Any advice on how to quit video poker and slots?

I live in Las Vegas, can't shake it.  Need serious replies please. 

What started out as a 300 dollar loss, has turned in to 3 grand.  I won, and wanted to win more, but then, I hit a losing streak and have been chasing that money.  Losing a lot.  I cannot get that loss of money out of my head, which is why I lose more and more.  What have you guys done to quit? The sad thing is I do great in sports, but put it back in the casinos.  How do you forget the lost money? I have a hard time with losing that much.  Any suggestions? I want to quit this forever and just stick to sports (with low wages), how do I quit? It's taken so much from me, I'm thinking of leaving Vegas next month forever (though finding another job will be very hard).

Thanks

Your story is common for people that play those machines.

Video poker and slots are probably the most addictive type of gambling out there.  Given enough play it can become compulsive.

Thinking alot about it and your losses is a bad sign.
Chasing or being obsessed with getting "your" money back... bad sign also

Here's where you got it backwards...

"your money" is in your bank, it is your pay check, its in your hands... even the money you win from gambling is your's (you are not playing with "house money" when you are up)

The "casino/house money" is what is behind the cage... In the vault, in their bank accounts...  There is where your losses are located because the money you lost is no longer yours...  By location and definition it is the casino's

If you can uncross yourself on this simple reality that "your money" is not sitting a bankaccount, safe or machine at the casino because it is the "casino's money", you should be able to start the process of letting go the loss and healing from the chasing compulsion...

Good luck and if have any questions or want more info, just ask

Thanks DL

I struggled with this in my early twenties, and now it's back.  I have no idea what happened.  It's just a blur, in three months, I'm down 3 grand.  I can't let it go, but I will try.  I have no idea what came over me, I have this sick and anxious feeling of wanting that money back.  I have never been this upset over it.  I guess you are saying that the sooner you "forget" about it, the better.  It's very hard to forget, I needed that money, that's two months of work.  I just don't understand.  I know it's bad, but I keep going back.  I posted here so I can get some other opinions.  I have a hard time telling the family about this.

I live primarily in Vegas now, have always liked video poker, but like anything, I can get bored of stuff. I can walk right by it now...Took being here awhile though...

I like sitting at bars just about any city/town, and I agree it can be damn difficult in Vegas to find fun bars that don't cost a zillion bucks for a drink that don't have video poker in front of every bar stool.....

A lot of specialty restaurants/chain restaurants have fun social setting type bars, plenty of women, etc....that don't have those machines in their bars if that's any kind of help....assuming the issue is that the bars the you are going to all seem to have vid poker between you and the bartender....

I dunno dude.

Are you using video poker to "escape" perhaps certain stress, concerns, or issues in your life?

GL, and I can only think that talking about it either here or be honest and up front with those close to you in your life about what you are going through can only help. If people that interact with you in person with frequency know about it and care about you, perhaps they can give support by helping divert your attention from it........

If you can't beat the addiction to video poker, moving from Vegas might be the option....This city is overrated anyway....

Once again, more you talk about it with people in your life, or even here in small ways, can only help. Best of luck.

Your not alone brother I to used to live in vegas and have done the same exact thing. Look at the big picture. No need to move from vegas to stop just stick with sports like you said. Consider your self lucky Its only three grand but you have to stop now before it gets any worse. Just chalk the three grand up as a loss and put it out of your head. If you dont stop now your going to make things a whole lot worse just dont do it. I know its easier said than done but youve got to let it go. Be glad you have a job once you get paid again youll feel better but leave those evil fucking machines alone!

First thing to do is mentally get over that 3 grand, "getting it back", etc.....

Act like it was stolen or you lost it.It's gone and over with.....It isn't a personal thing of you vs. video poker as an entity that beat you....

You'll get through this. I'm confident, since the first step is self awareness of the issue and problem....

TFF, what type of job do you have in Vegas that you believe that you can't duplicate in any number of way cooler more fun cities to live in?

Not asking for specifics, just general description of job.

Hes 100% right you are able to see that your starting to have a problem thats a huge step that takes some people 10s of thousands to get to. Just tuff it out till you get paid again and youll feel better.

Hey Dennis,

The reason I'm stuck here, is that in my early twenties I gambled thousands, and got stuck.  I had money to leave, I couldn't.  Now, it came back.  I have 13 months to go (I get certification) and I can then go any city.  A part of me knows that the reason why I haven't been able to raise a family, travel, buy a home, is because of the gambling in early twenties.  This has me upset, but motivated to quit.  I haven't been working five days last three months, so I had lots of time, time equals gambling for me.  I can't have free time.  I hit sports all the time, I hit a six teamer Sunday night, put it back in the machines in two hours. 

I don't escape, I gamble for the profit of money.  And when I lose, I'm hell bent on getting it back, hence my problem.  I was thinking of black listing myself.  I am thinking of getting an online account and just betting sports. 

I know you guys won't believe me, but I hit close to 60 percent on NBA and MLB every year, but have nothing to show for it.  Because of slots and video poker. 

I believe that the devil is on this earth, and he resides in those casinos.  If there is a place in hell for me, I know there's a special place for them too.  But, I don't want to dwell on that.  I want to be the successful sports "recreation" bettor. 

Gambling has taken too much.  I want my life back.  I want to be recreational sports bettor.  I hope all of you can chime in and help me out.  I am struggling with erasing the money lost from my memory.  Thanks again.

Greedler, can I give you a list of about a dozen assholes in my life and their phone numbers, then ask you to call them and tell them that it's possible for me to be "right" about something? LOL

TFF, I have done that myself.....go 3 out of 4 or whatever....done well on early set of games, play some later ones, not want to leave so that when they win, can can cash the sports ticket and not make another trip there....Well, I've gotten bored and played those dumbass games with earlier winnings, and the night of decent sports capping is wasted....Feels stupid. I know. lots of us have done it.

I have an idea that will stop that. Don't bet your sports in the sports books out here in Vegas. bet with the online books in the Carribean like BetJamaica or The Greek, and watch the games from home. You won't play video poker while watching or waiting for your games to end, right?

Dude, like myself and Greedler said, you are talking about it and know whats going on and why it's messing you up. that's huge bro.

I am thinking of getting an online account and just betting sports.

See? You are already thinking of strategies to prevent what we were talking about.

I really only like playing in a few sportsbooks out here anyway, and I really hate all the idiots screaming square stupid ignorant shit like they already won their plays in the 1st qtr , 3rd inning, 1st half, etc etc of games. Drives me nuts.

Bet online at home, and you'll never blow your winnings from sports.....At least not until you leave your house. Stay home more..

*Sniff Sniff* I smell some troll shit.

you should focus on getting a real job.  $3k is not that much money in the grand scheme of things.  you should make that amount in a month with a real job. 

you should stop gambling.  Even sports.  Stop gambling all together.  easier said than done, i know.  but just STOP.  focus on getting a real job in the real world and worrying about $3K will be a think of the past. 

maybe check out some gambling anonymous meetings.

good advice there. I won around 28k this spring/summer and lost it in about 4 months. Since then I can't get over losing that much in such a short time. I kept reloading $300-$400 at a time thinking I was hot as shit one time, the cold streak won't last. After losing it I have done little but dwell on trying to get the majority of it back and it's hard to get past that. But that's good advice.

If you do open an online book,choose one that does not have a casino option. (If there is one out there).

The online Roulette and VP are tough to stay away from.You know in a real casino it's hard cash you've just made and giving back,but online it's WTF and it's 24/7..Crack like.

Good luck man.

Slot machines are probably the second worst game for gamblers in LV, Keno game is the #1 sucker game in terms of odds favor to the gambler. Don't gamble on the sucker games, play sports in you have to.

Gambling has taken too much.  I want my life back.  I want to be recreational sports bettor. 

_________

Impossible IMO.  You will never be able to be a recreational bettor.  I was in Vegas a few weeks ago for the Nascar race.  We took a cab to the race track and got to talk to the cabbie for about 45 minutes.  He said, "2 things happen in Vegas....you either figure out how to live here without throwing your life away or you can't live here because you never will be able to make it work."  I believe that.  And it looks like you are in the latter group.  I vote "get out when you can." 

id move up to the high slots area and get your money back that way, better odds on the more expensive machines

This can be very isolating and depressing... hang in there

The problem with video poker/slots is the bonuses.  This gives us larger sums of money all at once and promotes the chasing.

Video poker/slots players often talk about "brown outs"... not like black outs where you dont remember anything, but "brown outs" where it seems like everything was a blur and you were just watching yourself turn money into paper and feeding machines.

The hard part about chasing is that it is not just about winning the money back, it is about trying to become "Even".  This means "even" with your life situation, your emotions, and fixing all of the problems your gambling has caused.

If I was addicted to cocaine and began ruining my life with overusing the drug, there is at no time that I think that I could fix my emotional/money/life problems by doing more cocaine and in higher amounts...   Yet with gambling that is the belief.

The feeling of compulsively wanting to chase gets better, but like all VP/VS players "patience is not your strong suit" so it will feel like forever as you are wanting to wake up one day and it is gone.

I often recommend that people look at 9-12 months of not gambling as being the time needed to adequately heal...

So people tell me 90 days and then go back to gambling because they felt better but were'nt healed.  Kinda like not finishing all of  your antibiotics because you feel better and then you get sick again.

If you can't last that long on your own you may need some help.  Counseling/Therapy can be expensive and majority of therapist have no clue when it comes to gambling.

GA might be helpful for some (usually not people who don't tolerate waiting and boredom well)

But the help you really need when it is bad is someone managing your money or creating barriers to your money...  But that is for another post talking about this process...  hopefully it will not have to come to that...

Serious answer:

I don't play slots or games of chance because odds of winning are so much lower. At least with sports you have a 50/50 chance. Although at times it seems like it's not even 50/50.

100% correct. If you walk down a dark alley & someone hits you over the head & robs you-are you gonna walk down that same alley again???? You have NO chance of getting your money back in the long run. Slots & video poker are games with a negative expectation-so stop banging your head against the wall & grow up.

I agree.....Hell, don't even look at whose pitching and flip a coin on 5 totals over in the AL, and you stand a way better chance at coming out plus a unit......

No, I would never not study the shit out of any/all Baseball games before putting my cash on them,

........but like Jarrett said, sometimes might as well do the coin flip the way things can go for ya......