Gambling Myths 101
Mansi Aggarwal
Myths and
rumors come with every gambling game. However undesirable, they can be
a good source of recreation. The major cause of these beliefs and tales
is the uncertainty related with gambling.
Slot machines
were first played in the late nineteenth century. Since then the machines
have changed with more reels and increased number columns and slots, however,
the basic concept of operating them remains the same. Players seem to devise
various strategies to be a winner. The most common strategy advocated is
to play safe with one’s money. Play the machine till a pre-decided sum
of money and if the trend of loosing does not change save the rest of the
money. Another advice given by the experts is to prefer casino cards to
casino meters. Other self proclaimed ‘experts’ boast to beat slot odds.
This can hardly be true as the slot results are generated randomly through
electronic number generators.
Blackjack is
a pro-player game. The techniques and strategies suggested by some cannot
be claimed to be foolproof. Playing with a single deck is believed to be
easiest. With the increase in the number of cards the house advantage also
increases and the out come of the game becomes highly unpredictable. Card
counting requires skill and one needs to be a master of blackjack to carry
out this technique. Though it involves simple mathematics, it can take
hours to judge other player’s hands to play a safe bet. Another technique
is shuffle tracking. It is believed that mostly shuffles do not lead to
random arrangement of cards and there is probability that certain sequences
go unshuffled. This technique can be quite unreliable. Another argument
is that the seating arrangement can affect the outcome of the game. This
appears to be a myth and is discarded by most strategists.
Lotteries have
the worst odd than any other gambling game. The most common myth suffered
by the player is that “I can Win”. This myth forces millions to participate
and can also lead to ha\heavy losses for a few. Another myth is playing
one’s lucky numbers. This number can be the birth date, wedding date, or
any other anniversary. Some people may also refer to numerologists.
Horse racing
is one of the most popular and expensive forms of betting. The technique
most people employ while betting on a horse is ‘Handicapping’. This involves
studying the horse’s history - its performance, pedigree, medical history
etc before betting on it. A rather fashionable practice to bring good luck
is to wear fancy hats. The ladies wear colorful hats at the Kentucky Derby
traditionally as a good omen.
While myths
can be quite harmless and funny at times, a more unethical technique desperate
players employ is cheating. The various methods used include the us of
a tampered dice, commonly called a ‘loaded dice’, marking the cards with
juice or special ink, or resorting to tricky shuffles. Cheating is essentially
antisocial and should eb curbed.
Myths and folklores
related to the games are good as long as they are healthy. However, if
the player looses his rationality completely, they can be dangerous as
well, leading to heavy financial losses. Myths are a mixture of hidden
facts and lots of speculation and one should treat them as a part of the
game.
Mansi aggarwal
writes about. gambling myths. Learn more at http://www.learngamblingmyths.com
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