I've been "addicted" to gambling my whole life and I wouldn't have it any other way. I love to gamble too much and the only option for me was to learn how to win at it long term. So that's what I did.
Don't play -EV table games like baccarat/blackjack/roulette, stick to parimutuel games like poker or sports betting and study the game until you can win consistently or at least break even. Read books, listen to podcasts, post on message boards, keep records, reflect on your mistakes and discuss situations with players you respect. Learn bankroll management and have the discipline to apply it. Bankroll management is the most important thing with gambling and it's not even a close. A good player with sound bankroll management will make more money than a great player with bad bankroll management 100% of the time.
I was a poker pro for two years and now make decent side money off of sports betting. In both cases, my initial incompetence only motivated me to put in the time and effort in to learn how to beat the game. I guess I was lucky in the sense that I took my lumps when I first started out, so I never had the gambler's false sense of confidence. I knew that I sucked and was willing to do what was necessary to get better.
If you don't want the put the work in to become a winner or simply can't, then go to gamblers anonymous.
Gambling can be a blessing or a curse, depending on what you make of it. For 95% of people, it's the latter.
Don't play -EV table games like baccarat/blackjack/roulette, stick to parimutuel games like poker or sports betting and study the game until you can win consistently or at least break even. Read books, listen to podcasts, post on message boards, keep records, reflect on your mistakes and discuss situations with players you respect. Learn bankroll management and have the discipline to apply it. Bankroll management is the most important thing with gambling and it's not even a close. A good player with sound bankroll management will make more money than a great player with bad bankroll management 100% of the time.
I was a poker pro for two years and now make decent side money off of sports betting. In both cases, my initial incompetence only motivated me to put in the time and effort in to learn how to beat the game. I guess I was lucky in the sense that I took my lumps when I first started out, so I never had the gambler's false sense of confidence. I knew that I sucked and was willing to do what was necessary to get better.
If you don't want the put the work in to become a winner or simply can't, then go to gamblers anonymous.
Gambling can be a blessing or a curse, depending on what you make of it. For 95% of people, it's the latter.
