10 Excuses Most Losing Gamblers Make to Justify Poor Results – Part II

Having covered the first half of the 10 most commonly used excuses in casino gambling it’s time to wrap up with another five-pack of lame justifications losing players hide behind.

Once again, we’ll be exploring the natural inclination many gamblers who consistently give back to the house feel to explain away their poor play. If you want to check out the first five excuses we’ve covered, head this way to catch up on Part I.

6 – This Guy Has Always Been Bad Luck for Me!

In the 2003 film “The Cooler,” lead actor William H. Macy stars as Bernie Lootz, a man whose bad luck naturally seems to rub off on those around him.

Naturally, a sleazy casino executive employs Lootz to lurk around and sit next to gamblers enjoying a hot streak. Soon enough, the winning player’s heater is frozen out by the eponymous “Cooler,” putting the casino back into the black like clockwork.

Hollywood’s dramatic license aside, gamblers have always held superstitious beliefs about other players who just seem incapable of winning.

Another entertaining flick called “A Bronx Tale” (1993) – which takes place in New York City circa the 1960s – features a character known around the neighborhood as Eddie the Mush. Here’s how the aspiring Italian gangster and protagonist narrator describes the dreaded Mush in action:

“Eddie Mush was a degenerate gambler. He was the world’s biggest loser. He was “Mush” because everything he touched turned to mush.


At the track, the teller would give him his tickets ripped up. If it wasn’t for bad luck, he’d have no luck at all.”

Leaving the silver screen aside for a moment, far too many losing gamblers out there genuinely believe in the concept of a mush.

A pal who always seems to pop in right when your sports bet is going down in flames. The dealer who never fails to arrive when you’re up before cleaning your clock. Or maybe another player whose perpetual losing seems to be contagious.

In any event, if you ever hear a gambler lay the blame for their own poor results on somebody else’s back – especially over a superstition like ceaseless bad luck – you know you’re talking to a sucker.

7 – Did You See That Dealer? They Were Distracting Me!

If he ever made his way from back east to Sin City during the 60’s, Eddie the Mush would’ve been greeted by the sight of scantily clad dealers dressed to kill. Or rather, dressed to distract men who simply can’t help but get tripped up by a buxom bosom or a pair of long legs.

Today, the ranks of casino dealers are largely co-ed, but that doesn’t mean the house has forgotten its roots. Every casino hires “hot” dealers, of both sexes mind you, to work the tables. Beauty doesn’t mean a lack of brains by any means, so these dealers know their stuff – but their attractive appearance is deployed as a weapon against physically focused players:

“I was all set to play my game and run up a stack, but then she sat down and all that went out the window. Most beautiful woman I’ve seen yet in this town, and that’s saying something.

Shoot, the $200 I lost during that down was worth it just to get a little chit-chat in, and that’s the truth!”

The underlying basis of this common gambler’s excuse is that a distracted mind is incapable of sound judgment. And as I alluded to above, casinos do indeed try to cloud a player’s mind with exposed flesh, cleavage, muscles, and all the rest.

Nonetheless, the casino’s attempt to get over doesn’t mean a player has to let the house succeed. They could sit out when a tempting figure arrives at the table.

Or perhaps they might act like an adult and multitask, compartmentalizing their carnal desires while still playing their game of choice correctly.

8 – That Game Is Just Rigged… I Was Robbed!

This one originates largely in poker games where the casino’s strict regulations are sorely lacking.

I’m talking about home games, private card clubs, and underground poker dens a la “Rounders” (1998). In these arenas – absent the cameras and security staff that keep casino poker players safe – cheating is often a real possibility.

That fact notwithstanding, the worst poker player at any table tends to overvalue their own skill level – all while simultaneously undervaluing the skill possessed by superior opponents. In light of this phenomenon, it’s best to take your poker player friend’s defensive claims of rigged games with a grain of salt:

So let’s break these arguments down one by one to assess them on merit.

First of all, stacking the deck isn’t exactly as easy as they make it look in the movies. Secondly, acquaintances playing poker together at the same table is simply part of the game, so sharp players watch out for signs of collusion. And lastly, a poor poker player folding their best hands to basic raises preflop isn’t a surefire sign of cheating – but it is a surefire sign of weak/tight (read: losing) play.

Simply put, in today’s poker economy, home game runners have much more to gain by playing it straight. Bad players abound, and you don’t need to cheat somebody who is perfectly happy to donate a buy-in or three on their own.

9 – It’s a Game I’ve Never Played Before

One of my favorite excuses voiced often by losing casino gamblers concerns the various games they play.

With dozens of table game variants to choose from, not to mention hundreds of slot and video poker titles, you could pick up a new game every day of the year. And many gamblers do just that, spreading their betting ammunition thin across a wide variety of obscure games and wagers.

Inevitably, these players find that inexperience puts them at a distinct disadvantage. When even perfect play provides the house with an inherent edge, making basic preventable mistakes is a recipe for bankroll suicide.

Nevertheless, a perpetually losing player will refuse to recognize the vital role that practice and preparation play:

“What are you gonna do, ya know? First time playing Caribbean Stud, can’t really expect me to become ‘Rain Man’ overnight.

I’ll get ‘em next time though, now that I know the rules and all that…”

As you can see, this excuse immediately betrays the true source of the player’s losses – a clear lack of knowledge.

Rather than dial up any of the completely free to play online practice versions of Caribbean Stud, our imbecilic “hero” decided to blunder into the game completely green. The way they figure it, paying a few bets to learn the game is just the price of admission for casino table games.

Perhaps that used to be true in the era before online gambling became so widespread. Today, however, all it takes is a quick Google search to find an abundance of free-play training tools and practice courses.

If somebody sits down at the table with little to no knowledge of the game they’re playing, well… they deserve what they get.

10 – I Wasn’t Really Trying, Just Here to Have Fun

When all the other excuses have been exhausted, a losing gambler has one last card to play – apathy.

The same guy or gal who was locked in to every deal, draw, or spin just a few minutes before suddenly doesn’t care about winning or losing. Now, when the cause is clearly lost, the whole affair is somehow subject to revisionist history:

“Who gives a sh-t about this dumb game anyway? I come to the casino to meet people and enjoy the nightlife, not to grind like a mook at the tables.

Let’s go the bar and blow the rest of this cash the right way!”


Yeah, that’s a totally believable excuse for losing the money you willingly bet, nothing to see here.

Conclusion

It’s only natural to seek answers for our own failures, and it’s only natural to frame those failures in the best possible light. Combine those instinctual tendencies with a gambler’s sense of pride, and making excuses for substandard play is simply par for the course.

Knowing this, the most successful players strive to eliminate false justifications from their mindset. They accept losses when necessary, they work diligently to hone their craft, and they refuse to delude themselves and others.

Now that you’ve learned about the most frequently used excuses in the gambling world, try to rid yourself of the urge to use them after your own setbacks.