What's in the game, after all?

[Mumbeeptind1963]

Relieving stress? I think only few gamblers does have this reason why they gamble but I'm not saying that it's not an applicable reason. And for sure, there are gamblers that really gamble because they want to relieve their stress.

They can release it as they gamble, we do have several ways to do it and others are choosing this kind of release and relieve. And as I have said before with this thread, after relieving the stress then it's bringing satisfaction.

I think this could be possible, because I myself is doing this one, gambling helps me to  release my stressed , it helps me to sharpen my mind and make a new strategy in every game that I am doing , critical thinking is one of the trait that I am developing through gambling, it is not all about the money, it makes us more risk taker as well.

[1714279071]

1714279071

[1714279071]

1714279071

[1714279071]

1714279071

[michellee]

I am not sure if you can always winning because that will not be possible in gambling.

That's not what I meant. I'm just pointing out that eventually, you'll get tired of always winning, and sometimes intend to lose just to win again and feel the same feeling every time you achieve a victory.

Oh, I am sorry I am wrong. I don't know how it feels to always winning because I never got that experience, but I know how it feels when I got losses in gambling. When I got losses many times, sometimes I asked myself when I can win for some money, but the truth is I don't win some money but win a little money. We can get much chance in losing the money, but we don't have much chance in winning the money

[Reatim]

All gamblers have different reasons why they gamble and that includes having fun and getting easy money

indeed this is most likely the two reason why many people are being involved in gambling and that is a free will but i prefer the first reason than the next on

. Some even use gambling as their way to relieve stress, it depends on who is gambling.

using Gambling to relieve stress is part of the first reason and that is having Fun while playing (but don't bother about the losses because it will bring another stress of course)

Whatever the reason of gambling it is very important one must have self control to avoid addiction and to avoid losing everything you have in life.

while this is one of the best advice yet very hard to let Gamblers do as it is,because like what sayings is "It is easy to be said than done" so basically we can tell them but won't follow us specially those regular gamblers.

[deisik]

~ And personally, I don't consider it any worse than any other option out there as long as you keep it that way, as a small roller coaster to spice up your dull and uninteresting life. In fact, it works just wonders

But unlike so many other options, the problem with gambling is that it is highly addictive, and most people learn it the hard way, after losing something which they didn't expect and didn't plan to lose

I think gambling is no different from other pleasant activities in this regard. People are getting addicted to anything they find enjoyable, be it TV series, fast food, gaming, shopping ... you name it

Yeah, but you obviously don't take into account the consequences

Watching TV, getting hooked on junk food, and even chain smoking don't necessarily have such devastating consequences as gambling so often has. You ask me for an example which will help us relax and that will not be (as) addictive at the same time. I can instantly name one, simple and easily available to everyone. It is reading. Yes, it can be addictive too, but this addiction is nothing compared to the ones mentioned before. And it can be quite useful on its own, apart from being totally entertaining. Even reading the forum will do (just in case, you can stick to reading only my posts as there's a lot of them)

[Betwrong]

~ And personally, I don't consider it any worse than any other option out there as long as you keep it that way, as a small roller coaster to spice up your dull and uninteresting life. In fact, it works just wonders

But unlike so many other options, the problem with gambling is that it is highly addictive, and most people learn it the hard way, after losing something which they didn't expect and didn't plan to lose

I think gambling is no different from other pleasant activities in this regard. People are getting addicted to anything they find enjoyable, be it TV series, fast food, gaming, shopping ... you name it

Yeah, but you obviously don't take into account the consequences

Watching TV, getting hooked on junk food, and even chain smoking don't necessarily have such devastating consequences as gambling so often has. You ask me for an example which will help us relax and that will not be (as) addictive at the same time. I can instantly name one, simple and easily available to everyone. It is reading. Yes, it can be addictive too, but this addiction is nothing compared to the ones mentioned before. And it can be quite useful on its own, apart from being totally entertaining. Even reading the forum will do (just in case, you can stick to reading only my posts as there's a lot of them)

I agree, reading is a good way to relax from hard work, and even if you are getting addicted to it, it's only better for you, because no matter what you are reading, you are, at least, improving your skills in English (or in whatever language you are using). But but that's a good relaxation after manual labor. If all you do during your work day is reading and writing, when working in an online support role, for example, you can hardly relax with reading, right? So, what kind of relaxation would you suggest for that kind of people?

[deisik]

Watching TV, getting hooked on junk food, and even chain smoking don't necessarily have such devastating consequences as gambling so often has. You ask me for an example which will help us relax and that will not be (as) addictive at the same time. I can instantly name one, simple and easily available to everyone. It is reading. Yes, it can be addictive too, but this addiction is nothing compared to the ones mentioned before. And it can be quite useful on its own, apart from being totally entertaining. Even reading the forum will do (just in case, you can stick to reading only my posts as there's a lot of them)

I agree, reading is a good way to relax from hard work, and even if you are getting addicted to it, it's only better for you, because no matter what you are reading, you are, at least, improving your skills in English (or in whatever language you are using). But but that's a good relaxation after manual labor. If all you do during your work day is reading and writing, when working in a support role, for example, you can hardly relax with reading, right? So, what kind of relaxation would you suggest for that kind of people?

Maybe some kind of physical activity?

In fact, this is a fallback option to deal with any kind of mental stress, as well as the answer to the boredom caused by desk jobs. But I wouldn't discard reading altogether. It is an all-encompassing thing, and you just need to find what actually interests you, deep down inside, and then read into it to the hilt. In this fashion, you won't be so much relaxed as motivated (more of a roller coaster type of experience) because you will get something else from this activity other than just instant gratification and entertainment (read, it will be more rewarding in the long run). That's what hobbies are for unless your job is that hobby, but then you wouldn't ask obviously (this is an ideal situation but rarely the case in real life, though)

[AicecreaME]

~ And personally, I don't consider it any worse than any other option out there as long as you keep it that way, as a small roller coaster to spice up your dull and uninteresting life. In fact, it works just wonders

But unlike so many other options, the problem with gambling is that it is highly addictive, and most people learn it the hard way, after losing something which they didn't expect and didn't plan to lose

I think gambling is no different from other pleasant activities in this regard. People are getting addicted to anything they find enjoyable, be it TV series, fast food, gaming, shopping ... you name it

Yeah, but you obviously don't take into account the consequences

Watching TV, getting hooked on junk food, and even chain smoking don't necessarily have such devastating consequences as gambling so often has. You ask me for an example which will help us relax and that will not be (as) addictive at the same time. I can instantly name one, simple and easily available to everyone. It is reading. Yes, it can be addictive too, but this addiction is nothing compared to the ones mentioned before. And it can be quite useful on its own, apart from being totally entertaining. Even reading the forum will do (just in case, you can stick to reading only my posts as there's a lot of them)

If all you do during your work day is reading and writing, when working in an online support role, for example, you can hardly relax with reading, right? So, what kind of relaxation would you suggest for that kind of people?

The answer for this is so obvious, if you have a job that drains you mentally, like reading and writing that you have mentioned, you should go for activities that will help you relax your brain cells, like eating chocolates and sweets while watching TV with your love ones will help you to make your brain recover from stress because of your work, and if you have work that takes too much energy like being on the field, then massage, cold drinks, and hot baths would do the trick.

[Best Dreams]

Relieving stress? I think only few gamblers does have this reason why they gamble but I'm not saying that it's not an applicable reason. And for sure, there are gamblers that really gamble because they want to relieve their stress.

They can release it as they gamble, we do have several ways to do it and others are choosing this kind of release and relieve. And as I have said before with this thread, after relieving the stress then it's bringing satisfaction.

I think this could be possible, because I myself is doing this one, gambling helps me to  release my stressed , it helps me to sharpen my mind and make a new strategy in every game that I am doing , critical thinking is one of the trait that I am developing through gambling, it is not all about the money, it makes us more risk taker as well.

That’s true gambling makes us stronger and makes us become more good at playing. Gambling helps me to spend my time constructively and I can make money now even if I am free. Gambling is a way of getting profit from different games that we often play for free but for this, we only have to spend some money and the output will be awesome if we play well.

[livingfree]

Relieving stress? I think only few gamblers does have this reason why they gamble but I'm not saying that it's not an applicable reason. And for sure, there are gamblers that really gamble because they want to relieve their stress.

They can release it as they gamble, we do have several ways to do it and others are choosing this kind of release and relieve. And as I have said before with this thread, after relieving the stress then it's bringing satisfaction.

I think this could be possible, because I myself is doing this one, gambling helps me to  release my stressed , it helps me to sharpen my mind and make a new strategy in every game that I am doing , critical thinking is one of the trait that I am developing through gambling, it is not all about the money, it makes us more risk taker as well.

This is very possible, I've just felt an odd feeling to hear it because most of the gamblers doesn't have this kind of reason as we gamble. But there you go, just another proof that it's a way to relieve stress.

I think, many will also come to say that they are not just for fun but they are also using it as an escape mechanism for other problems that they have.

[djsugar]

To be explicit and begin with, by gambling I mean playing only the games of chance (think dice here), i.e. games where your skill doesn't matter, where the outcome is determined by luck alone

As the debates and discussions here clearly show, there are two major camps in respect to the question why people are gambling. The first camp claim that people gamble because they are looking for ways to earn money (something like the notorious "get rich fast" scheme). The other camp say there are as well people who gamble just for the fun of it (to be clear, they don't deny the monetary incentives of some, or most, of the players). Let's call such an attitude personal enjoyment as that seems to be the established term (you're welcome to come up with a different name for it)

To reassert, I'm not discarding the possibility that quite a few people may be looking into gambling as a source of easy money (whether it actually is, or can be, is another question), or that it can in fact be their primary incentive. But this topic is not about such people. In this topic I want to dissect and analyze the other group of gamblers (and their motivations), the one that is actually playing for its own sake, for personal enjoyment and entertainment. And here's the question (a few questions) to muse over while taking a break from rolling the dice

What is exactly meant and understood by this "personal enjoyment" generic category? Is it one feeling, or are there many? What do people actually feel when gambling with motives other than purely financial? What do they get out of it? My take is that they are feeling in control of their fate, even if only for very brief moments. Simply put, that they are not losers, and luck is on their side, at least sometimes. Indeed, we all know that this feeling is fleeting and false overall, but it is so nice and pleasant that we are ready to pay for it, up to a point where we get addicted to it

So what's your take on this? What's in the game for those of us who are not looking for anything other than personal enjoyment and amusement? Be specific!

Even if a player is playing just for fun and excitement, the winning makes him stay with the game and bet more. Who doesnt like winning and personally I dont think so losing again and again would make you play more and continue. Knowing the game , startegizing , observing other players are few things that an amateur who is just playing for fun does too. Even if the stakes are not high, you would not want to lose unless you are highly addicted and have shit loads of money to just give away.

[Janation]

There are a lot of gamblers out there gambling so they can earn a good amount of money. But don't you think we can avoid these losses and just spend our time gambling? There are a lot of games on the App Store where you can gamble with other players online without using your real money. Any game you want, it's your call

That makes another interesting observation

We can play with other players (online or otherwise) for hours but without any financial incentive (I remember playing different card games in my childhood with my friends through whole days). That means we still get something out of it. On the other hand, we don't get a lot of pleasure from a game like dice or tossing a coin if we play on our own without anything at stake unless we are counting the odds or something to that tune (but in that case it stops being a game for us, just a task to do)

All in all, it basically means that the feeling of pleasure is not the primary emotion here, with the implication being that there is something else involved which is causing that feeling of satisfaction and entertainment as a result. So what is it, a sense of victory, which is not possible without the implied possibility of a defeat? As it is the defeat that can only make a victory real, genuine and worth it (read, worth our money)

It is not the money that interest them but them being competitive.

I know a card game we call in our country "pusoy dos". We usually bet small amount of money and have fun. I think 14 or 16 years later, I found that there is an online game of it and tried it. I always lose and that made me stay in that game until now. Never thought that there are a lot of good players of it online.

[Betwrong]

~
Maybe some kind of physical activity?

In fact, this is a fallback option to deal with any kind of mental stress, as well as the answer to the boredom caused by desk jobs. But I wouldn't discard reading altogether. It is an all-encompassing thing, and you just need to find what actually interests you, deep down inside, and then read into it to the hilt. In this fashion, you won't be so much relaxed as motivated (more of a roller coaster type of experience) because you will get something else from this activity other than just instant gratification and entertainment (read, it will be more rewarding in the long run). That's what hobbies are for unless your job is that hobby, but then you wouldn't ask obviously (this is an ideal situation but rarely the case in real life, though)

I like that you are still insisting on reading as a way of relaxation. Indeed, it depends on what you are reading. Manuals for freezers and air conditioners can bore you to death, while something like Sapiens or Homo Deus by Harari can literally fill you with life. (It's subjective, of course, but those books have blown my mind recently). And yeah, physical activity. In fact, I combine the three, reading, workout and gambling, when I feel like I need to relax.

~

The answer for this is so obvious, if you have a job that drains you mentally, like reading and writing that you have mentioned, you should go for activities that will help you relax your brain cells, like eating chocolates and sweets while watching TV with your love ones will help you to make your brain recover from stress because of your work, and if you have work that takes too much energy like being on the field, then massage, cold drinks, and hot baths would do the trick.

That's a great advice as well. Spending some time with your loved ones is a great relaxation indeed. Apart from watching movies and other things, we play online poker together with my SO. It's fun.

[deisik]

In fact, this is a fallback option to deal with any kind of mental stress, as well as the answer to the boredom caused by desk jobs. But I wouldn't discard reading altogether. It is an all-encompassing thing, and you just need to find what actually interests you, deep down inside, and then read into it to the hilt. In this fashion, you won't be so much relaxed as motivated (more of a roller coaster type of experience) because you will get something else from this activity other than just instant gratification and entertainment (read, it will be more rewarding in the long run). That's what hobbies are for unless your job is that hobby, but then you wouldn't ask obviously (this is an ideal situation but rarely the case in real life, though)

I like that you are still insisting on reading as a way of relaxation

Well, I wouldn't call it so much a means of obtaining relaxation as satisfaction

In this regard, reading is like money. With money, you can spend it uselessly (like on drugs, whores, partying, or even reckless gambling, while we are at it), and you will most certainly regret this type of spending later. On the other hand, you can spend the money with some useful long-term purpose in mind (e.g. buy a few bitcoins now and then), something which relates to you and your interests as you see and feel them deep in your heart

Reading for its own sake is meaningless, it is what you get out of it that matters and counts. It is only a tool which gives you a key to new opportunities. Discovering these new opportunities, or rather concrete ways to actually work them as you read into other people experiences, is what makes reading so fun and enjoyable. It is like you are living not just your own life but the lives of other people, gaining from their mistakes and successes alike

[kotajikikox]

Relieving stress? I think only few gamblers does have this reason why they gamble but I'm not saying that it's not an applicable reason. And for sure, there are gamblers that really gamble because they want to relieve their stress.

They can release it as they gamble, we do have several ways to do it and others are choosing this kind of release and relieve. And as I have said before with this thread, after relieving the stress then it's bringing satisfaction.

I think this could be possible, because I myself is doing this one, gambling helps me to  release my stressed , it helps me to sharpen my mind and make a new strategy in every game that I am doing , critical thinking is one of the trait that I am developing through gambling, it is not all about the money, it makes us more risk taker as well.

that is how we treat gambling rightfully,learning lose after lose and gaining more strength while going far.

there are too many factor to consider when we are engaging in gambling but what you have mentioned is the most important factor because with those everything will turn in positivity and not the other way around.

i have been learning many things in gambling but until now i am still gaining more because i dont treat this to make money but to learn and enjoy.

[Mahanton]

Relieving stress? I think only few gamblers does have this reason why they gamble but I'm not saying that it's not an applicable reason. And for sure, there are gamblers that really gamble because they want to relieve their stress.

They can release it as they gamble, we do have several ways to do it and others are choosing this kind of release and relieve. And as I have said before with this thread, after relieving the stress then it's bringing satisfaction.

I think this could be possible, because I myself is doing this one, gambling helps me to  release my stressed , it helps me to sharpen my mind and make a new strategy in every game that I am doing , critical thinking is one of the trait that I am developing through gambling, it is not all about the money, it makes us more risk taker as well.

that is how we treat gambling rightfully,learning lose after lose and gaining more strength while going far.

there are too many factor to consider when we are engaging in gambling but what you have mentioned is the most important factor because with those everything will turn in positivity and not the other way around.

i have been learning many things in gambling but until now i am still gaining more because i dont treat this to make money but to learn and enjoy.

Thats how it should be treated but people do go into opposite way thats why they do end up on getting wrecked by gambling.
Its an entertainment thing but people do make it as a source of income.You do seek for fun but it would be already stressful if you do find out
that you are already chasing up your losses.Games will vary on each individual since we do have different interest on any ways.
Fun should really be a real one because if you are already worrying and panicking while playing then its another story.

[Faxmate]

Relieving stress? I think only few gamblers does have this reason why they gamble but I'm not saying that it's not an applicable reason. And for sure, there are gamblers that really gamble because they want to relieve their stress.

They can release it as they gamble, we do have several ways to do it and others are choosing this kind of release and relieve. And as I have said before with this thread, after relieving the stress then it's bringing satisfaction.

I think this could be possible, because I myself is doing this one, gambling helps me to  release my stressed , it helps me to sharpen my mind and make a new strategy in every game that I am doing , critical thinking is one of the trait that I am developing through gambling, it is not all about the money, it makes us more risk taker as well.

that is how we treat gambling rightfully,learning lose after lose and gaining more strength while going far.

there are too many factor to consider when we are engaging in gambling but what you have mentioned is the most important factor because with those everything will turn in positivity and not the other way around.

i have been learning many things in gambling but until now i am still gaining more because i dont treat this to make money but to learn and enjoy.

Thats how it should be treated but people do go into opposite way thats why they do end up on getting wrecked by gambling.
Its an entertainment thing but people do make it as a source of income.You do seek for fun but it would be already stressful if you do find out
that you are already chasing up your losses.Games will vary on each individual since we do have different interest on any ways.
Fun should really be a real one because if you are already worrying and panicking while playing then its another story.

yes you are right gambling should not be played for the sake of money only because it is a game, and this game should be treated the same other games, making it the source of income sometimes proves drastic, people those gambling for money always in stress of their losses and the chase of losses proves bad.

[peter0425]

yes you are right gambling should not be played for the sake of money only because it is a game, and this game should be treated the same other games, making it the source of income sometimes proves drastic, people those gambling for money always in stress of their losses and the chase of losses proves bad.

gambling is not just a game because before we can do it,there must be something to bet that is why this is different from normal games than gambling games.

if you have to gamble make sure you also can afford to lose the money youa re going to bet.

[imstillthebest]

yes you are right gambling should not be played for the sake of money only because it is a game, and this game should be treated the same other games, making it the source of income sometimes proves drastic, people those gambling for money always in stress of their losses and the chase of losses proves bad.

gambling is not just a game because before we can do it,there must be something to bet that is why this is different from normal games than gambling games.

if you have to gamble make sure you also can afford to lose the money youa re going to bet.

On a normal game , you also do bet too or you do other things before the game begins . Gambling is a game simillar to any game but the only difference is that if it's a real gambling you play with real money .

 Risking money to play a game is normal , before I remember I pay for the internet cafe to use it to play online games  . I can see it as an example when you pay to play a gambling  .

[Naida_BR]

I don't think that people gamble because it is entertaining.
They do so because they want to find a way to earn money and have a better life. It is all about the money not the joy. If they wanted to have fun they would play video games.

[Sahyadri]

To be explicit and begin with, by gambling I mean playing only the games of chance (think dice here), i.e. games where your skill doesn't matter, where the outcome is determined by luck alone

As the debates and discussions here clearly show, there are two major camps in respect to the question why people are gambling. The first camp claim that people gamble because they are looking for ways to earn money (something like the notorious "get rich fast" scheme). The other camp say there are as well people who gamble just for the fun of it (to be clear, they don't deny the monetary incentives of some, or most, of the players). Let's call such an attitude personal enjoyment as that seems to be the established term (you're welcome to come up with a different name for it)

To reassert, I'm not discarding the possibility that quite a few people may be looking into gambling as a source of easy money (whether it actually is, or can be, is another question), or that it can in fact be their primary incentive. But this topic is not about such people. In this topic I want to dissect and analyze the other group of gamblers (and their motivations), the one that is actually playing for its own sake, for personal enjoyment and entertainment. And here's the question (a few questions) to muse over while taking a break from rolling the dice

What is exactly meant and understood by this "personal enjoyment" generic category? Is it one feeling, or are there many? What do people actually feel when gambling with motives other than purely financial? What do they get out of it? My take is that they are feeling in control of their fate, even if only for very brief moments. Simply put, that they are not losers, and luck is on their side, at least sometimes. Indeed, we all know that this feeling is fleeting and false overall, but it is so nice and pleasant that we are ready to pay for it, up to a point where we get addicted to it

So what's your take on this? What's in the game for those of us who are not looking for anything other than personal enjoyment and amusement? Be specific!

Until you have too much money to spare or you are a prince with golden spoon , everyone else pays to win and enjoys beating others to boost their ego. Even if anyone is playing for fun and excitement, he will indeed not continue if he is losing too many and winning by luck. To win and be sure about your bets , you need to get into the game , study it and have your own startegies.