KCPenguins wrote:> I look at a casino like entertainment. I go in with a set amount of money I'm pretty
> sure I'm going to lose, no different than going to a movie. I generally spend the
> first hour or so checking out the games, odds, etc. not playing a whole lot. By
> then I have my strategy laid out and see what happens. That said I've stepped in
> a casino less than once a year for my legal life to gamble, and the most I've ever
> lost is less than $50.
This is exactly what we do on the rare instances where we're at a casino. I go in with like $40 that I fully expect to lose and see how it goes. I tend to play it all through until it is gone unless I get really lucky with a win worth talking away with.
My wife will do the same with $40, but she keeps all of the "winnings" regardless of how small. In other words, if she bets 50c and it pays out 25c that spin, then she keeps that 25c. Whatever she has at the end of the $40 that she walked in with, she leaves with. (i.e. she never plays it through again). Sometimes she walks away with $10. Sometimes $50.
All that being said, the BEST I ever did in a casino was this... We were in Vegas and it was like midnight after a show -- and I was in charge of keeping track of one of the "talents". In other words, make sure that he doesn't drink too much, doesn't get mobbed by any crazy/drunk fans, and makes it back to his hotel room at a reasonable hour because his family was coming to visit the next day. Some "co-workers" take him to the bar in the middle of the casino to chat. 3 hours later and I'm doing everything I can at almost 3am to convince him it is time to leave so that he can get some sleep before his family arrives in the morning. He finally agrees. During these 3 hours, we had moved the couches around a bit as more and more people gathered in his group in the bar. Now that we're finally all leaving, I step back in to move the furniture back into place because I feel bad that we moved stuff around and don't want to leave it for the staff. (Note that I don't drink, so it is 3am and I'm the only one that is sober...) So, I push the couches back into place and a casino chip falls out from under one of the couches.
$500 chip! Sweet! I couldn't believe it. It seemed old, so I was afraid that they might not cash it out (they often have limits on how old a chip could be). After I got him back to his room for the night, I went straight to the cashier and, sure enough, valid chip worth $500!
My wife was a little upset that I hadn't gotten back to the room until 3am. Until I showed her the chip.