Hubby is broke; I am not. In that regard it has been a typical trip to the casino for us.
When we went to a casino for the first time, I didn't know what to play. I UNDERSTOOD blackjack, but I didn't know all the strategies (hold on 15, hit on ________, pay attention to the dealer's up card, etc.). I also wasn't aware at first that what I chose to do might piss off some of the other players. If I hit a hand and busted on a face card and the person next to me could have used that face card, he or she might just be a teensy bit upset. Particularly if it was patently obvious that I didn't know what I was doing. It always was. Is. In addition, blackjack requires that I do math in my head at a much faster rate than I would like. So I'm not a big fan of blackjack.
Hubby said he liked to shoot craps, which I knew ZERO about. He tried to explain it to me, drawing a crude craps table on the bottom of a cardboard box. I tried to follow his explanation, but then I just begged him to shoot me. I have shot craps a few times, usually by mimicking whatever Hubby does. That means we can lose money at twice his usual rate. I have seen him win a lot of money on the craps table, though. Craps is a very fast-paced game, with a gazillion things going on at once. I get distracted watching the dealers and pit bosses. They fascinate me with their ability to keep up with everything that is going on. I can stand and watch for a long time. That's another thing about craps, though: you have to stand up. And there's no limit to the number of people who can crowd around the table. They just squish in and elbow each other aside. I can never reach my money, which they inexplicably put in the middle of the table. When it's my turn to throw the dice, I usually pass because I know some players get annoyed when the shooter doesn't make the right numbers. Even though he or she can't help it (and those same people are just as likely to kill a run as anyone else).
My favorite game by far is three-card poker. I have won money playing that in the past, and it's a game I feel comfortable with. This morning after breakfast, Hubby and I sat down at the three-card table at about 9:00, thinking we might play a few hands and then go to a slot machine. We finally got up around 4:00 to go get something to eat. I don't like sitting in one place long enough to go to a MOVIE, but I can sit at the poker table for the equivalent of an entire workday. I don't even like having to get up to go to the bathroom, but they haven't introduced catheters at the poker table yet, so it's kind of necessary every now and then. I always have the (sometimes) irrational fear that while I'm gone, the person next to me will get a straight flush that would have been MINE. Unless it's Hubby, of course, when it would be okay. But he and I rarely sit next to each other at the poker table, because there are rarely two adjacent open seats. I always tip the dealers on good hands, and I always tip the waitresses. It's the least I can do, since the drinks are free. I try to alternate drinks with bottles of water.
I do like the bells and whistles of the slot machines, and I'm always convinced I can win the big jackpot. Hasn't happened yet, but that doesn't mean it CAN'T happen. I have always scoffed at the idea of playing a penny slot machine, but for some reason yesterday we tried one. I put $20 in it, and before I knew it, I was up to $300. On a penny machine!! That's thirty thousand pennies! Needless to say, I didn't cash in that much. I did make money on it, though.
I'm glad we don't have casinos in Georgia. I know I could easily turn into one of those people with a gambling problem. It's just as well we have to drive five or six hours (or fly, in this case) to get to a casino. We aren't likely to go every weekend that way.
Although Hubby and his buddies are already planning a casino trip three weeks from now. I'm not going on that one. He will have to bail himself out on that one.
2 comments:
My husband is one of those folks who consistently averages a profit playing craps and horseracing. In fact, he like to horserace right here at home, using OTB. He's very good at money management when wagering.
When I was "drugged" for my colonoscopy and the doc asked what my husband did for a living, I replied he was a "paramutual investor".
I like Blackjack and took a little "course" once to help with strategy. Slots can be fun and I've managed to win a couple of big ones, but I tend to stick to quarter slots. Money management for me is to never wager more than I can afford to lose. If I manage to double my money, then I put my starting amount away and only play on profit so I can't do worse than break even.
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