Originally posted on 11/12/2014:

Quote Originally Posted by breakin[FONT=arial
[/FONT]gbad;22978165]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N57SxyxUhTQ
One of the best clips ever. Now, interesting topic....am I a degenerate gambler?

Definition (Urban Dictionary):

'individual who possesses a one-way ticket to prison. who gambles not only their money and reputation, but also their sexual organs, their best friends, and their dreams by acting in ways which consequences forever ignite the most feared, internal nightmare. who consistently acts in ways that have proven unsavory time and time again in their past, yet who fail to yield the self-discipline and willpower in the present moment to learn a new way which most likely will lead to increased well-being. the only occasions that inspire them to attempt to make deep corrections to their internal affairs are hospitalization or the charge of felony. as much as you want to support the degenerate gambler because he or she is your friend, there comes a time when you must move on with your own hard-earned lifestyle and at the most, infrequently say a prayer for your ol' pal at the bedside.'

Nope....I don't think I quite qualify by these strict terms above.

I have wondered through the years though, how much of a degen am I? I have often shirked such responsibilities as paying bills, rent, etc....BUT that was a long time ago.

I started my journey when I was VERY young, running poker games in a dark room behind the library in 1986, when I was 12. These were literally penny ante games, and we played dealer's choice, although we knew very few variations at the time. I charged 3 pennies to get into the game and we literally kept our pennies in our lunch boxes and I kept mine in an old liver-oil bottle, with cotton stuffing stuffed into it so it didn't jingle.

That turned into years of playing poker before it became the 'in thing'....and I mean WAY before. I also gambled on the golf course and that started at 13....in fact at 14 I spent more time on the putting green at the local country club than I did on the golf course, playing Quarters. I earned more those summers than anyone I knew that had a paper route or a 'real job'.

In 1990 things changed a bit. In May of '90 the Crystal Casino opened in the Fort Garry Hotel in downtown Winnipeg, this was the first government owned and run casino in the Western Hemisphere (if you can believe it). It just so happened that July 4th, 1990 I turned 18 (age of majority in Manitoba). I quickly became a regular, sitting there every night after 11pm, chatting with all of the First Nations (native Canadian) Band Leaders, who were busy pissing away their tribe's money and yelling at me for hitting a 12 against a 4, or staying on 16 against a face card. These people taught me the game, and at that time in that casino you had to play 'right' or worry that somebody was going to bottle you on the way to your car.

This was the first time I ever practiced true 'Bankroll Management', and I developed my first ever 'system'. I had it in my head that the best way to do things was to go with $30 per night (I played $2 tables at the time). My goal was to hit and run at $150. I figured that I could make it to $150 more than 1 out of every 5 nights on average....and for the most part I was correct! My bankroll actually grew for the first couple of years and I would find myself sitting at the $10 tables soon enough.

At the same time I was busy playing pool. 8-ball, 9-ball, hell even snooker at our University Club. During those days I was still working on my poker game, playing as much as I could between tournament matches and while I was waiting for my quarter tom come up on the challenge tables. I won a decent amount during those years....good enough that I only kept my restaurant job for one Saturday day shift per week, to make a few bucks in tips and tell my parents that I was a responsible student.

In the mid-90's things changed a little bit and I first heard about off-shore casinos. I was probably one of the first people in existence to have an account in the Caribbean. Man oh man, those days sure were different. No internet, I used to end up on the phone all night calling sports update lines. They used to actually have phone lines that you would call, there would be a generic message at the start for some type of service (usually tout) or product and then they would give you the latest updates, which were never up to date.

During that time I found that I had SERIOUS money management issues. I seemed to win more than I lost (I am sure the numbers would have reflected that), but I always made poorly timed bets and would chase (LOTS). It didn't take long for me to bust out repeatedly.

After that I laid off of sports betting for the next year or so....then I started to track my plays without real money. I wanted to prove to myself that I could be a winner at sports betting....and man, was I successful! The percentages that I put together were impressive. I went to my dad and showed him, and he then tracked my plays for a month (he doesn't bet.....ever, and rarely follows any type of sports) and he could not believe how well I was performing. He decided to back me so I threw in $500 and he threw in $1500 and we shipped that of to somewhere hot and sunny and I proceeded to bankrupt us within a couple of weeks.

What was my problem? How did it happen? Hell, I knew nothing about BR management. When the plays were being tracked with no money on them I would not chase....why would I? All of a sudden when our money was on it, things changed and in a hurry.

I learned my first real lesson there.....I also learned that I wasn't quite as smart as I thought I was. I was also embarrassed by losing my father's money, along with my own.

Fast forward a couple of years and we hit the poker rush.....boy, I played a lot. I started at a club in Winnipeg called Barca Club, it was a back room shop with three 9 person tables. They would run tournies twice a week and cash games 7 nights a week. I got in on the game because I was an old friend of one of the guys running it and one of the regulars there. This was a really nice way to supplement my income at the time and I played there, honing my skills for a couple of years.....and then came the real boom....the River Rock!

I moved to Vancouver in 2004 and immediately began playing at the River Rock, starting with 1/2 and quickly moving to the 5/5 game (which was 3/6 at the time and then evolved to 3/5 before becoming easier at 5/5, with no real small blind). All I can say is SICK MONEY. The next 5 years I played nights and furthered my career during the day, rarely taking time to relax, aside from some big nights out. I didn't even really date during that time....were there lot's of women? Sure, the story would suck without women, but I didn't have enough time to concentrate on one.

Now, most of you that have played poker will know what I am talking about....the great slowdown. Unfortunately in 2009-2010 the poker rush started to slow down. All of the guys that lost money (especially the drug dealers, weed growers, etc) started to realize that constantly giving away money wasn't the coolest thing in the world. I slowly stopped enjoying my time at the table and as this happened I began to move away from poker. For the next few years I didn't really gamble at all....the off night out with the boys at the Blackjack tables was about it. Pretty boring.....

And then, my final stage....two years ago I decided to give sports betting another shot. I had learned money management in my personal life as well as my professional life, I was still as avid a fan as ever (I am seriously passionate about sports) and I still loved the thrill.....I opened a BODOG account and had some amazing and immediate success.

Two months later, I was in the hospital after surgery and was BORED out of my mind. I Googled 'is it possible to win money in sports betting?'.....and up come our friend, SBR. I was intrigued, I was excited....I started my first thread and got ragged on by almost everyone (it is actually funny to read now). I learned a lot....I closed out my Bodog account and opened accounts at Pinny and 5dimes and I have been solvent ever since.

I do find that some days I concentrate on sports too much, look at my phone too many times during dinner, sneak a peek while I am in the bathroom.....but I guess it is up to you to decide.....

Am I a degenerate gambler?


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