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Desensitize your gambling anxiety

Discussion in 'General Vegas Talk' started by tom4u, Aug 28, 2016.

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  1. tom4u

    tom4u
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    Wrote this in reply to Hoofy.
    Posting here, maybe someone will find it helpful.

    Turn your mental preparation into a systemic desensitization. It’s a form of behavioral therapy.
    The concept is an oldie but can be applied to many things, including gambling trip strategy.

    This prepares your mind, level of expectations, and a platform to be disciplined.

    Gives you a good and most optimal chance at having fun and possibly winning!

    (Principle of reciprocal inhibition)
    Your anxiety of going broke early involves mental tension, which would be incompatible with relaxation. If you’re relaxed, you can’t be tensed

    Step1-
    Once you are physically relaxed, physical tension no longer exists to affect your decision-making.

    Do breathing exercises and muscle de-tensioning. Ex. lay on your back in bed when you wake up. Simultaneously clinch your hands in a fist, squeeze in your toes, tense up your body…hold it for 10seconds. Then SLOWLY release and open up your hands and toes. Simultaneously close your eyes while doing it, inhaling while tensing up, exhale while loosening. Do it 2 times or more.
    Morning workouts or stretching/yoga count. Morning sex counts as well! (looking at you PT)

    This allows your mind to enter a stage of focus as well.

    Step2- Pre-game planning
    Have a list or idea of what games you will be playing. List them in a hierarchy of most comfortable to most intimidating.
    Specifically in your case- Slots- baccarat- craps (I think?)

    Play in that order because – you are most familiar with slot playing and expected outcomes. Once money starts flowing, you’re more relaxed and mentally expect a lot of back and forth.

    Self protect yourself by playing quick sessions. Longer you sit, higher likely you will break your discipline. Not optimal for anybody’s bankroll.

    After Slots, play Baccarat. At this point, you’re mentally desensitized to money (losing/winning) amounts. Start betting with a base amount you will like, I think $50 is solid to start at for a beginner. The pace of play is a lot slower than slots, expect to sit and ponder whatever you want.

    In your mind, try some “If…Then” betting strategies. For example, a shoe is unfolding a certain way…”If next hand is player, I will bet Banker after.”

    When you think like that, you’re essentially prepping your mind, expectations, and lessening your second guessing – which is killer in gambling.

    Your next game is Craps – I’m nowhere knowledgeable enough to advise here. But at this point in your mental desensitization process, you will be less stressed about money movement, and more tolerable to swings. Which in craps can be swingy, same can be said of every gambling game.

    This entire plan has built in discipline, self-protection, and gradually eases your anxiety. Obviously have a semi-solid stop-loss budget.

    Don’t have a stop win – because in gambling, if you’re hot, do not stop! Only stop after your win streak is broken.

    In a sense, if winning, you’re freerolling. But not really since you can quit and cash-out anytime and that money is yours. Using the “freeroll” mentality is just an excuse to gamble it up for a big win!

    Keep your session relatively short base on your gambling experiences. The time of play varies for each person. For me, I can play 5-8hrs of bac a session and still be fresh from mental fatigue. That tolerance was built over years of playing.

    I recommend beginners play much shorter sessions. 1hr maybe.

    Mental fatigue is the basic reason that allows for brain farts to occur and when big bad decisions are made. The more mentally tired/drained you are, the easier you will be frustrated. Not a coincidence that late nights are prime examples of this.

    This opens the door for tilted play. Undisciplined behavior that WILL expose you to much higher risks than you had originally planned or expected.

    If you ever find yourself saying, “what the hell did I do” after a session, you were victim to tilt.

    You’re in Vegas with the hopes of having fun. Keep that as your main focus. If your focus is to make money, you have unduly put mental pressure on yourself and will be tensed in a losing proposition before the first bet.

    Bankroll management is debatable with many approaches. Maybe in accordance with this entire approach, ease into it. Start smaller and eventually bet bigger as the days pass.

    Scenario 1- you start betting big. You have nowhere to go but bigger. Either you’re lucky early and escalate betting even bigger which is exposing you to even bigger swings or you bust out early.

    Scenario2- you start betting small. Whatever the early results are, you still have room to escalate bets within your bankroll to either get unstuck or pile on the wins with profits.

    Scenario 2 gives you more control in your gambling fate. A more disciplined approach.

    Whenever you are well prepared, mentally/physically, you will be optimal to act and react. Your mind is a lot clearer to make decisions. Gambling is all about decision making, when to bet, how much, how long to play, when to quit etc.

    There's nothing to fear or stress about when you're prepared, whatever happens, you already had an idea.
    Thats why elite athletes do quick mental imagery before a race. Preparing their mind and body to run that race and implementing their game plan.

    Gambling can be mindless fun as well. But for the stakes some of us play for, winning is nice and being prepared gives a higher chance for that.
     
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