If you could go back in time to the day you were introduced to gambling..............

[Poker_Beast]

No way - I look at it as entertainment and only play what I can afford. It creates gret rushes and the wins are priceless.

[picantel]

I would walk away in a new york minute. My first bet was on a horse race and the horse was sunday silence in I think the derby. If he had lost I probably woulda walked away. damn

[charlie64]

I wish I would have started betting smarter when I was younger like I do now,but I have always gambled.My freinds,and I bet on just about everything we do:golf,pool,bowling,We go watch my kids play Jr. high football,baseball,and basketball and we bet on who's gonna get a hit,or miss a free throw,just whatever we can come up with.We will make our bets with the bookies,or sportsbooks,and then watch the game,and 2-3 hundred dollars will pass hands between us just on situational betting.
I don't drink anymore at all,never used drugs,but I LOVE GAMBLING.

[DaveRabbit]

No. That would be real close to 46 years ago when I made a 5¢ futures bet -- Literally, a nickel -- on baseball and as far as I'm concerned my life has been pretty damn good ever since then.

Yep that's the thing, some of us were never introduced into it, we were born into it.

[DaveRabbit]

A few months ago I would have said yes...got down big early and kept gambling trying to get back to even using all of my paychecks...basically scared money so I just got deeper and deeper. Would just pick a game instead of researching ...started playing smarter at the end of Nov and have worked my way back to near even. I enjoy it a lot more now.

Very good advice...I am glad that I got control of myself before I destroyed my life.

Sounds to me you are in a good streak, but it is much to dangerous to start believing that it's under control.

[diogee]

Sounds to me you are in a good streak, but it is much to dangerous to start believing that it's under control.

True...I guess time will tell

[MadCapper]

I wish I would have started betting smarter when I was younger like I do now,but I have always gambled.My freinds,and I bet on just about everything we do:golf,pool,bowling,We go watch my kids play Jr. high football,baseball,and basketball and we bet on who's gonna get a hit,or miss a free throw,just whatever we can come up with.We will make our bets with the bookies,or sportsbooks,and then watch the game,and 2-3 hundred dollars will pass hands between us just on situational betting.
I don't drink anymore at all,never used drugs,but I LOVE GAMBLING.

rat race!

[Bullajami]

I wish I'd started 10 years earlier...

Dittos.

I would also change that I was introduced to gambling by a degenerate who has no comprehension of bankroll management. He was running well at that time, so in my noobishness I thought he knew what he was doing. It took a while to disabuse myself of that notion.

Last time I saw him I made the mistake of mentioning that I was running hot, so he quickly hit me up for $500. I gave it over knowing I'd never see it again (unless he got lucky and ran it up in a short amount of time. Then he'd have paid me back + some magnanimous vig I never asked for.) If I had to guess, I'd say that $500 went $100/hand to the blackjack dealer.

[MadCapper]

Dittos.

I would also change that I was introduced to gambling by a degenerate who has no comprehension of bankroll management. He was running well at that time, so in my noobishness I thought he knew what he was doing. It took a while to disabuse myself of that notion.

Last time I saw him I made the mistake of mentioning that I was running hot, so he quickly hit me up for $500. I gave it over knowing I'd never see it again (unless he got lucky and ran it up in a short amount of time. Then he'd have paid me back + some magnanimous vig I never asked for.) If I had to guess, I'd say that $500 went $100/hand to the blackjack dealer.

Whyd you give him money knowing hed blow it like that?

[slacker00]

Stupid people probably shouldn't be gambling.

Smart people probably should be doing something more constructive with their time.

[Bullajami]

Whyd you give him money knowing hed blow it like that?

Path of least resistance.

[MadCapper]

Path of least resistance.

profound!

but never settle!

[rob]

I started sports gambling in the 1970s. I remember my first $20 bet, which was huge to me at that time.
I soon bought into a sports service - "Vegas One". It was operated by a friendly old guy who answered each call himself. The old boy hit a hot streak that year in the NFL, winning something like 65% of his plays. I think he finished second in the big Castaways contest that they used to have then.
Naturally, I was raking in the dough and living the high life.
I couldn't wait for the next football season, figuring I was going to make a killing. I was betting $200-500 a game, this in a time when the average annual wage was about $10K/yr. Of course, my tout had a bad year, and it was a season of cash advances on my credit cards and floating checks.
But I was hooked. I floundered for many years with my sports betting until about five years ago when I finally discovered the meaning of "money management".
I've shown a decent profit in recent years...but I doubt that I will ever recover the money I lost prior to then.
To go back...I wish I wouldn't have begun betting on sports. Besides the money I lost years ago, it just takes up way too much time. Looking back, I realize how much I've missed out on in life.

[LLXC]

Would have told myself to stick to Poker...

[MadCapper]

I started sports gambling in the 1970s. I remember my first $20 bet, which was huge to me at that time.
I soon bought into a sports service - "Vegas One". It was operated by a friendly old guy who answered each call himself. The old boy hit a hot streak that year in the NFL, winning something like 65% of his plays. I think he finished second in the big Castaways contest that they used to have then.
Naturally, I was raking in the dough and living the high life.
I couldn't wait for the next football season, figuring I was going to make a killing. I was betting $200-500 a game, this in a time when the average annual wage was about $10K/yr. Of course, my tout had a bad year, and it was a season of cash advances on my credit cards and floating checks.
But I was hooked. I floundered for many years with my sports betting until about five years ago when I finally discovered the meaning of "money management".
I've shown a decent profit in recent years...but I doubt that I will ever recover the money I lost prior to then.
To go back...I wish I wouldn't have begun betting on sports. Besides the money I lost years ago, it just takes up way too much time. Looking back, I realize how much I've missed out on in life.

good read. thanx!