Weapons of Mass DistractionCasino games

I've been to the casino a few times myself.  I went to Las Vegas for Thanksgiving last year and am going again in a few weeks.  I have never seen bigger, crazier, or more expensive buildings anywhere else I've ever been.  Well it seems that this may be news to some people, but those buildings didn't pay for themselves.  People coming there and gambling away their entire bank account did. 

It makes me chuckle when people say "Hey, I won $300 at the casino yesterday!"  That sounds great at first, until you figure out the full story.  What most people never mention is that they go to the Casino 5 times before they win once.  If they lose $200 at the casino 4 times, then win $300 the 5th time, they are still $500 in the hole.  That is some pretty expensive entertainment.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that gambling is a bad idea.  It is only a good idea if it is money you can afford to lose and you consider it entertainment.  If I spent $50 in an afternoon on slot machines, but it bought me 5 hours of entertainment, then I don't feel that I've done too bad.

Have you ever seen a clock inside a casino? I haven't.  They don't want you to realize how long you've been in there.  Some smaller casinos I've been to actually hold drawings every half hour or so, and give you a ticket when you walk in.  This keeps you in the seat spending money while you wait for the drawing.  Well I "won" the drawing, and my prize was a $2 beaded necklace.  Funny enough it was the only thing I came home with.  I probably spent an extra $10 on nickel slots while waiting for the drawing.  

Anyone who thinks they can make money in a casino is crazy.  That is unless they are cheating, which means they are even crazier.  Forget counting cards.  They use so many decks of cards in blackjack now that there are probably only a few humans on the planet capable of counting well enough to make a difference.  The only way to do that would be to use a computer of some kind, which is not allowed.

I find it amusing when you see the rows of slot machines with the big signs bragging about how big their payout is..  You realize that it says 97% or something similar.  That means that averaged out over time the house takes 3% of every dollar put into those machines.  You mathematically cannot win. 

You used to have to go to Nevada to gamble, but not any more.  There are tribal casinos all over the place now.  You can even play blackjack or poker online for money.  Now you can spend all your savings from the comfort of your own computer chair! 

The best way to inrease your odds is to place larger and fewer bets.  This is what I plan to do on my upcoming trip to vegas.  I'm going there to get married, not lose all my money.

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