A thought precedes everything you do. Your thoughts influence your reality. What you think and what you believe has a way of manifesting right before you very eyes. Quantum physics is just beginning to explain the mind body connections. I recommend the movie, What the Bleep Do We Know. This movie provides thought-provoking concepts particularly applicable to the metaphysical examples presented in my workshops and newsletter. The metaphysics of intention are important in all games and can show up in casino games with your first move – the buy-in.

Next to not having a complete knowledge of a game of chance, a mistake a player can make is entering a game under bankrolled. Sometimes, it is simply a matter of the player just being limited to $50. If that is the case, fair enough, that player is taking a flyer on a lottery ticket. Good luck and good fun!

On the other hand, a player with the proper capital, entering a game with too little bankroll to support their style of play, is handicapping their success. Their strategy is what I call, “playing out of pocket”. If they lose the small buy-in, they have more money in the pocket, waiting its turn in the fray. It is as if their intention is to keep pulling bills out until, either they catch a hand, or they run out of bills. This method of play may appear to employ a form of money management, because the player has the discipline to keep most of the money out of play until needed. The player starts by risking a little. If they lose the initial investment, they have in their pocket, a backup plan. They will reach in and risk a little more, and then, still more. Before long, the player notices that the $100 buy-in has the look of a $500 loss. The pocket is empty and the “fun” is done.

The connection to money and a positive thought form during the buy-in seems to go unnoticed. Most players seem to behave as if all they are doing is exchanging money for the tokens necessary to play the game. I suggest that the buy-in is one of the more crucial elements of empowering a player. When climbing into the ring against the heavy weight champ, there can be no hoping, that maybe, you will be lucky and knock him out. The intention has to be over the top confident and to be fully armed and prepared for battle.

Obviously, the more money that you have to play with, the longer you can play the game. If you had unlimited bankroll, you could virtually play long enough to catch a run and own the casino. Most players do not have unlimited funds and as such, have a conscious or subconscious thought form of limited abundance. This is one of the mind-body connections, having a thought or belief in lack when you buy-in to a game. It is a given that the player has a limit to their funds. You must enter the game with a total confidence that you have properly capitalized your game in order to win. You must feel that you are giving your invested money a fighting chance against the probable odds. Anything less is a liability to your success.

Limited abundance comes from a limited thought that there is not enough. With a belief of lack, there is never enough. It becomes personal and created from conditioning experiences of never having all that you deserve. You can have it all, but first, you must believe that you can. It is a matter of what you allow yourself to have or not have. It is the dialog that you have with yourself every day. Your thoughts manifest your reality. If you want to change your reality, change your paradigm. Change what you believe and what you say to yourself. The universe is totally abundant.  As presented in the movie I referenced earlier, don’t have a dollop of positive thinking covering a huge mound of negative beliefs. The core belief has to be that you deserve your win. I relate to this because it is my dedication to work on this each and every day.

Okay, sometimes when buying into a game under bankrolled, it may well be a matter of the player not knowing what constitutes the proper amount of money needed for their style of play. However, it seems to me, most players enter the game with an emotion that is backed by a thought form that perhaps sounds something like this.

• “I hope this is enough, otherwise I will pull out more money if I lose.”
• “If I lose this hundred, I will do a re-buy with another hundred.”
• “I don’t want to lose more than $100 and that is all I will play with.”
• “I hope I hit it lucky and I can win on $50.”
• “This is all I have to lose, when it is lost, I quit!”

These kinds of thoughts preceding the buy-in are really saying:

• I am worried and scared.
• I feel hopeless and alone.
• I hope that I don’t lose it all.
• If I do lose, I have a little bit more to lose.
• I am uncomfortable with losing.

Everyone knows and has heard, “Don’t’ play with scared money.” Most players understand this to mean not playing with money that you do not have to lose. Of course, it does mean that. I want you to think about your comfort level with losing. I’d like you to think about scared money in another way. I want you to think about your available bankroll and your intentions for winning before entering a game. Be aware of your thoughts around your bankroll. Do you project negative intention when you buy-in to a game? Are you buying-in with money that is not “secure” in your feelings?

• Are you detached from the loss?
• Do you have the financial support for your style of play?
• Do you have the discipline to walk away from a losing situation?
• Does your intention affirm a positive result?
• Are you confident or is there a hint of lack, hoping that $100 will be enough.
• Are you comfortable with your level of risk and your unit of play?

How much you buy-in with is always going to be a personal matter. I teach conservative gaming. For either blackjack or craps, I recommend a minimum of 30 units. For the craps player, the recommended bankroll would be 30 units times the base bet made. Personally, I usually buy-in for more, sometimes double.

This is the tricky part playing the “thought form mind game”. My intention is that I want a battalion in front of me ready to do battle. I may not need the whole army, and if I do, I am financially committed up front. I am not holding on to a thought of “if I lose this, I have more in my pocket.” I consider a second buy-in chasing a loss. Never chase a loss. Buying-in with the proper bankroll makes the statement of willingness, intention, commitment and preparedness.

The belief preceding the buy-in is the foundation for all that comes next. I am totally prepared and I have everything that I need to challenge the casino in a zero sum game, with the odds set against me to win. I know what I am getting into and I have done everything to prepare for the challenge. The financial strategy is in place. The only options, once you are in the game, are deciding to play through the bankroll, or having the discipline to quit and walk away.

To buy-in under bankrolled and hoping it will be enough, or having the strategy of a re-buy if things don’t go well is projecting a thought form that will likely draw the very experience of not having enough capital. It is setting yourself up for failure before you make your first bet. You are thinking that you don’t have enough and in the end you will not.

To conclude, a proper bankroll is necessary to have a consistency with success in casino games. Your reasons for your allotted buy-in and your thoughts about your invested bankroll are powerful. I suggest that you are clear with your intentions, affirming that you have ample support financially, when you enter a game.

The thoughts you have about your money as you enter the game have a way of reflecting back to you. To engage in even the slightest negative thought is a luxury you can ill afford, especially in a game of chance. These ideas of mind over matter are under continual research as more is discovered about quantum physics, metaphysics and the powers of the mind. Anyone is capable of positive thought and the best part is that it costs you nothing to play the mind game. It’s free and precious few things are these days that can deliver the potential power of so much promise. The mind game connection is a game within the game. Always play to win! You win by using every thread of cunning at your disposal.

Michael Vernon – The Professor
Copyright ©2006