I'm steaming....

[kandrathe]

...
When you are out to make a buck, you bring that money home.
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I always find my winning strategy to be based on being able to compute rough probabilities on the fly in your head based on played cards, or straight probabilities. So for me, the trick is to be more conservative when it seems the odds are against me, and take more risks when it seems the odds are in my favor. No magic there. But you'd be surprised by the number of people who do not follow that simple premise. No real need for Mr. Spock like exact computations, just a general awareness of face cards played, and suits. I have nearly a photographic short term memory, so for instance at University, tests that required regurgitating facts or definitions were alway a breeze. It comes in handy for playing some card games.

My other strategy is a left pocket, right pocket strategy. My left pocket contains my stake, the right pocket contains the money I'm taking home and when I win large amount on a bet I take half the winnings and put it in my right pocket. If my left pocket gets empty I go home.

I'm not interested in becoming an avid/professional gambler, but the few times I've gone to *real* gambling establishments I've always done very well. I hate to feel like a fish out of water so I'm probably unique in that I use game simulators to practice weeks before hand. So much so I guess that I start to get the attention of the house in many cases, where the pit boss stands and watches me play, they change the dealer, change the dice, change the cards etc. Maybe I'm paranoid. In those places I stick to two games where the house has only a slight advantage, Black Jack and Craps. I love craps, such a simple game once you get to know how to play and the probabilities. One of the fondest memories of my life was being the shooter at a craps table in Vegas for 25 minutes straight and attracting a crowd of hundreds with the cheers and tears of joy from all the winnings.

Poker is a different game altogether. It is more psychological, but I would never condone dirty tricks to make a buck. That is why I only play it as a friendly game with friends for low stakes. Its' that slippery slope of morality and bad character, it starts with cheating at cards, or running maphack and before you know it your busted for peer-to-peer file sharing and serving 15-20 with all the other hardened criminals. :)