The new breed of gambler

With casinos continuing to spread across America, a new breed of gambler is emerging. With casinos closer to their customers, gambling trips tend to be shorter. These shorter trips result in a shorter bankroll for most players, which means smaller bets.

Another reason for the dwindling wagers in casinos today is the conservative nature of new players, mostly twentysomethings, who have no clue how to ride a win-streak. They make table-minimum bets, winning only a few dollars instead of thousands!

Timid betting has become the rule. And it gets worse. Casinos today are faced with fewer and fewer high rollers. These "whales," as casino bosses like to call them, are becoming an endangered species. For one, there are more casinos tugging on their purse strings, so there are fewer to "catch." For another, most of these big players have taken a few too many sucker punches. Tired of fighting the odds, they retreat to a more comfortable set of betting limits. Many of them decide to gamble less often.

Whether high roller or low roller, most players are simply not conditioned to win. Slot players need to be weaned off reel-type machines and introduced to video poker where they can at least shop for the best percentages, displayed right on the screen. Players need to learn the smart bets at the dice tables and bone up on card-counting at the blackjack tables. Better yet, they need to find the skills to compete in poker tournaments.

But the sorry fact remains: most of today’s players have little knowledge of the games they play. Without knowledge, the experience they accumulate is wasted... and expensive.

Sure, it takes time, and a good book or two, but the proper conditioning can make winners out of perennial losers.

The great majority of players, of course, will not take this advice. So, I ask you. For all the new players who are making these timid bets, maybe the gambling gurus should just leave them alone.