5 Pet Hates About Non Gamblers

5 Pet Hates About Non GamblersEach to their own. Classic last words. In the universe of gamblers and non gamblers you are talking a world apart. In fact, I think opposing sides really do hate each other with a simple lack of understanding. No one is all right or all wrong. However, I’ve had the misfortune to chat with many people who are anti gambling to a point of irrationality. But these are my 5 pet hates. Don’t shoot me down if I’m aiming at you.

1) Non Gamblers Know Everything About Gambling

It’s illogical but true. Somehow even though a non gambler couldn’t even tell you how many metres are in a furlong, what is a median time, and how much money do you have to bet on a horse price 100/7 to win £100 they ‘’know’’ more than a seasoned gambler because they fall into the trap that no one can beat the bookie so anyone who can is foolish and wrong. It’s truly a ridiculous thought akin to going to your doctor and telling him you know more because you read a page from an encyclopedia. The trouble with this kind of person is that they will never get to a level of understanding beyond the classic stereotype.

2) If You Are Good At Gambling Then Tell Me A Winner

If only it was that easy. Any gambler works on long term profits. You could have ten losers on the run and look like the biggest idiot on planet Earth. Then you follow that up by ten winners. One person would think you are a genius the other some nut who has escape from the asylum which has a pet horse. From a horse racing approach the idea of giving a horse as a tip hours in advance of the race is truly absurd. The illogical nature of the non gambler is truly astounding. It’s the reason I don’t talk to the everyday person because you’d get a better conversation from the closest wall.

3) You Will Be Left Wanting While Others Want More

Trying to impress the non gambler is a futile endeavour. They will take every winner as if it is worthless and remember every loser until the day they die. I’ve had days where I gave an each way treble – all three horses won. Someone emailed me to say their brother had bet on the selections and won £2000. Did they offer to buy me a drink? No, they wanted more free tips and couldn’t see the problem with their attitude. On the other side of the coin, you give someone a loser and they will never forget. In fact they will reason they were correct all the time that you actually know nothing. They will take delight in their assessment. I often go to the races and rarely bet. I had a friend ask what I fancied. I said nothing today. They thought I was taking the piss and was keeping the info for myself at their expense.

4) You Just Sit Around All Day And Do Nothing

It’s true that the non gambler thinks you don’t actually do any work. You just sit watching TV and somehow make money betting without work. There used to be a bookmaker at Great Yarmouth racecourse who loved to say: ‘’Money without work!’’ When I walked past I should have shouted out ‘’Wanker’’. But that’’s the mentality of the non gambler. That you will without doing any work, have no knowledge or discipline and you just got lucky. If only they realised that most professional gamblers are exceptional in all they do. In fact, they are more knowledgable about their subject matter than anyone with a PhD.

5) Even Your Own Family Don’t Understand

It’s a sad fact that even your own family cannot get their head around your occupation. It’s as though you are tarnished by the very words and thoughts. They forget that you actually work. They will not realise you have to be working at strange times of day. They will say things that make you feel as though you are wasting your time. Why don’t you go and get a proper job? When they see you winning they just want your cash. When you lose they never understand. The best any professional gambler can do is keep their thoughts and their knowledge to themselves.

Photo: Pixabay (free)

5 Lessons New Gamblers Need To Learn

5 Lessons New Gamblers Need To LearnGambling. Life’s a gamble. But as a newbie to sports betting, do you have the odds in your favour? Do you fancy your chances to beat the bookies? The only reason you would say yes is because you know the strength of the information you have compared to others. If you don’t know more than most then you are a loser waiting to happen. It’s virtually impossible for you to beat an informed layer because it’s their job to work harder and know more. That’s why winning money gambling is so difficult. Because, in truth, it has nothing to do with money. It is all to do with knowledge and experience. These 5 lessons will help new gamblers understand what they need to know to make that journey one of profit rather than loss and despair.

1) Knowledge Is Power

Without question, what sets one gambler apart from another is what they know. It’s not even about who you know because if you rely on someone else to put you ahead of the game you will always be at the mercy of that person. And let’s be honest, why are they going to do you a favour? The day they walk away you have nothing. Being a very good gambler isn’t about being the best on planet Earth. It’s not about winning a gold medal. Simply, you need to be better than most at what you do. That may not be as challenging as you think. Why? Because most punters are lazy and don’t learn from their mistakes. They never move forward relying on a basic approach which leaves them vulnerable to any layer worth their salt.

2) Knowing Your Niche

Do you want to be specific or general? How can you know everything? You can’t. And the realisation of a gambler with a brain is that you don’t need to have an all-encompassing knowledge. Less is more. Know your niche. That is one of the greatest lessons you will ever learn. If you enjoy horse racing then choose an age group, race type or even trainer. Know that information better than anyone you know. Instantly, you set yourself apart and you are an authority on your chosen subject. Don’t be the jack of all trades and master of none. When I hear a punter saying they bet on the Flat, National Hunt, Football and enjoy a bit of card counting at he casino on a weekend I have this thought. Either they have the brain of Einstein or they are an idiot. They are all but certainly the latter. It is impossible to know more than someone who follows a niche because there simply isn’t enough hours in the day. It’s impossible. Not only that, it’s needless.

3) Bet Small But Think Big

Remember your niche. Knowledge is power. Gambling is about being informed and not the money in your purse. You don’t want to start by betting big money because you are honing your skills. You want to maximise your knowledge via experience and then maximise your profits. This isn’t done by going crazy and betting money you can’t afford to lose. Before you know it, your gambling will be about the money rather than your wisdom. You have it the wrong way around. Bet small money and assess your success. Every winner is saying yes and every loser saying no. Listen to these winners and losers because they are trying to direct your understanding. Why did that horse lose? Why did that horse Win? These results are pinpointing your strength and weakness. If you learn from these polar opposites you will progress to being the best in your field. Don’t take second best. Ultimately, you set your own standards.

4) Reinforce The Positive With Professionalism

Everything you do needs to be done with reason built via wisdom. This comes from working in a standardised fashion so you are able to measure your results and replicate your working process. If you don’t follow this professional approach you will not have answers to questions. Without these you will react by emotions, often knee-jerk reactions. This is devoid of intelligence and will simply create bad habits which take time to resolve and get back on track to a more simple plan. Do not bet on anything unless it is with understanding and ultimately value. Without value you are not going to make a profit.

5) Polishing The Stone

When you have an understanding of your niche and what it takes to make money you simply refine this with small adjustments. It is akin to polishing a stone to make it shine. You don’t need to chop off giant chunks because you will destroy what you have worked so hard to achieve. Even with the best knowledge you will have times when you have losing runs. Hold your nerve and carry on regardless. Be very careful to not over adjust thinking you need to do something different. The chances are keeping to your set approach will have you finding winners rather than not. Gambling isn’t for most because it is like any other job.

Photo: Pixabay (free)

5 Superheroes ‘’Enjoy A Night’’ At The Casino

5 Superheroes ‘’Enjoy A Night’’ At The CasinoWho doesn’t love a Superhero?

I’m sure many a time you have fantasised about wearing your pants over your tights, donning a cape and flying through the skies looking to save some damsel in distress. For those living in the Fens it’s a daily hope to escape the mundane life of being a farmer on 500 acres of black gold.

No wonder I enjoy a visit to my local brick-and-mortar casino, which sees me heading towards Great Yarmouth, with a pocketful of money, a room for the night, and a hope and a prayer that lucky number 35 comes in.

Sometime it does, sometime it doesn’t.

Thankfully, although no one believes me, I am winning a good bit of money from my visits to Grosvenor Casino. I’ve not added it up but a few hundred in profit. Not bad considering I’m far from a super hero.

I’m sure you’d rather talk about Superman, Aquaman, Black Canary, Hellboy, Wolverine and Zatara.

You know, I’m writing these names from a list because beyond a couple I may as well be talking Noddy and Big Ears.

Anyway, just set the scene. The final part of the blockbuster Super Hero film (you can come up with your own title), set in a casino, playing one of the many games, and one the winning turn of a card, roll or a dice, or ka-ching of a slot machine, your superhero (fill in the blank) saves the day.

So let’s take a look at 5 casino moment favourite superhero turns up at the casino. What happens next?

Probably the most famous of all superheroes. Even I’ve heard of this one and watched many a film over the years, not read one word from a comic, but that’s how it goes with us lesser interested types.

Superman –

Real name: Clark Kent

Birthplace: Krypton

Who does he love: Lois Lane

Nemesis: Lex Luthor

Weakness: Kryptonite

The blockbuster scene: While playing 3-card poker, his arch enemy Lex Luthor had sprinkled a small amount of green kryptonite on the ace of hearts. Thinking he was onto a winner with a prial aces, he slumped to the floor, weakened to the exposure of the toxic chemical. However, a quick-thinking assistant at the Grosvenor knocked the cards out of his hand, and he revived to fly off into the sunset to save a girl called Carol who was struggling in a bog off the Norfolk broads.

Aquaman –

Real name: Arthur Curry

Birthplace: Atlantis

Who does he love: Mera, wife

Nemesis: Black Manta

Weakness: Arthur Curry, fear of water

The blockbuster scene: While playing poker, Aquaman notices his nemesis playing on another table. He bets his life that he has the winning hand. Crazy? No, as sitting behind Black Manta is an aquarium and a sucker fish can see he’s holding a losing hand. Through marine telepathy, Aquaman goes full-in and wins the gamble.

Black Canary –

Real name: Dinah Drake Lance

Birthplace: –

Who does she love: Oliver Queen aka The Green Arrow

Nemesis: Vertigo

Weakness: Sick Throat

The blockbuster scene: Sitting at the gaming table, Black Canary twists to reveal 21 and just about to collect a stack of $100 chips. Feeling dizzy, she notices Vertigo in the crowd, no doubt after her boyfriend Oliver Queen aka The Green Arrow. She uttered her sonic scream powerful enough to shatter metal and stone. Vertigo left the casino fearing it was about to fall around her ears.

Hellboy – 

Real name: Anung Un Rama – The Beast of the Apocalypse

Birthplace: Hell

Who does he love: Alice Monaghan

Nemesis: Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin

Weakness: Short tempered vulnerable to holy attacks

Blockbuster scene: Hellboy sat at the roulette table with the Samaritan by his side. He cheered as number 32 (Red) came up only to see Rasputin was the croupier who instead of pushing a stash of chips his way pushed a bomb. It went off… What happened next (unknown).

Wolverine –

Real Name: James Howlette, Logan

Birthplace: Alberta, Canada

Who does he love: Jean Elaine Grey

Nemesis: Sabretooth (Victor Creed)

Weakness: Magnets

Blockbuster scene: At the bar at the Palm Beach Casino, London. He notices some dust on the seat next to him. Brushing it away he looks around with fear in his eyes. He swallows down a fireball (cinnamon whiskey) and charges into the gaming room searching for his nemesis Sabretooth who was enjoying craps. Snake eye! A fight ensues and it’s one hell of a mess.

Who says you need to be a superhero to gamble.

Author: Zatara.

Photo: Pixabay (free)

5 Horrible Mistakes You Can Make at the Casino

5 Horrible Mistakes You Can Make at the CasinoThe best-laid plans of mice and men. We could be talking casinos, hey? Becuase for all the fun to be had at your brick-and-mortar casino or even online, any punter can look back in horror at a night they would much rather forget. It could be any number of reasons, but we will take a look at 5 mistakes which have caught even the best of gamblers who have literally lost their shirt. And you know that means pounds, shillings and pence.

1) Set Out How Much Money You Wish To Gamble

If you don’t have an answer to a question, you will be floating around on a tide of emotions and the answer you find will most likely lead to a costly mistake. When going to the casino to play your favourite game decide how much you are willing to lose. Ideally, you won’t have to think about losing if you get lucky in those first few hands or spin of the roulette wheel. But have a figure in mind: £20, £50, £100 or £500. It depend on your budget and ‘literally’ how much money you are willing to lose. When you get to that figure stop right there. Why? Because at that point you are betting out of your comfort zone and on emotions. Neither are good news. The chances are it will lead to even greater loss.

2) Don’t Drink Too Much Alcohol

Sure, you’re going out for a good night. But remember, you could well be betting at the tables from early evening to the next day. We’ve all seen the episode of Only Fools And Horse when Dell and Rodney leave the casino to find it’s the next day. I’ve seen it happen to friends and family that they lose track of time and basically asked to the leave the casino at 6am. If you’ve been drinking alcohol for ten-hours straight you simply can’t be thinking straight. If you are gambling under the influence of alcohol you could well bet far too much, leave you pocket less and with a hangover. Neither good news. It’s hard work.

3) Be Careful When You Are Winning Big

It sounds anything but a problem. But it can be just that. If you are winning big, make a decision to go home with your winnings. I’ve seen plenty of punters winning thousands and then the tide turns and the next thing they are losing thousands simply because they didn’t make the decision to stop when they were in front. Let’s face it, no one will win forever in a game that the odds are against you. In practice, the longer you play the more you will lose. When you are flying high with a pocketful of chips you have the option to cash out and go home with a smile on your face. Losing is bad enough but to go from winning to losing is a sorry state of affairs and it can easily lead to huge losses. Don’t find yourself saying: ‘What on Earth happened.’ You only have yourself to blame.

4) Be Aware Of The Casino Cut

They are not all the same. For instance, roulette and blackjack are some of the better games to play. While 3-card poker (pair-plus) is a raw deal and it can erode your money fast. Fair enough, if you just love a certain game then don’t change because that’s your enjoyment but do appreciate what you are playing against. At the end of the day gambling – unless for a profession – it is about fun, enjoyment, and not losing a week’s wage and going home skint.

5) Be Careful When Going Home

It’s never nice to be cynical but it is better to be safe than sorry. Casinos are a melting pot of many different people and you really don’t know who is watching. And if you’re a big winner, cash out a couple of grand, then I can guarantee someone in that casino is watching your move and thinking about the money you put in your pocket. They probably saw which pocket you put it in, know where you are staying from small talk or listening in, and if you are walking back to your hotel or waiting for a taxi to arrive you could find you have a problem. The chances are you could walk home without a care in the world. However, a quick call from someone may see you walk around the next corner to see the heavy mob and they aren’t going to be asking if you have the time. Go home with family and friend or better still get a taxi and wait inside until it arrives.

Photo: Pixabay (free)

5 Cynical Things About Casinos

5 Cynical Things About CasinosWhere would a casino be without punters who lose plenty of cash? Broke. So what all gambling industries need is fresh blood. After the old ones have been sucked dry of every penny and they disappear to live on the streets in a cardboard box. As a willing victim, you notice an advert from your local casino tempting a new-be gambler with a free bet. What more could you ask for? Give it a little time and you could be living on the breadline too. Of course, this is a very cynical perspective. It considers that individuals have no freewill or choice. As the adverts say: ‘When the fun stops, stop.’’

But what could we view as 5 cynical aspects of the casino world which tempt you to bet and lose.

1) No Membership Needed

Once upon a time you would have needed to give all your details to get into a casino and they were pretty determined to get you to use your membership card when changing your money into chips as some form of accountability. That seems to have had its day. I can’t remember the last time anyone at the casino asked any question about anything about anything.

2) No One Knows The Time

You will never see a clock on a wall. The casino is a timeless place where you really don’t need to know what’s happening outside this gambling world. Also, you won’t have a chance to look out of a window as there aren’t any. Remember the episode of Only Fools And Horses when Dell and Rodney came out of the casino to find it was the next day. It happens more than you think. Very few people leave with any money.

3) Free Bets, Incentives and Offers

Where would the casino be without the carrot dangling on the end of a stick? A steady stream of mules chomping at the bit finding themselves in the casino and there is no door to get out. They are literally trapped inside with their credit card until they die due to vertigo from watching the ball spin around the roulette wheel once too often. To think it was that free bet which led to my destruction and poverty. The sound of the slots paying out echoes in my cardboard box as the rain falls down. Others heading to the restaurant to get a discounted meal. Later digging through bins on the seafront. Be careful of those offers and incentives – they may just ruin your life.

4) Everyone’s Your Friend At The Casino

The staff at casino come off the same production line as The Stepford Wives. If they weren’t asking if you wanted a free drink they’d be out the back making Cherries Jubilee. There’s nothing wrong with polite, courteous and caring staff but these guys can lean back so far they make world record limbo dancers look stiff and their head can spin 360 degrees as they notice you need a free top-up of cola. If you look very close into the eyes of any staff member at the casino you will see red eyes which can scan a barcode. No wonder I love going to the casino because they are always there to help with every problem.

5) Special Occasions – We’ve Got Just The Present

If you happen to have a birthday coming up, you can guarantee you will receive an offer of some kind to tempt you to turn up to the casino. This is a prime opportunity to take advantage of a free bet or match bet and lose all of your money. If you are a particularly big loser they may even bake you a cake. Whatever you do, don’t mention it’s a significant birthday else they will get the voodoo man to put a spell on you and you will never be seen again. Perhaps washed up on a beach in Haiti with a sucker fish stuck to your lips.

Good luck.

Photo: Pixabay (free)