many of these people look like they can't do basic math in the first place. I'm sure the casino loves them.
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azphx1972
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Post by azphx1972 on Mar 31, 2011 11:03:01 GMT -5
I rarely gamble, but when I do it's purely for entertainment purposes, and usually in extremely small amounts of money.
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Post by illinicheme on Mar 31, 2011 11:08:23 GMT -5
Assume the next card is a 10, and you'll make the right move the majority of the time. That makes it easy to play while tipsy. ;D Well, it's not quite that simple. Do a google image search for "Standard Rules Blackjack" and it should pop up an image of the strategy chart. I'd do it and post it but my work blocks gambling sites. Most casinos let you use the chart at the tables. Sometimes, jacka$$es have given me crap for using the chart, saying they don't trust it, to which I respond with "math doesn't lie". That is, if I respond at all, given that many of these people look like they can't do basic math in the first place. I'm sure the casino loves them. I know it's not that simple, which is why I said "the majority of the time" not "all of the time". Personally I find it easier to follow "assume the next card is a ten" instead of rigorously consulting a strategy card. Besides, when I get into situations like am I supposed to double-down on soft 12 against a dealer's five, I just ask DH, who keeps it all in his head. ETA: At the limits we play, it's not that important to try and make sure you're absolutely perfect. Another fraction of a percent in our favor isn't going to make or break the bankroll. DH is capable of counting cards, but usually doesn't do it, because it requires too much concentration. He'd rather drink, talk, laugh, and have fun.
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Firebird
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Post by Firebird on Mar 31, 2011 11:12:55 GMT -5
I love to watch DF gamble, more than I like to play myself. Especially when he's winning. Oh man, last time we were in Tahoe his machine was hotter than hell. Every time he hit the button he won the bonus round. We walked away from that one with almost $300 off a $40 stake. I was a happy camper.
I do like to gamble myself but I don't like losing so it's not a good situation for me in general. As I said, I would rather watch.
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kimber45
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Post by kimber45 on Mar 31, 2011 11:13:39 GMT -5
Not too often. Once is a while after work (maybe twice a week at most) DH will stop at the watering hole, have one drink and put $4 in the pulltab jar. More often than not, he has one $50 if not $100 or more.
We will also buy Powerball tickets, not every week maybe once a month or so put in $5
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morrisr2d2
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Post by morrisr2d2 on Mar 31, 2011 11:25:05 GMT -5
Yes, I love gambling and consider it an outlet/form of entertainment. I think it's my way of celebrating the success of all my hard work.
I go to a casino 3-4 times a year, and allow $500 for gambling. I also play poker tournaments once a month, usually $50 to $100 buy-in. And I'll do the lottery once it starts getting pretty large.
I will say I only really starting gambling more frequently the past few years, now that I have no debt (except a mortgage), have all retirement and EFs funded, and am investing on a regular basis. Between that and my stressful job, I've allowed myself to have my gambling pleasure.
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Mrs. Dinero
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Post by Mrs. Dinero on Mar 31, 2011 11:59:11 GMT -5
No. Last time was 4 years ago. It pains me too much to lose money. I don't play the lottery either. Never really think about the gain because I'm too busy thinking about the loss.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 31, 2011 12:01:10 GMT -5
No. It does nothing for me.
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The J
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Post by The J on Mar 31, 2011 12:04:01 GMT -5
Assume the next card is a 10, and you'll make the right move the majority of the time. That makes it easy to play while tipsy. ;D Well, it's not quite that simple. Do a google image search for "Standard Rules Blackjack" and it should pop up an image of the strategy chart. I'd do it and post it but my work blocks gambling sites. Most casinos let you use the chart at the tables. Sometimes, jacka$$es have given me crap for using the chart, saying they don't trust it, to which I respond with "math doesn't lie". That is, if I respond at all, given that many of these people look like they can't do basic math in the first place. I'm sure the casino loves them. Most dealers also know, and will tell you if you ask what to do. So will anyone at your table who knows, because they're worried you're going to screw it up for them.
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Mrs. Dinero
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Post by Mrs. Dinero on Mar 31, 2011 12:04:04 GMT -5
DH is a gambler. Pickles, keno, and black jack. He always wins. He plays 4 or 5 times a year.
Casinos are very depressing to me. The people don't look happy. I would rather drink away my money and watch.
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Urban Chicago
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Post by Urban Chicago on Mar 31, 2011 12:08:54 GMT -5
I play the lottery when it's over 50 million. Since we have 2 big games here, that means I spend about $100/year.
I really hate the atmosphere in casinos. If I'm dragged there by a friend, I play nickel slots until I lose about $5, then beeline to the bar until my friends are finished:)
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 31, 2011 12:29:30 GMT -5
Casinos are very depressing to me. The people don't look happy. I would rather drink away my money and watch. Yeah, that's what I've noticed. In general they look older, poorer and less healthy than the general population. (That's outside of the special rooms for high rollers, of course, which are off-limits to me.) A lot of people say that they gamble up to $X and that's their "fun" budget money so they don't care- I just wouldn't choose to spend it that way on a regular basis, no matter what the magnitude of $X.
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chiver78
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Post by chiver78 on Mar 31, 2011 12:32:16 GMT -5
A lot of people say that they gamble up to $X and that's their "fun" budget money so they don't care- I just wouldn't choose to spend it that way on a regular basis, no matter what the magnitude of $X. a lot of my friends budget to go see movies in theaters, at $10+ a ticket in my area. to me, that's not fun. to each their own.
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Sum Dum Gai
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Post by Sum Dum Gai on Mar 31, 2011 12:38:46 GMT -5
I usually buy one lottery ticket a week, and I love playing poker. I don't play that much anymore, because it gets wicked boring playing online, and I haven't had a regular live game since I got out of the service. My family lives near Las Vegas, so we usually gamble a bit when we go visit. The wife likes slot machines, but I prefer blackjack or craps if I'm drinking, and low stakes limit or no limit poker if I'm sober. Just craps if I'm going to get really smashed. It's one of the easiest games in the casino to play right, and you have to be really REALLY drunk before you're unable to throw dice.
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