Know the Warning Signs of Gambling Addiction

Gambling can be a fun activity for those who understand its potential to become an addiction. By keeping gambling in perspective as a form of entertainment, you can reduce the chances that you’ll become addicted. Here are some warning signs that could signal you’re becoming a problem gambler, someone who is unable to place reasonable limits on their gambling activities.

  • Lying about gambling. One warning sign is dishonesty about how much you gamble. Telling your family and friends you’re going to the mall and then sneaking off to a casino is a potential problem.
  • New financial problems. If you’re suddenly having trouble making ends meet between paychecks, ask yourself how much money you’ve spent on gambling in the last couple of weeks. It’s a good strategy to keep a written record of how much money you put into gambling know when you’ve hit your limit. (Be sure to establish a reasonable limit from the beginning.)
  • Unable to concentrate because you’re thinking about playing. Being distracted at work because you can’t stop thinking about your new poker strategy is going to cause some serious problems. You need to learn to direct your mind away from gambling when you’re away from the computer or casino. Then, when it is time to play, you can fully enjoy immersing yourself in the experience.
  • Increased alcohol consumption. Instead of thinking about the money you’ve spent on gambling you pop open (more than) a few beers. If you’re using alcohol or any other substance to escape the realities that a potential gambling addiction has caused, you may need counseling.

The good news is that few people who gamble develop a serious problem. For those who do, there’s counseling and mental health professionals who can help you regain control of your life.

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Filed Under: Gambling Etiquette, General, Online Gambling Tagged With: , ,

Folding Poker Tables Work Great in Small Spaces

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If you’re looking for a way to get a poker table in your home, but you’re short on space, consider a folding poker table. This will allow you to have it available to you when friends are over for a game, and then store it away when it’s not in use. The good thing about a folding table is that you can order it custom-made to match the décor in your home, so that when it’s out and in use, it won’t look tacky.

When looking to purchase a folding poker table, determine where you’re going to set it up and where you’re going to store it. Then, determine the best size for your table. Once you know if you’re looking at a small, medium, or large table, you can start looking into the design of the table. When you’re ready to order your folding custom poker table, you’ll want to look at the different designs that are available to determine which one will best match your décor. By ordering a custom design, you can easily have it matched.

You’ll also want to find seating that will fit comfortably around the table, but can also be stored away easily. Your other option would be to use seating that currently exists in the room where you’ll be setting up the table that you can use around the table. If you’re planning on setting it up in your living room, you can set it up in front of the couch and pull your dining room chairs over for extra seating. These tips should help you set up your poker table on game night.

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Filed Under: Gambling Etiquette

Beating the Drive to Gamble

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People who don’t have an addiction will probably never understand how pervasive and difficult it is to overcome an addiction. When you feel yourself wanting nothing else but to indulge in your vice, even when you don’t really want to, it’s an illness. You aren’t bleeding and you don’t have anything that shows up on an x-ray, but you have a sickness that is harder to beat than a broken bone and potentially as destructive as cancer.

While the 12 steps are based on solid principles, it can be very hard to stay out of a life that feels so comfortable. When you see the distant lights of the casino, it can trigger a rush so intense you can think of nothing but getting your next win. Sometimes winning isn’t even a part of the fantasy. All you need to do is be a part of the intense energy of a gambling floor. When your game of choice heats up, it can be like an orgasm. Losing is easy to justify, because it’s just your path to victory.

Unfortunately, losses can become massive faster than you can immediately imagine. Even when you lose, you still feel the urge to play more. As sad as it is, you can’t will yourself to only play once, or to stay away when it’s close at hand. For you to have any hope of a lasting recovery and sanity in your life, you have to keep as far away from placing bets as you possibly can. There is no responsible way to gamble if you can’t handle it with the natural moderation of a non-addict.

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Filed Under: Betting, Gambling Etiquette Tagged With: , ,

Breaking the Chain

Slot machine.

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Sometimes a gambler finds that their need to gamble is overshadowed by a competing need, such as to use the facilities or eat a meal. In a case like that, they will have to temporarily leave their spot at the slot machine and move on to a more appropriate spot to take care of their need. During the time they are gone, it’s theoretically possible someone else could take their good luck at the machine where they were sitting, which is considered rude.

While it isn’t officially known as breaking the chain, there is a lot of theory out there as far as how to win on a slot machine. For some people, the entire process is an extremely serious business. Their idea of winning generally involves playing one particular machine the way some people choose one particular mate or some others one particular mutual fund. For them, the point is to remain with their chosen one until they reach a steady level of success, despite the inherent logical flaw in trying that with any method of gambling.

While a person can theoretically break someone else’s chain and endure some bad form for it, this tends to happen only when an individual leaves something personal at “their” machine such as their coat. While most gamblers would never part with their coin bucket, this has been known to happen as well. Unless you want to walk into a fight, don’t disturb someone else’s things at a slot machine. This is a person’s home territory, and showing it respect is considered good form. If you win in someone else’s place, it’ll get bad.

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Filed Under: Casinos, Gambling Etiquette Tagged With: , ,