It takes time and practice to develop skills in gambling and to become a skilled player. There are some secrets to successful gambling, however.
Perhaps the most important tactic of all is to spot when to call time on it: many people are driven to chase their losses, in a way that inevitably escalates an already plugugly downward spiral, and creates further complications for itself.
Develop a logical system
Conceptualising gambling in rational terms means having a formal logical system to guide his gambling, which calls on gamblers to gain insight into the odds of gambling events, to make sense of past trends and outcomes, and to make rational decisions when they gamble, to avoid being governed by emotional impulsivity. Such an approach increases the likelihood of success, keeping emotions in check even when the gambler encounters setbacks and losses. Emotions are one of the greatest causes of the losing of money, so a gambler must be careful not to become caught up in the game, and look at the wins and losses objectively. A gambler should ideally be self-controlled, and set a budget for their gambling (which hopefully they will stick to).
Learn how to manage your emotions
This is because feelings can play an overpowering role in the way we make decisions. When you next go to gamble, I hope that you will try to employ as many cognitive behavioural techniques as possible in order to better regulate your emotions; writing in a journal, setting yourself cash limits and utilising other online gadgets might all assist with this. On the other hand, it’s hard to keep calm when you are on a losing streak; losses may elicit feelings of disappointment, anger or frustration that become detrimental to maintaining satisfying interpersonal relationships, productivity at work, and quality of sleep, alongside considerable gambling debts that may take a long time, even months or years.
Know when to quit
Knowing what it is and when is important. Make a deadline to stop gambling – make it what you want – but stick to it, regardless of winning or losing, when that limit is reached – this will help you avoid a relapse. The gambler should also set time limits for every gambling occasion, and when the urge arrives record all his or her reasons for staying away from problem gambling, to refer to when necessary.
Avoid high-risk situations
In fact, most gamblers can learn to avoid high-risk situations by mastering their moods, as well as triggering relapse through negative reinforcement. Another way not to expose yourself to risk is to calculate the odds before placing a bet, thus betting better but also more often. And, finally, keeping a record of wins and losses will let you recognise patterns in your gambling behaviour, helping you to control limits and define appropriate ones.
Set clear limits
If you want to have a fun and affordable gambling experience, you must stay disciplined while enjoying the thrill of the game. So stick to the limits when you set them, and you will avert overspending and stress, and instead indulge in some responsible betting! And yet, setting boundaries could be more possible, if the right tools and supports are in place. Taking breaks, using triggers to steer clear of certain locations, developing accountability arrangements – these and other simple strategies can easily help to change your gambling pattern – and to feel better!
Avoid triggers
When problem gamblers succeeded in quitting, a common intervention that they reported was avoiding gambling by coming up with workarounds, including different ways to deal with situations that prompt gambling urges, or different ways to respond to people or emotions that set off those urges. If you take the same route home and see a casino often, change up that route. If your friends and family members no longer gamble, or spend your time with them. If you have seemingly positive, benign thoughts like illusion of control, superstitions or fallacies that misguide, mix them up.
Take regular breaks
Take occasional breaks from gambling so you can unwind and recover. You will make better decisions and avoid compulsive gambling. In addition to the feedback of gamblers about their experience, studies showed that those regularly subjected to mandatory play breaks lost less money in the following 24 hours, likely because they weren’t as likely to start gambling upon returning from the break. Third, gambling shouldn’t be allowed to interfere with other obligations, such as work or family.
Develop a positive mindset
An optimistic mental attitude is essential to successful gambling – this helps the gambler stay on track (ie, bet within one’s bankroll) and keeps him or her from blaming the game, using poor strategies and, in general, throwing in the towel. Another is maintaining realistic expectations. This involves ‘having respect for the game’ (Pesatori) – for gambling itself – which is a game of luck in which luck plays a key role. Equally, in any gambling expedition, one often needs resilience. Gambling entails risk, and you can lose, so the willingness to recognise when one has gone wrong and the ability to reset one’s sights plays a major role in achieving victory.
