You
Have Some Splaining to
do Professor...
Ok, so my buddy the movie star called me. It was
a Friday night and he asked me if I want to drive in his new 145,000 dollar
Porsche to Palm Springs. Apparently some top brass at a (name withheld)
investment bank were having a b-day party and had bought an entire hotel for the
night.
It was late and I was bored, so why not? Movie
Star picks me up. We fueled up the Porsche and drove to Palm Springs. We were
greeted with lobster and steak and all the trimmings. Then the banker boys, with
Movie Star in tow, decided to go to a casino and "gamble". I don't gamble as I
hate to see grown men lose money and these guys were all wasted, loud and
obnoxious. I felt energetically there is no way they could win. When we arrived
at the casino the energy was low, so low that the blackjack dealers were falling
asleep at the switch. It was not looking good for the birthday boys. My buddy
quickly lost 2K at the table using no logic or system. I could see where his
game was going. I decided to make the best bet, and leave with the women. They
seemed far more interesting than the dudes. They smelled great and they were so
much easier on my eyes.
Now, here is the thing. Three hours later I went
back to the casino to grab Movie Star, the bankers and the mobsters. To my
surprise, I realize that they are all way up! Together they are up nearly 22K.
IMPOSSIBLE! How can this be? I am flabbergasted. They were doing little more
than throwing money at the table and they won big. They were crazy drunk and
high, not even looking at their hands ...but when it was time to leave, they
cashed out with stacks of cash in their hands. Needless to say, they were more
loud, more cocky and more obnoxious as they left the casino.
On the way out, I hear, "Buy yourself something
nice." One drunk banker hands me a $100 bill.
I think on it for a second, "Thank you! I’ll
take it."
Guess for him, it was easy come, easy go. As for
me, it was ultra confusion.
Signed,
“Not too Porsche in Palm Springs”
Dear Not Too Porsche,
There are the ebbs and flows to the game when
even a chimpanzee playing the game can win. In the long run, what you first
witnessed with your associate, is the typical experience, losing. Although rare, once in a while an
unexplained win does come along. When it does, it is like "lady luck" giving a wink and hiking up her skirt.
Now there is a feeling as though he's conquered the
world. All along in his heart he knows that his ridiculous play is a
guaranteed donation to the house all the rest of the times, hence the "charge"
of emotion when he does win.
Everyone playing the game has their own
particular reason for playing. Even though winning would seem to be the one
common factor, it is not. The reason for playing is the "charge" of emotion.
Wealthy people seem to have a more complex "charge" to fill their need when
playing the game. I was playing craps with some L.A. tycoons recently. They were
behind over ten grand each. I caught a hand, a money maker, not a monster roll,
but you would have thought by the way the high-roller next to me acted that he
took the casino down to its knees. He was over the moon with his results of
betting on my hand. In reality, he only won enough money to bet on the next
shooter using his same reckless strategy. Because he would not have to dig out
the wad of hundreds in his pocket again, it made him feel like a winner… I
guess?
What you describe is the textbook high roller.
These kinds of players exhibit the perfect conditions for casinos to bestow
exorbitant comps to sucker them for their play. The casinos know that they can
invest a few thousand in the process of feeding egos, knowing that with their
return on the investment, they will realize a whole lot more. Hmmm, it is almost
reversed psychology on investment banking by the casinos, like using the
banker's own tactics on the bankers. Perhaps, that is what holds the "charge" of
emotion for these kinds of players. Interesting!
... It's never wrong to take a profit. Glad you
accepted the money. lol
Well, that’s it for this edition of the Playing 4 Keeps™ Newsletter.
See you at the tables,
Michael Vernon
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