/biz/ - Business & Finance

>>9332235
>>9332189
I like your idea of buying gold.

>>9332154
I don't really like the term "gambler" because it comes with some negative connotations. I like to think of myself more as an investor when I game. You'll never see me play the slot machines or roulette simply because those are unbeatable games. I look for table games that can generate me the most EV and those are mostly Baccarat and Blackjack. Poker is also in there but I don't treat poker like work. Poker is more like fun and when I lose at it, I'm okay because I treat it as a game of chance.

Games like Baccarat and Blackjack, those are games that can be beat. So if I lose in the long-term I know it's not because of luck, but because of my skill level. Again, let me reiterate. I don't like to "gamble" my money. I risk my capital only when I am expecting the value of my investment to be worth its risk of ruin. Otherwise, I won't play.

The money I won from my Vegas trip was through Blackjack. To a regular ploppy it may have looked like I was just getting lucky and hitting a winning streak but I was actually playing Basic Strategy + Deviations along with occasionally counting the cards when I was feeling like there wasn't any heat from the casinos on me.

I remember when I was playing one of the dealers said,
>"I know you aren't counting cards because you split on a pair of 10s! Nobody does that."
Yes, it's true. According to Basic Strategy you're not supposed to split a 20 when playing against the Dealer UNLESS the Dealer shows a 4, 5, or 6. It just happened that the true count around that time was something like a +4 (really high) and the Dealer had a 6 so I took a risk and split it then voila! It paid off.

I also took insurance whenever I had a lot of money on the line too. Something you're not supposed to do according to BS. But you're supposed to deviate from that parameter and take even money when the TC is a +3....

So yea, there ya go. That's my story.