Have you learned to "let it go"?

[No coincidences]

Part of my challenge to prove to myself that I'm not a full-fledged degenerate gambler is stepping away from a card of games to do other stuff (family mostly). I had a decent afternoon betting baseball, but we had a lot of things going on this evening so instead of placing a bunch of bets and distractedly checking my phone for scores all night, I decided to just call it a day with a small profit (even though I'd checked some games out for the night). Well sure enough, I just looked after everyone went to bed and my leans between MLB and NBA went 6-0.

Now I should be satisfied with the fact that I was in the black today, and proud of the idea that I spent an entire evening away from gambling. But now I admit I'm a little pissed and felt like I left something on the table. I want to show that, win or lose, I can go afternoons, days or even weeks without worrying about what I'm "missing" -- regardless of how well I could've done. I'm just not at that point yet. Have you been able to let it go without feeling like you're missing out on the action?

[The Kraken]

Yes. It took a lot of losing to get there but Im at a point I barely look at games I didn't bet, even if I had a lean or a gut feeling.

I think my breakthrough came when I started leaving the casino in the black. I love Blackjack and we used to play 8 or 9 hours straight, or until we busted. There were times I'd be up thousands but instead of walking away, I'd slowly give it all back until I had lost it all and some.

now I get up even 300 or 400 and Im walking away.

At first, it drove me crazy to leave while I was winning. Like you said, I felt as if I was leaving money on the table. A few times, I went back and of course, lost. It eventually dawned on me and changed my degenerate habits.

[No coincidences]

Yes. It took a lot of losing to get there but Im at a point I barely look at games I didn't bet, even if I had a lean or a gut feeling.

I think my breakthrough came when I started leaving the casino in the black. I love Blackjack and we used to play 8 or 9 hours straight, or until we busted. There were times I'd be up thousands but instead of walking away, I'd slowly give it all back until I had lost it all and some.

now I get up even 300 or 400 and Im walking away.

At first, it drove me crazy to leave while I was winning. And a few times, I went back and of course, lost. It eventually dawned on me and it changed my degenerate habits.

Nice. Like I said, I'm still not there yet. I'm not a card/casino player at least, but it's hard for me to not constantly be checking scores, lines, etc. I want to get to that point where I can be happy with a small profit and not worry about the rest of the day, occupying my time with other stuff and not even thinking about the games. I was actually OK and didn't get distracted until just now, when I sat down and saw my leans all cashed.

I'd honestly like to reach a place where I'm only making a wager or two per day, if any at all, unless I see a very strong angle on more than a very small handful of games.

[BigDofBA]

You need to take a few weeks off from making any bets. I do it multiple times a year.

I love sports. I love gambling. I love going to Vegas. With that said, if you let it consume you, you're missing out on this wonderful life we have.

There are other things in this world that are important. Take a break and don't think about money left on the table. What is money anyway if you don't have people to share it with?

[homerbush]

My wife is as bad as I am so I have no good advice here. If I hold off betting she bets and then we are both checking when we are out with friends anyway.

[Reload]

Have been through the same thing, No-C. It can feel pretty hard sometimes.

I remember missing out on a winner here and there - then feeling like I had to chase it the next night. Chasing losses is one thing, but chasing after wins you should have had really sends you over the edge.

You did the right thing by passing even with missing out on the leans. Have to be either all the way in or all the way out when it comes to gambling. Plenty of games going on to still make money with.

[No coincidences]

My wife is as bad as I am so I have no good advice here. If I hold off betting she bets and then we are both checking when we are out with friends anyway.

Wow -- really? Trying to decide if that would be a good thing or not. My wife gives me the evil eye every time I'm checking my phone or making a bet.

[No coincidences]

Have been through the same thing, No-C. It can feel pretty hard sometimes.

I remember missing out on a winner here and there - then feeling like I had to chase it the next night. Chasing losses is one thing, but chasing after wins you should have had really sends you over the edge.

You did the right thing by passing even with missing out on the leans. Have to be either all the way in or all the way out when it comes to gambling. Plenty of games going on to still make money with.

Yeah, see that's my thing. I need to make sure I don't go overboard tomorrow to "make up" for what I missed tonight.

Agree in theory that there are always plenty of games and plenty of angles on games. Just have to get over that mental hurdle. Really don't want to be the type of dad who's checking for scores at my son or daughter's program.

[TPowell]

some advice I'm trying to follow. The best handicappers don't follow the majority of the games they bet. You watching does virtually no good anymore. You can tell what happened later on, on your own time

[MoneyLineDawg]

College football or NFL.....not a chance. Everyone that knows me understands that in the fall football comes first on Saturdays and Sundays. Thank God most of of my friends and family feel the same way (to a lesser extent).

The rest of the year I'm what you would call a spot bettor in all sports (except for March Madness, really)......So yeah, I definitely live a "normal" life from February-The end of August

But come football season, I'm a full fledged degenerate in everything football....And I love it

[No coincidences]

some advice I'm trying to follow. The best handicappers don't follow the majority of the games they bet. You watching does virtually no good anymore. You can tell what happened later on, on your own time

Actually, I don't watch many of the games I bet on.

Checking/refreshing the scoreboard, though, is a different story.

[No coincidences]

College football or NFL.....not a chance. Everyone that knows me understands that in the fall football comes first on Saturdays and Sundays. Thank God most of of my friends and family feel similar.

The rest of the year I'm what you would call a spot bettor in all sports (except for March Madness, really)......So yeah, I definitely live a "normal" life from February-The end of August

But come football season, I'm a full fledged degenerate in everything football....And I love it

I enjoy analyzing lines (no surprise there), capping games, going through advanced stats, matchups, etc. I've always said that this is one of my only true hobbies. With that being said, it's very time-consuming and, as we all know, games very rarely go according to Hoyle. So there are days when I look back at a slate of crazy-unpredictable outcomes and wonder why I wasted so much time doing this, when I could be off spending my time rationally and more productively.

I'm always very retrospective late at night, when I'm looking at a fresh set of lines for the next day and just taking it easy. When tomorrow comes, around noon, I'll be getting that "itch" to bet everything on the board in front of me. To be truly profitable doing this (I bet small, so it's not a big deal either way, but the goal is still to pocket some money), I need to slow down.

[BigDofBA]

Yes. It took a lot of losing to get there but Im at a point I barely look at games I didn't bet, even if I had a lean or a gut feeling.

I think my breakthrough came when I started leaving the casino in the black. I love Blackjack and we used to play 8 or 9 hours straight, or until we busted. There were times I'd be up thousands but instead of walking away, I'd slowly give it all back until I had lost it all and some.

now I get up even 300 or 400 and Im walking away.

At first, it drove me crazy to leave while I was winning. Like you said, I felt as if I was leaving money on the table. A few times, I went back and of course, lost. It eventually dawned on me and changed my degenerate habits.

I did this in Vegas last week. Was up like $500 after two hours playing blackjack, ended up playing a 6 hours session, and left the table down $5 from what I started with.

My fiance was also pissed off that I wasn't spending time with her.

[No coincidences]

Last year, I decided I wanted to start keeping track of all of my bets in threads for the respective sports I play. Here are my records since last fall, all tracked at SBR:

NFL: 106-85, +21.93U
CFB: 110-106, +10.03U
NBA: 210-237, -10.27U
CBB: 344-310, -25.66U
MLB: 50-42, +30.36U
Totals: 820-780, +26.39U

So I've made a decent profit in the past eight months. But that's 1,600 bets folks (basically 200 per month, which is about 6-7 a day, every day). Ridiculous. And yes, I bet $20 per unit, but over 1,600 bets (many of them multiple units obviously because of the smaller size), I'm looking at probably having put around $50-60 grand in play over the past eight months. When I look at it that way -- just stupid crazy for someone who isn't trying to make a living or sink any of my legitimate money aside from disposable income doing this. I love the action, but I have to slow things down.

[No coincidences]

I did this in Vegas last week. Was up like $500 after two hours playing blackjack, ended up playing a 6 hours session, and left the table down $5 from what I started with.

My fiance was also pissed off that I wasn't spending time with her.

Nothing worse than that. I've had days when I've kicked ass over a slate of early MLB games, then lost control at night, flushed all the money I would've had from the afternoon profit and then some, and pissed off my wife in the process for not spending more time with the family.

[NYSportsGuy210]

I enjoy analyzing lines (no surprise there), capping games, going through advanced stats, matchups, etc. I've always said that this is one of my only true hobbies. With that being said, it's very time-consuming and, as we all know, games very rarely go according to Hoyle. So there are days when I look back at a slate of crazy-unpredictable outcomes and wonder why I wasted so much time doing this, when I could be off spending my time rationally and more productively.

I'm always very retrospective late at night, when I'm looking at a fresh set of lines for the next day and just taking it easy. When tomorrow comes, around noon, I'll be getting that "itch" to bet everything on the board in front of me. To be truly profitable doing this (I bet small, so it's not a big deal either way, but the goal is still to pocket some money), I need to slow down.

Yea but you still suck at it.

[No coincidences]

Yea but you still suck at it.

My record is listed above. Every play accounted for. Tailing me at $100 per unit would have you up $2,600 over the last eight months.

Feel free to provide proof that you're in the black over the same period of time. That's what I thought.

[homerbush]

Wow -- really? Trying to decide if that would be a good thing or not. My wife gives me the evil eye every time I'm checking my phone or making a bet.

It's cool sometimes but no way to ever take a break from it.

[thehoorse]

My wife is as bad as I am so I have no good advice here. If I hold off betting she bets and then we are both checking when we are out with friends anyway.

Does she have a sister? (and is single)

[tatddy]

Do you want the $ or do you want to fulfil the egos desire to win and feel successful? Or both equally?

[tony_come]

Too much reading in this thread

Great authors here

[boomer62]

[QUOTE=No coincidences;18387780]Part of my challenge to prove to myself that I'm not a full-fledged degenerate gambler is stepping away from a card of games to do other stuff (family mostly). I had a decent afternoon betting baseball, but we had a lot of things going on this evening so instead of placing a bunch of bets and distractedly checking my phone for scores all night, I decided to just call it a day with a small profit (even though I'd checked some games out for the night). Well sure enough, I just looked after everyone went to bed and my leans between MLB and NBA went 6-0.

Now I should be satisfied with the fact that I was in the black today, and proud of the idea that I spent an entire evening away from gambling. But now I admit I'm a little pissed and felt like I left something on the table. I want to show that, win or lose, I can go afternoons, days or even weeks without worrying about what I'm "missing" -- regardless of how well I could've done. I'm just not at that point yet. Have you been able to let it go without feeling like you're missing out on the action?[/QUOTE


Dude, I don't know you and I try to be non-judgemental . I occasionally browse thru here, find it very entertaining but this forum lacks substance. Many people on here have huge egos and really display their insecurities and their need to be right and and to get attention. I'll admit, as you may know from my recent posts, that you were one of the people on here that annoyed me by your constant posts with opinions and telling everyone every bet you made. Why people feel that they have to let the world know what they bet is beyond me.
With that being said, I acknowledge you for your honesty and sharing. I've been there and most people on here are living their life the same way. I've learned that whatever you focus on expands. Need to have a balance with work, family, health, spirituality(most important) and play time. Problem with gambling is it can be everyday and MOST importantly TIME passes you bye. Can never get it back and sometimes miss out on the joys of life, especially if you have kids and it can cost you relationships. Worst is losing money when you could be saving, we all have burned thru cash. I, myself try to focus on making money with my career, work out, and spend quality time with friends and family, and try to be very disciplined with a bankroll.I love the action as well. Horses are the best! Hardest thing is to let go. Realize in the big scheme of things it doesn't matter. You may win but you will eventually give back. Have to develop a mindset to this. It is the action that the mind craves. Takes a lot of discipline and being humble and grounded. If you have kids, we all have ****** up and missed not being present to them when they needed us because our minds were on the action. The biggest problem as you stated, is the mind convinces you it is never enough!! Never satisfied, always want to win more and their in lies the problem. Very important to manage the mind and emotions and to be able to let go and to stay centered.
Anyway, I apologize for busting your balls and felt I had to share. I'm sure I will get my share now.

[ROFLcopter]

Last Sunday was the end of cycle with my local and I was already up huge, so I decided to take the day off. If I played, I would of doubled my winnings for that cycle. Needless to say, I was pretty pissed. But I know taking days off when up big will work more often times than not. If I have stuff to do, I don't really feel the urge to constantly check my phone anymore. I'll do it if I'm in the bathroom or have a second to myself, but it's not nearly as bad as it used to be.

[BIGDAY]

If balanced correctly it can be a lot of fun.

[Sportsbetting123]

It took years for me to learn to let it go. After a while you realize being greedy will burn you in the end.

[Smoke]

Its the shoes

[JayLA]

the more you gamble the more you risk(obviously) losing to the house. there's really no argument against that. sure you can pick your spots wisely in sports/poker/blackjack but the house wins. period. best you can do is manage your losses as others have said....lettin it go, walkin away, and keeping a fresh mind is the one of best ways to manage your losses, i think. as a oppose to chasing, at least.

[lesterdymond]

Your an honest person No Coin.. That's what makes you a solid poster, this thread serves well over 60 % of us here.

Don't sweat it, we have 1 short life on this earth and if the wife wants to bitch & moan it could be a lot worse. You could be an alky, coke freak, cashing your paycheck @ the casino ( you don't even play cards) Gone for days @ time..Sometimes these broads need a true reminder of degeneracy.

Sit back, grab your coffee, cap your Sunday card bud. I wanna see some winners.

[lakerboy]

i only bet when i want to. i have not watched an entire game of anything besides the second leg of real/manchester since the superbowl. its not that hard.

[brooks85]

i only bet when i want to. i have not watched an entire game of anything besides the second leg of real/manchester since the superbowl. its not that hard.

when one airbets, one will learn it isn't that hard to let it go

[lakerboy]

Brooks have you found paco yet? How are the bengals gonna do this year?

[No coincidences]

Do you want the $ or do you want to fulfil the egos desire to win and feel successful? Or both equally?

I don't really need the money. It's more about the latter for me. That, and it's fun to analyze lines, matchups, stats, etc.

[Louisvillekid1]

Your an honest person No Coin.. That's what makes you a solid poster, this thread serves well over 60 % of us here.

Don't sweat it, we have 1 short life on this earth and if the wife wants to bitch & moan it could be a lot worse. You could be an alky, coke freak, cashing your paycheck @ the casino ( you don't even play cards) Gone for days @ time..Sometimes these broads need a true reminder of degeneracy.

Sit back, grab your coffee, cap your Sunday card bud. I wanna see some winners.

Have we met? How do you know my lifestyle?

[raydog]

scared money will never make money, nocoin... you know this... its all about setting a goal and if its reached, you set a new one... you arent gambling for a living, so there is no reason to let gambling control your life

[k13]

I don't watch majority of the games I bet on. Is someone seriously going to watch 3 hrs of NHL/MLB/NBA game after game after game.

The only time I feel like I'm "missing out" is if I don't hedge a big parlay or get in on a future bet with great odds in time.

Unless you are betting with 50%-100% of your BR, I don't see in even worrying or following the game so closely.