Against all odds

I just back from the short cruise trip today.

The tv in the room actually has got Bloomberg. I think its from the M'sian network.

The funny thing is... I found this channel more 'entertaining' than HBO or cartoon network that were on other channels.

I need a sense of humour.

The casino in the ship was sizeable.

And so were the losses of the poor folks that bought into the dream of striking it rich in there. I really do think that the dream of making your riches in the casino is bullcrap.

I stared at the way people are losing tons money while getting their heads soaked in adrenaline.

I think this is how casino visitors think -

- you start by winning some
- then thinking you could win more, you don't take your profits
- then you start to lose a little, and you get even more stuck to your seat because you think your luck is still good and you can win it back
- then you lose more.... and more and more... and you start thinking to yourself 'darn, should have taken the profits in the first ten mins I was here'
- before you know it, you lost more than you planned for

Poor folks.

The idea of winning big betting against the house in games like Blackjack, Big-Small (or 'Dai-Sai') or Baccarat is a big big fallacy.

The odds are never in the favour of the gambler. Games like that are games of randomness. And every new game is probability being set to the house's advantage again.

Because he is betting against randomness, there's no way the gambler can come out on top even if he is skillful, and especially so in the long run.

So I think a gambler will stand a better chance of winning money playing against other players like himself, who are susceptible to human personality traits like greed and fear.

Like poker.

Or if he takes only ten min casino trips.