A disturbing gambling story

[WileOut]

Hope your buddy is ok and gets out of this mess Jellybean. The good news is that he is still alive. He needs to get mentally healthy before it starts wearing him out physically.

I know 1 person who shot himself at work after he lost all his online money and maxed out all his credit avenues. The problem was that he used a small caliber handgun when he needed to use something more powerful so it took a few hours for him to die, and he was alert the entire time. The guy was also bi-polar but I never knew that until after he was dead. He was just a cool guy, played linebacker in high school, was a friend of mine. Tough guy, never backed down from a fight.

There have been men and women who committed suicide because they lost everything due to shopping addiction. The bookies are not to blame in my opinion, they wouldn't be here unless there was a demand for their services. Our government is a bookie. I believe you said your friend was a bookie too.

You just have to keep things in perspective and realize that money, material things, power, all these things are meaningless really. In 80 years we will all probably be dead and it won't matter how much we made on Earth. I am religious and believe it is the devil that drives us to want more and more of this stuff. For me, God is first, then my family. Nothing else is really important, maybe a few friends. We all are greedy and its up to each individual to come up with a plan how to keep it from taking us over.

Tiger Woods in 10 years will be yearning to be a billionaire instead of just a multi millionaire.

[Spanks]

Hope your buddy is ok and gets out of this mess Jellybean. The good news is that he is still alive. He needs to get mentally healthy before it starts wearing him out physically.

I know 1 person who shot himself at work after he lost all his online money and maxed out all his credit avenues. The problem was that he used a small caliber handgun when he needed to use something more powerful so it took a few hours for him to die, and he was alert the entire time. The guy was also bi-polar but I never knew that until after he was dead. He was just a cool guy, played linebacker in high school, was a friend of mine. Tough guy, never backed down from a fight.

There have been men and women who committed suicide because they lost everything due to shopping addiction. The bookies are not to blame in my opinion, they wouldn't be here unless there was a demand for their services. Our government is a bookie. I believe you said your friend was a bookie too.

You just have to keep things in perspective and realize that money, material things, power, all these things are meaningless really. In 80 years we will all probably be dead and it won't matter how much we made on Earth. I am religious and believe it is the devil that drives us to want more and more of this stuff. For me, God is first, then my family. Nothing else is really important, maybe a few friends. We all are greedy and its up to each individual to come up with a plan how to keep it from taking us over.

Tiger Woods in 10 years will be yearning to be a billionaire instead of just a multi millionaire.

great post Wile...

[WileOut]

Thanks. Hope it helps.

[Spanks]

Thanks. Hope it helps.

I agree with you...I try to keep things real myself...

[durito]

Tiger Woods in 10 years will be yearning to be a billionaire instead of just a multi millionaire.

Tiger is set to be a billionaire by 2011 according to this estimate

http://blogs.wsj.com/wealth/2008/08/13/tiger-woods-to-become-first-billionaire-athlete/

[WileOut]

Tiger is set to be a billionaire by 2011 according to this estimate

http://blogs.wsj.com/wealth/2008/08/...naire-athlete/

That is insane. A freaking golfer.

My point is the same though. He will want more money than he has, just like everyone else.

[MartinBlank]

Jelly.....

I have to ask, how did he earn the millions he lost? I can't imagine what he has gone through. Just last week, on A MUCH SMALLER SCALE....we had a poster here....PittChicGambles....she won 7K...and then created a thread with each wager...and she lost every single penny. It was sad to watch, and a few SBR posters tried to advise her, tried to get her to slow down----but nope. She lost it all. She even re-upped, and lost that too. I haven't seen her since.

Thanks for sharing the story, hopefully some posters learn from it.

[reno cool]

too much is never enough.

It's hard for me to understand what drives somebody to risk millions. It seems ridiculous to go crazy or kill yourself over money.
However, I've gone busted before and I know your attitude, world view, changes.

[willyback]

*You must always remind yourself that you're gambling to make money, especially if you're a 'sharp'.

Most people bet for the 'high' they experience between the placement of a wager and the completion of a match. The outcome of the bet is relatively pointless, because the true satisfaction comes from that 'high'.

Pro gamblers could care less about a 'high'. Every bet is a calculated investment maneuver, initiated with only one goal in mind - make more money.

It's a fine line to walk. Somehow, your friend crossed over from pure profit to pure high and subsequently made poor picks. I'm not necessarily a believer in anyone's 'luck running out'.

*I'm sure that wall street investors struggle with the same issues of addiction.

Only the strong will survive.

[Peep]

I'm not necessarily a believer in anyone's 'luck running out'.

Me neither. It was just the title of a book I liked lol.

I like your post willyback, and agree with a lot of it, certainly the part about the danger of getting addicted to the "high" of winning. I am much better off when I can just make my bets and NOT watch games, just get scores at end, but sometimes the temptation to check is too much (me going for the high rather than just waiting till the end and letting the percentages do their work).

Great thread.

[Helmut]

Is his name Lenny?

[awhitejackson]

They used to throw debtors in prison......Now they let you waste away and destroy your family, and **** everyone else in your life up...Worse sick than an alcoholic or even a Heroin addict....I'm one of em...God help me before I go broke...

[reno cool]

my friend used to say correctly I believe "never underestimate the luck factor".

although luck alone wont let you win in the "long run", sessions of very good or bad luck can make or break a career. And there's precious few gamblers who haven't been pushed to the limit due to an extremely bad run sooner or later.

[ijustwant2bpaid]

2 things, one; anyone who made millions off gambling has a very good mind and will not be down for too long, and two; Pitt. -6.5 was a horrible decision and I hate to say i told u so but....<---he's not laughing, he's crying

[JELLYBEAN]

Is his name Lenny?

No it's not. But I can say that lenny is on a even higher scale then my friend in terms of how much he lost gambling, and a even higher scale of how much he owes. Here's the difference. The guy I speak of never owned a post up operation and stolen millions. The afformentioned lenny still runs a place. Still steals. Still owes. MY friend has some sort of conscience, and i confirmed this,he has paid every last client every cent(i told him he should of kept some for himself to live and closed shop and piad off his clients over a period of time, maybe give his business away and take in paychecks from it). He just owes his own debts. Lenny is a thief with no conscience who stole and borrowed from friends. My friend owes debts on his own and the money earned off him by these guys is 5 times more than he owes. He never took shots ALA lenny. He just went up. He has earned millions in this business, but no sure he earned it actually gambling, but booking. I know he has had his runs, but no matter how sharp you are, or how much information you have, if you do not have discipline you will lose and lose big. This is an open forum so I will not post names, but you would be surprised how many guys who you think are loaded and sharp gamblers, whether it be sports or poker are dead broke. I heard a few and my jaw dropped. Some of them are paraded on these poker shows as pro's. What they don't tell you is that they are broke.

[MartinBlank]

Jelly.....I agree with that. I know a few guys who love the image of being high rolling players, but sadly, they are deep in debt.

The guys who are up, and doing well.....live modestly. They make few plays, they rarely if ever chase a bad loss, and they never play/bet with emotion. Find that guy---and you have a guy who is playing smart, and living well.

[JELLYBEAN]

As fpr spanks and his smart ass comments. If someone in your life, whether it be a close friend or immediate family has a problem, whether it be gambling, drugs or alcohol, I hope your not such a jackass and maybe read up on these diseases before you make some more idiotic posts. Not everyone in this world is perfect as you are I guess. This thread was started to help others. And yes losing 10k to some can be on the same level as losing 1 mil to others. As not everyone earns a living on the same level. Read into the posts before you continue to make a moron of yourself. Maybe if your so smart go to a GA meeting and teach others how to be a fantastic human being as yourself. Guys with your attitude are just as bad as the guys going broke. Your even worse.

[Fischnasty]

Best of luck to you and your friend/tipster/bookie, jellybean. But you have to realize that youre posting this on an online forum and if youre expecting sympathy this is probably the wrong place.

[coldhardfacts]

From what I understand all of his clients are squared up.

If that's true, then he is truly a stand-up guy and I wish him all the best.

[Dark Horse]

To be a successful gambler you have to know sports and strong angles, but there is something else you need to know even better: yourself.

It helps to know that every emotion and feeling starts with a thought. By the mere act of putting your attention on a thought, you make it real. If you're angry it is because you focused on an anger thought. Once energized in this manner, the thought takes on a life of its own. If you had ignored the thought, the potential in that thought would not have manifested. Like gods, we create our own reality. Like fools, we hypnotize ourselves. The principle is as subtle as it is simple.

You show me a gambler who lost big, far beyond a normal fluctuation, and I show you a guy who lost his cool.

[coldhardfacts]

*
*I'm sure that wall street investors struggle with the same issues of addiction.

Very very true. The NYSE is the biggest casino in the world.

[Dark Horse]

It became a casino when people started to put time limits on positions (options). A time limit is a characteristic of a game, whether it is football, hockey, or poker. It changes the dynamic completely from something that is not governed by time.

For instance, if the Super Bowl was about whichever team got to 50 pts first, the Cardinals would probably have won. They had all the momentum. But they ran out of time.

If you allow yourself to get in a position like that in the stock market, it does become a casino. Many did (and many do). Motivated by rampant greed.

When you invest in a stock you don't have to put a time limit on it. You can set your own time. So then its just down to the quality of your research.

[UKJewishBoy]

So disturbed by this I had to post to hope no one in here ever gets to this point. I just got off the phone with someone I have known for many many years. He's always been a stand up honorable guy in my book. Been in this business his whole life. I considered him a sharp guy, so did many others. Always seemed to have his head on straight and always preached to others the perils of pathelogical gambling. If you bet you would want him to be your guy. Always kept his clientele in control, never let anyone get over there heads. That's why hearing this story disturbed me so much. He just called me and broke down. He's beyond broke. Beyond desperate. And he owes hundreds of thousands of dollars all over the place. He basically told me he lost close to 4 million over the last 2 years chasing. He didnt ask me for money. He just didnt want me to hear it through the grapevine. If this guy can go bad like this, anyone can. I know he was always an earner, but he said he's done. He hit the wall and he is checking himself into a rehab center(didn even know they had them for gambling). He said he cant do it anymore. He always has ways to play because of his honorable rep over the last 20 years. It's mind boggling to say the least. I am at a loss for words. Anyone in here ever deal with this type of problem at this level? I wish I could make sense of it. This is the first time in all my years in this business I actually think it can be a disease. It's so sad. Anyway, just needed to get this out there. If anyone in here feels they have this massive of a problem, please get help. This is coming from a guy who makes his living at this. I am so sick.

Hi Jellybean.

This forum is "OWNED" by a bunch of idiots, thinking they can make a joke out of everything.
It's quite annoying and disturbing to to see so many idiotic replies, such as someone who posts this:

(yawning? dude, just get lost, kick yourself out of this thread, and just DON'T reply, spare us from your rubbish, would ya?)

As far as your story goes there was a man here in England, Graham Calvert, he used to be a greyhound-trainer (dog-racing trainer), he used to make a lot of money with his job, and he even used to bet lots of £££ on greyhound races.

The problem starts when he started to take bets in big amounts, like £20k-£30k a day, per SINGLE bet!

He lost around £2.1m (back then, when the £1 = $2 USD, so it was more than $4m !).
He lost his wife, his kids, his family, eventually I don't know how he didn't just kill himself but he went into drugs and now he's in jail for 2 years for drug posession (which is very ridiculous in my opinion, as the government should help these people, not just toss them as they were rubbish).

-------

I assume in America people are less aware of the implications and effects gambling could cause. Here in the UK we have "Self Exclusion" policy, a policy you won't find with US books (they wouldn't even know what it is).
When you walk into a casino here you must be identified first, and if you're self-excluded the Casino won't let you to get in, simple as that. (they take a pictue of you when you register so identification is made fully by name, picture and address)

I suggest to you and to anyone who have gambling problems to self-exclude himself from the book he's using. I did it with a few books, it only did good to me.

I hope my post won't be followed by idiotic replies.

[UKJewishBoy]

Best of luck to you and your friend/tipster/bookie, jellybean. But you have to realize that youre posting this on an online forum and if youre expecting sympathy this is probably the wrong place.

Why is it the wrong place?
This is the EXACT place for posting this.
The whole forum is around gambling.

You guys like to generalize yourself.
I assume you might add
"This forum isn't for Jews!" - who said it's not? you?

[Fischnasty]

Why is it the wrong place?
This is the EXACT place for posting this.
The whole forum is around gambling.

You guys like to generalize yourself.
I assume you might add
"This forum isn't for Jews!" - who said it's not? you?

fair enough

[pokernut9999]

[quote=Dark Horse;1512715]To be a successful gambler you have to know sports and strong angles, but there is something else you need to know even better: yourself.

It helps to know that every emotion and feeling starts with a thought. By the mere act of putting your attention on a thought, you make it real. If you're angry it is because you focused on an anger thought. Once energized in this manner, the thought takes on a life of its own. If you had ignored the thought, the potential in that thought would not have manifested. Like gods, we create our own reality. Like fools, we hypnotize ourselves. The principle is as subtle as it is simple.

You show me a gambler who lost big, far beyond a normal fluctuation, and I show you a guy who lost his cool.[/quote]

Everything I have read about big time proffesional gamblers is that they all have gone broke more than once. Never heard of any that admitted to never going broke.

[pico]

dark horse is wise.

i agree with what he said

[JELLYBEAN]

[quote=pokernut9999;1513203]

To be a successful gambler you have to know sports and strong angles, but there is something else you need to know even better: yourself.

It helps to know that every emotion and feeling starts with a thought. By the mere act of putting your attention on a thought, you make it real. If you're angry it is because you focused on an anger thought. Once energized in this manner, the thought takes on a life of its own. If you had ignored the thought, the potential in that thought would not have manifested. Like gods, we create our own reality. Like fools, we hypnotize ourselves. The principle is as subtle as it is simple.

You show me a gambler who lost big, far beyond a normal fluctuation, and I show you a guy who lost his cool.[/quote]

Everything I have read about big time proffesional gamblers is that they all have gone broke more than once. Never heard of any that admitted to never going broke.

That is so very true.

As far as me posting this story. It was more for the young kids who post in here thinking its so glamerous to be a gambler/bookie. I would say that 90% of guys in this business live week to week. I know this to be the truth because i know a ton of them. Sure there are some very rich guys. But most are addicted gamblers/bookies. Some got lucky with some big whales and made a fortune. Some make millions and gamble it all away like my friend. Most can't go into the real world because they have no sense or reality when it comes to money. Most never admit they have problems. I don't feel sorry for anyone. I just feel that it is a disease for some and it's not recongnized by the powers that be because corporate america owns all the casino's and pay off there politicians. They feel by putting 1=800-gambler signs up and that will stop some one who is desperate. I know the best way to help is to 1. not lend anyone in this position money 2. let them know they can get help 3. Be a friend

So anyone with there smart ass remarks can go jump off a bridge like you feel the person with a problem should do, because that's a great solution.

[pokernut9999]

[quote=JELLYBEAN;1513399]

That is so very true.

As far as me posting this story. It was more for the young kids who post in here thinking its so glamerous to be a gambler/bookie. I would say that 90% of guys in this business live week to week. I know this to be the truth because i know a ton of them. Sure there are some very rich guys. But most are addicted gamblers/bookies. Some got lucky with some big whales and made a fortune. Some make millions and gamble it all away like my friend. Most can't go into the real world because they have no sense or reality when it comes to money. Most never admit they have problems. I don't feel sorry for anyone. I just feel that it is a disease for some and it's not recongnized by the powers that be because corporate america owns all the casino's and pay off there politicians. They feel by putting 1=800-gambler signs up and that will stop some one who is desperate. I know the best way to help is to 1. not lend anyone in this position money 2. let them know they can get help 3. Be a friend

So anyone with there smart ass remarks can go jump off a bridge like you feel the person with a problem should do, because that's a great solution.

I agree with you all the way , I had a friend go to jail for robbing banks because of a gambling problem. My post was against Dark Horse comment about guys losing. He made it sound like the smart ones never go broke when sooner or later they all will at least once. Sorry if you took it the wrong way.

[UKJewishBoy]

[quote=JELLYBEAN;1513399]

That is so very true.

As far as me posting this story. It was more for the young kids who post in here thinking its so glamerous to be a gambler/bookie. I would say that 90% of guys in this business live week to week. I know this to be the truth because i know a ton of them. Sure there are some very rich guys. But most are addicted gamblers/bookies. Some got lucky with some big whales and made a fortune. Some make millions and gamble it all away like my friend. Most can't go into the real world because they have no sense or reality when it comes to money. Most never admit they have problems. I don't feel sorry for anyone. I just feel that it is a disease for some and it's not recongnized by the powers that be because corporate america owns all the casino's and pay off there politicians. They feel by putting 1=800-gambler signs up and that will stop some one who is desperate. I know the best way to help is to 1. not lend anyone in this position money 2. let them know they can get help 3. Be a friend

So anyone with there smart ass remarks can go jump off a bridge like you feel the person with a problem should do, because that's a great solution.

You americans need to adpot the "Self Exclusion" policy and any person who wishes to stop should be banned and not allowed to bet anymore.

Unfortunately in Vegas you just go and play, no ID required, unless if they believe you're under the proper age but there is no self-exclusion in Vegas, and that's pretty bad.

[pokernut9999]

[quote=UKJewishBoy;1513682]

You americans need to adpot the "Self Exclusion" policy and any person who wishes to stop should be banned and not allowed to bet anymore.

Unfortunately in Vegas you just go and play, no ID required, unless if they believe you're under the proper age but there is no self-exclusion in Vegas, and that's pretty bad.

When I lived in Biloxi , MS you could ban yourself from casinos and they were not allowed to let you gamble after you "86" yourself.

[thezbar]

Gambling is a disease. It is just as strong a rush as drugs, alcohol, junk food, etc. I'm sure many of us know the feeling of desperation when your chasing a stack. That is a terrible place to be. Over the past few years I've overcome that feeling by following one rule. I set and fund my season limit on every sport at the beginning of the season. I mainly play only Football and Basketball, so I deposit what I'm willing to lose AT THE BEGINNING of Football and Basketball season. Once that's gone, I'm done for the season. I've broken up my football into college and NFL. I was done in the NFL near week 6. I didn't place another bet in the NFL until the playoffs, dipping into my college winnings to fund it. If I have winnings, I use those for other sports like Tennis, boxing, etc.

This has worked for me and it gives me perspective on overall management of an account. I don't go all in and I bet based on what's there not what I perceive or hope to have. Its really not about the system but more about your decisions. If you decide your only going to play with so much then play with only so much. The minute you go over what you decided you are in trouble. Be a man of your word to yourself. If you can't be true to yourself then you need help.

Most people's problem is that they have not set up rules for them to follow or they are known rule breakers.

This post hit home! I fund each season with a set ammount. If I lose I'm done. I lived the life of having my paycheck go to the bookmaker on Tuesday evening and living off of mac and cheese the rest of the week.
Its not fun! The motto I've developed of myself is "Be careful with sports betting it can get you into big trouble". It is a rule I keep for myself at all tmes.
Good post mac and Dark Horse as well.

[UKJewishBoy]

[quote=pokernut9999;1513712]

When I lived in Biloxi , MS you could ban yourself from casinos and they were not allowed to let you gamble after you "86" yourself.

And what about all the US books operating online?

[reno cool]

excluding yourself. now thats stupid.

sounds like those people stapling their stomachs.

if you want to address a problem you need more self control than that

[Spanks]

Here's one more piece of advise jelly-dic...dont spew your crap on here wahhhhhhhh ...my friend lost millions...when people are being fired and losing there homes and cant feed their kids...maybe you should hike down to the employment office with sad-sap and maybe you both can get a job together mopping toilets...then you can trade stories on much you both lost and how the Knicks fuc'd you...