Casino night
I never feel at ease in a casino.
You are playing with chips, so it is easy to lose track of how much those things are worth. I also stress out about the absurd amounts of money changing hands as if they were chocolate coins. If I would visit casinos more often, I would feel more at ease with the whole thing. I really do not want to go there.
For most people it seems to be about the thrill. It is about the feeling you get when you put a €100 on say, black at the roulette table. From that moment on, until that ball lands in a slot on the wheel, you feel the surge of adrenalin going through you. It makes you feel alive, excited. And then you can collect your winnings and feel good about them. Well, half the time anyway.
I guess that kick is what people are chasing. It gets stale fast. I do not see how you can make the exact same bet for hours on end, and still care much about individual outcomes. Soon the €100 is not enough anymore, it becomes a trivial amount. So you have to double it, to get that feeling again. And that is how the cycle begins.
Poker is different from all other casino games, though. You are not playing the house, you are playing against other players. If you sit down with people that really are just doing whatever with money, you can easily win theirs. To someone who has not been to a casino, that might seem an unrealistic scenario, but it is not.
There certainly are some good players in a casino, but you will see the majority of people playing things like roulette, blackjack and slots. There is no skill whatsoever involved in those. "just doing whatever with money" is the reason they are there. If they really cared about the odds or did math, they would not be playing any of those in the first place. They bet their money for thrills, and you want those guys at your poker table. Guys like me, who go through great lengths to improve their play skill, are going to get their money. Well... most of the time.
Because that is the major caveat in poker: you never know. You can outplay someone, place them in such a position that they are betting against you with the odds stacked in your favor. But you are almost never 100% sure you will win. And for every euro you can possibly gain, you have to bet at least one of your own. Occasionally that guy that bets €50 euro holding nothing but a four and a five will beat your ace by sheer luck of the draw.
I do not think I will be going back any time soon. Poker is an elegant game, it just does not fit my taste. It was a nice night, though.
You are playing with chips, so it is easy to lose track of how much those things are worth. I also stress out about the absurd amounts of money changing hands as if they were chocolate coins. If I would visit casinos more often, I would feel more at ease with the whole thing. I really do not want to go there.
For most people it seems to be about the thrill. It is about the feeling you get when you put a €100 on say, black at the roulette table. From that moment on, until that ball lands in a slot on the wheel, you feel the surge of adrenalin going through you. It makes you feel alive, excited. And then you can collect your winnings and feel good about them. Well, half the time anyway.
I guess that kick is what people are chasing. It gets stale fast. I do not see how you can make the exact same bet for hours on end, and still care much about individual outcomes. Soon the €100 is not enough anymore, it becomes a trivial amount. So you have to double it, to get that feeling again. And that is how the cycle begins.
Poker is different from all other casino games, though. You are not playing the house, you are playing against other players. If you sit down with people that really are just doing whatever with money, you can easily win theirs. To someone who has not been to a casino, that might seem an unrealistic scenario, but it is not.
There certainly are some good players in a casino, but you will see the majority of people playing things like roulette, blackjack and slots. There is no skill whatsoever involved in those. "just doing whatever with money" is the reason they are there. If they really cared about the odds or did math, they would not be playing any of those in the first place. They bet their money for thrills, and you want those guys at your poker table. Guys like me, who go through great lengths to improve their play skill, are going to get their money. Well... most of the time.
Because that is the major caveat in poker: you never know. You can outplay someone, place them in such a position that they are betting against you with the odds stacked in your favor. But you are almost never 100% sure you will win. And for every euro you can possibly gain, you have to bet at least one of your own. Occasionally that guy that bets €50 euro holding nothing but a four and a five will beat your ace by sheer luck of the draw.
I do not think I will be going back any time soon. Poker is an elegant game, it just does not fit my taste. It was a nice night, though.