You know, no matter how much you have learned about the technical side of gambling, we are all emotional human beings. That means we are apt to do things from time to time that are not in our best interests.

That is why people can get hurt gambling. That’s why winners sometimes lose and losers sometimes destroy themselves.

I jotted down a brief list of bad habits gamblers should try to correct. It turned out there were ten.

Then I remembered that one of my friends had once said,” I never read a list that contains 10 things or 25 things. If it were a sincere list, then it’s more likely to be a number like 9 or 23 or 103.

While I think my friend makes too much of this point, I certainly don’t want to incur his scorn. Therefore, here are my Eleven Ways To Lose Money Fast.
I don’t care what you have been told; even the best gamblers in the world have bad habits. So if you find some of yours on this list, don’t panic; try to improve and if you fail, try again.

PLAYING LONGER WHEN LOSING.

This is the worst time to play longer. Even if you are not tired, mental stress is apt to cause mistakes. Besides, there could be factors contributing to your loss that you are not aware of. If you like to play long sessions once in a while, it’s much better to try to extend a win than to try to get even.

BORROWING MONEY TO GAMBLE.

Too much pressure for some. I have seen players who absolutely never win on borrowed money. Maybe this applies to you and maybe it doesn’t. Search your soul.

PLAYING HUNCHES.

Although there may be reasons why your subconscious decisions are correct, it’s easy to fool yourself. Most of the time a hunch player is just out and out guessing and usually losing a lot of money. Try science. It’s the wave of the future.

KEEPING AN INADEQUATE BANKROLL.

Most players underestimate the size of bankroll needed to stay in action. Especially when luck is favourable, they tend to spend too much, leaving too little cushion for the bad streaks that may follow.

LENDING MONEY.

If you are the kind of player who worries a lot about the money you have lent, your game will probably be damaged. Only lend money if it feels comfortable. For some it’s hard to say no. but it’s easy. Just say,” Every time I lend you money, I lose. I think it makes me play bad or something.” That’s not an excuse; it’s the truth. You will get very few arguments.

BUYING A GAMBLING BOOK.

There are two reasons buying a gambling book might cost you money. First, you might buy a bad book, filled with inaccurate information. Second, you might feel that you have improved your game just by buying the book and start gambling more recklessly. Remember, you do have to study the book before you can use it. You would be surprised how much gambling literature is purchased just to build confidence but never really read.

PLAYING WHEN YOU KNOW YOU ARE BEING CHEATED.

Would you really quit if you knew you were being cheated?
Really? Really?

PLAYING TOO BIG FOR YOUR BANKROLL.

Most players tend to risk too much of their bankrolls on a given session.

PLAYING TOO SMALL FOR YOUR BANKROLL.

Players who don’t bet enough to be meaningful are apt to play below their capacities. This can mean slow destruction of a bankroll.

BEING SUPERTITIOUS.

It doesn’t work. It causes some players to make decisions contrary to what logic dictates.

NOT MAKING DECISIONS IN ADVANCE.

Here is a really critical mistake; I believe no human alive has total control of his actions at all times. That’s why you should try not to make important decisions on the spur of the moment. When you are calm, comfortable and thinking rationally, decide what’s in your best interest. Let’s say you like to play roulette, but it keeps stealing your bankroll. If you make a decision that you will never play roulette, you can probably gather enough discipline to stick to that decision.

But what if you had to make the decision all over again every time you pass a roulette wheel! Well, you might make the right choice for a while, but sooner or later, you would be emotionally upset or tired or irrational and you would pass a wheel and say,” what’s the difference?” that’s how you would blow your bankroll.
When you just have to make the decision once, it’s easy. But if you have to re-evaluate every time you walk into the casino, then you’re eventually going to get into trouble. Do you see what I am saying?

Okay, that’s my list. Here’s one final word of caution: Beware!