A Few Reasons to Hate Gambling

I love gambling, but there are some disadvantages to this form of entertainment. I suppose one could say the same about other activities as well. Thankfully, over the years, I’ve learned how to gamble while avoiding most of the aspects I hate about gambling, and you can, too.

This article covers six qualities that I hate about gambling. I’ve found that many other gamblers dislike the same things. That’s why I cover a few things that I’ve learned to do to eliminate or reduce the things I don’t like.

You can use these same strategies to improve your enjoyment and experience when you gamble.

Losing Too Much

A large percentage of gamblers lose too much money. The number of gamblers who make money in the long run is extremely small. And even if your goal is to come close to breaking even, you’re fighting a battle that’s hard to win.

If you do the things that gambling businesses want you to do in the way that they want you to do them, you definitely lower your chances of winning. There are things that you can do to help you win while gambling.

The secret is to learn what these things are and build your skills. You’re going to learn more about how to do this in the third section of this article.

If you’re like many gamblers and choose to gamble simply because it’s entertaining, you might be okay with losing a little bit of money. After all, almost all forms of entertainment cost something. But even if this is the case, there’s no reason why you need to lose more than you have to.

As a casual gambler, you might not want to invest too much time and energy into building advanced skills, but there are some easy things you can do to improve your results. This starts with finding the best opportunities, which you’re going to learn about in the next section.

The Challenge of Finding Good Gambling Opportunities

Gambling businesses want you to do the things that make them the most money. This is why casinos are filled with slot machines. The most profitable games in casinos are slot machines.

You have to weave through row after row of slot machines to find a blackjack table that gives you much better odds than the slots. And you might have to visit three or four casinos to find a blackjack table that has good rules that give you even better odds.

If you’re betting on a sporting event, you might have to check the lines at six sportsbooks to find the most profitable line. Finding good gambling opportunities isn’t easy.

When it comes to finding good gambling opportunities, you have to start with education. And you have to know what you’re looking for, so you need to do enough research and learn to recognize a good opportunity when you see it.

If you learn enough about your favorite game, you can build a list of the best gambling opportunities for that game. Then, you can start practicing it at the top online gambling sites to take advantage of the best gambling opportunities.

Every Good Opportunity Requires Extensive Skill Building

The gambling opportunities that offer the best odds are also the ones that require the most advanced skills. It’s not hard to participate in these gambling opportunities, but it takes a lot of skill to have a chance to win.

Blackjack offers gamblers one of the best opportunities to gain an edge, but you have to build your skills in several areas. You have to be able to find good games, and you have to master the use of blackjack strategy. If you want to win consistently, you also need to master the skill of counting cards and learn how to do it without being detected by casino personnel.

Gambling on sporting events can also be profitable, but you have to learn how to become a good handicapper. You also need to be knowledgeable about the sport you’re betting on. This takes a lot of time and research.

Poker is probably the best game out there when it comes to winning money. But learning all of the best poker strategies can take years of study and play. It’s usually worth it to spend a few years learning how to win though, because those are skills you’ll never forget. Unfortunately, many gamblers aren’t patient enough to do this.

To win more often, you need to dedicate the time and effort required to build the skills you need.

Small Bankroll Challenges

If you learn how to find the best gambling opportunities and build your skills, you have a chance to make some money. But you can’t make a lot of money unless you have a lot of money to risk to begin with. This is where the size of your bankroll comes into play.

With an edge, the most important thing is how much you can get in play with that edge. A 1% edge makes you $1 on every $100 that you risk.

This means that if you want to make $1,500, you have to get $150,000 in action. Do you have enough money in your bankroll to get this much money in action every week? Most people certainly don’t. You also need to have enough money so that you can survive on the weeks where you don’t win.

And even with an edge, it doesn’t mean you’re going to win every day or week or month. Without a huge bankroll, you’re going to have a hard time winning much money even when you do learn how to gamble with an advantage.

It’s Illegal to Be the House

In every gambling situation, one side makes money and the other loses money. Overall, the gambling operators are the ones making money. A few gamblers can win, but most gamblers lose and that’s how the business makes the most money.

So, why don’t you figure out how to be the house?

If you can figure that out, then you can make more money. The problem with this is that it’s illegal in many areas to offer gambling privately. And even where it’s legal, it’s almost always extremely costly to get the proper licensing or certification to operate a gambling business.

The corporations that run gambling establishments don’t want anyone else competing with them either. So, they do everything they can to deny other people from competing. They also tend to have a lot of money because they’re already established.

This leaves you with a few options. You can set up shop illegally, which I don’t recommend. Or you can try to gather millions of dollars and start a legitimate business. But if you already have this much money, I don’t know why you’d be here reading this article…

The last option you have is to learn how to beat the gambling establishments at their own game and become an advantage gambler.

Entertainment or Advantage?

When it comes to gambling, you need to make a choice.

Your choice is between gambling for entertainment and being okay with losing or choosing to become an advantage gambler. If you don’t choose between the two, you’re going to be gambling for entertainment and losing by default. That’s just how casinos operate. The choice is yours, and if you gamble for entertainment, there’s certainly no shame in that. Just acknowledge that it’s going to cost you a lot of money in the long term.

If you do decide to gamble as an advantage player, you already know what you need to do: choose a skill-based game and practice your advantage-play techniques. And I think this is what most gamblers should try to do. It’s definitely challenging, but it’s better than losing all of the time.

If you decide that you’re happy gambling for entertainment, there are still some easy things you can do. For example, you can learn how to play blackjack well, find decent rules, and use basic strategy. This is essentially one of the cheapest ways to gamble.

Another option is following the same steps with video poker. Learn how to find good pay tables and use strategy. This is also a lower cost way to gamble.

Conclusion

Even with all of the reasons to hate gambling listed in this article, there’s more to love about gambling than there is to hate. If you can build the skills you need to break even as a gambler, it can be very enjoyable. Over time, and with enough luck, you just might be able to win a little bit of money.

And don’t forget: A proper bankroll is more important than most gamblers think. So, make sure you have enough money to take advantage of good opportunities when they come up. Never bet more than you can afford.

Even though the easiest way to make money in the gambling world is to be the house, this is either illegal or extremely expensive, so it’s not a realistic option for most people. Your best bet at winning more often is to practice proper strategies and manage your bankroll properly. Good luck!