Gambling Science or just luck?

[med_breeder]

Hey yall,
I was just wondering if there are any gamblers here.
For some reason I have been receiving sports betting and gambling info in the mail. I guess i'm on some mailing list. Short of the state lotto, I have never gambled in my life. One mag that I have been getting in the mail is called Bet USA. The material is interesting, there are articles on the theory of home field advantage,etc... the articles are well thaught out and qusi-scientific.


my question, are there any gamblers here?
If so do you have a system?
I don't have an addictive personality, so if sports betting can be approuched in a scientific method, I would love to give it a shot.


thanks in advanced for all feedback.



peace.

 

[TheGoodStuff]

For lotteries, wait until theres some huge uproar about a giant lotto etc, and then buy tickets for the smallest pot you can find.

 

[Stoner4Life]

Any problem gamblers out there???

Gamblers Anonymous 1-800-Gambler
10:1 odds it'll help you.

 

[gramsci.antonio]

i'm a gambler.

For work, not for passion. My field is finance, stochastical and measue theory.

I can tell you two things:

a) Gambling is a tax on who doesen't know that much about math.

b) There's NO way to be a winning gambler. Otherwise your stocker would go to bankrupt, wouldn't he?

Mesdames et messieurs, le vendeur gagne toujours.

 

[TheGoodStuff]

Any problem gamblers out there???

Gamblers Anonymous 1-800-Gambler
10:1 odds it'll help you.

That's priceless

Mesdames et messieurs, le vendeur gagne toujours.

Very true.



If you go to a casino, they know that you are more likely to walk away from the table when you don't have anything left to bet than when you have won money.

 

[DrKatz420]

i'm a gambler.


b) There's NO way to be a winning gambler. Otherwise your stocker would go to bankrupt, wouldn't he?

There are actually two main exceptions to this rule:
1. If you get good enough at counting cards, you can make a small amount of money playing blackjack (if you make too much, the casinos will ban you).

2. Poker is not played against the house, but against other players, and since there is some skill involved, good players can make money in the long run.

As far as sports betting is concerned, the only way to make money in the long run is to take bets instead of placing them (be a bookie), which is illegal pretty much everywhere, so it's got a pretty big downside too.

 

[_angst_]

It's all statistics mixed with luck.

I would rather spend my hard earned money on strippers than gambling.

Just don't play into the well-known Gambler's Fallacy. The more consecutive games you play doesn't mean you are more-likely to win. If you played more games concurrently, you ARE more likely to win at least one of them.

 

[PhenoMenal]

For some reason I have been receiving sports betting and gambling info in the mail. I guess i'm on some mailing list.

yeah, it's called spam

 

[The_Leader]

as long as im winning: you can call it voodoo that he doo if you want to

Come to my table....bring your luck. youre gonna need it

 

[guineapig]

I became addicted to watching the "World Series of Poker" where they play a game called "Texas Hold 'em"......really the thing i enjoy the most is learning about all the different personalities of the players and their reactions when completely unexpected cards come up......

Interestingly, the pharmaceutical companies were developing a new drug to treat parkinson's disease when a totally unexpected side effect developed:

Parkinson's Medication Appears to Trigger Excessive Gambling
Mayo Clinic findings strengthen uncommon but reversible link between dopamine agonist drugs and pathological gambling

Monday, July 11, 2005

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Habitual, compulsive gambling with losses up to $200,000 within six months by those who previously never or only occasionally gambled recreationally has been tied to Parkinson's disease drugs called dopamine agonists, according to a new Mayo Clinic case series analysis to be published in Archives of Neurology .

"This is a striking effect," says J. Eric Ahlskog, M.D., Ph.D., Mayo Clinic neurologist who treated most of the patients in the series. "Pathological gambling induced by a drug is really quite unusual."

The good news, according to Dr. Ahlskog and M. Leann Dodd, M.D., Mayo Clinic psychiatrist who spearheaded the analysis, is that excessive gambling behavior only occurs in a small number of patients given the drugs, and it can be stopped as suddenly as it came on. "It's a very rare side effect and reversible if you get off the drug, but you have to make the association," says Dr. Ahlskog.

The Mayo Clinic neurologists treating the Parkinson's patients reported in the case series analysis learned about the gambling issues of the 11 patients in the series during routine clinic visits. Four had never gambled before starting dopamine agonist treatment. "Most of the time, the patient came in for a routine exam and would sheepishly admit 'I've been gambling too much,' or family members would mention that their loved one had been gambling excessively, that this behavior was totally out of character for them, and that the gambling was causing problems in their lives," says Dr. Dodd.

The researchers then assessed the relationship of the gambling behavior to the patients' medications. All were taking dopamine agonist medications at levels appropriate for Parkinson's treatment, and eight of the patients also were taking the drug carbidopa/levodopa. The researchers located existing case reports in medical literature associating Parkinson's disease treatment with pathological gambling, and they compared their patients' experiences with those reported in this literature. Dr. Ahlskog and colleagues then found that some of the patients stopped gambling when they discontinued use of the dopamine agonist.

They noted that in seven patients, pathological gambling developed within one to three months of reaching the maintenance dose or with dose escalation of dopamine agonist treatment; none developed pathological gambling while treated with carbidopa/levodopa alone. The other four patients reported compulsive gambling 12 to 30 months after starting dopamine agonist therapy; excessive gambling abated in all four within months of discontinuing the agonist medication.

"When our neurologists tapered the patients off the medication, several reported a dramatic resolution of their problem," says Dr. Dodd. "One patient said it was 'like a light switch going off.'"

The researchers also learned that six of the Mayo Clinic patients developed additional behavioral issues which subsided when they quit the dopamine agonist medication, including compulsive eating with weight gain, increased alcohol consumption and hypersexuality (increased interest in pornography, extramarital affairs or increased sex drive bothersome to the spouse).

Dr. Ahlskog cites anecdotes of patients such as a seemingly responsible, married professional who had never gambled before, but began watching gambling shows on television and then gambling on the Internet from his work site after starting dopamine agonist treatment. He lost several thousand dollars. This behavior abruptly stopped within a few days of stopping the dopamine agonist drug. A clergyman sheepishly confided by phone after an office visit that he had an obsession with gambling, which started after beginning a dopamine agonist medication. Another patient lost over $100,000 as well as her first marriage due to her compulsive gambling. She could never drive by a casino without going in, and each time she shopped for groceries, she was compelled to purchase multiple scratch-off lottery tickets.

Parkinson's patients have lower-than-normal levels of brain dopamine. The primary treatment for many years has been administration of levodopa (carbidopa/levodopa), which replenishes brain dopamine levels; this is considered to be the gold standard therapy for Parkinson's disease. Dopamine agonists are also used in Parkinson's disease treatment; they mimic the effect of dopamine in the brain. They are not as potent as levodopa, but produce a longer-lasting response. Dopamine agonist treatment is sometimes used by itself early in the course of Parkinson's disease or in addition to treatment with levodopa. The dopamine agonist drugs associated with pathological gambling appear to be those that specifically target the D3 dopamine receptors, according to Dr. Dodd. These receptors are located in the limbic system of the brain, which controls the emotions, affect and one's internal "reward system." When this area of the brain is overstimulated, it can lead to more impulsive behaviors and produce a feeling of pleasure from even a previously undesirable activity, such as compulsive gambling or alcohol consumption.

The Mayo Clinic researchers noted one type of dopamine agonist in particular continually surfaced as a treatment for the series' patients: pramipexole. They hypothesize this drug was implicated due to its strong stimulation of the brain's dopamine D3 receptors. A group of researchers at one medical center, including Erika Driver Dunckley, M.D., now a neurologist at Mayo Clinic, found pathological gambling in 1.5 percent of 529 Parkinson's patients treated with pramipexole in a retrospective study of all Parkinson's patients seen at the center over one year. This suggests that the problem does not occur frequently and that most people treated with pramipexole experience no such effect, according to Dr. Dodd.

Dr. Dodd explains that pathological gambling like that experienced by the Mayo Clinic patients analyzed can destroy a patient's and loved ones' quality of life. "Potentially, their financial reserves would be depleted, and they would neglect their social, occupational and family responsibilities in order to pursue gambling," she says. "It could lead them into financial ruin and contribute to broken relationships."

The Mayo Clinic researchers explain that because pathological gambling is so infrequently associated with dopamine agonist treatment, this potential side effect would not be a reason to stop prescribing it. Rather, they urge Parkinson's patients taking dopamine agonist medications to be very candid about gambling problems that may arise after starting the medication.

"I'd want patients to be very forthcoming with their doctors about their gambling," says Dr. Dodd. "If they or family members detect any behaviors that don't seem characteristic or that begin to stray from their usual behavior — increased or problematic gambling, excessive eating or alcohol consumption — they should bring it up to their neurologists. If you recognize this association early, you can possibly prevent financial ruin or destruction of relationships."

Dr. Ahlskog indicated he now tries to open the door for his Parkinson's patients to discuss gambling as a medication side effect by mentioning the potential when prescribing the medication and urging patients to tell him if they experience such effects. He also mentions the possible gambling issue with all new patients who are already taking a dopamine agonist. He emphasizes that pathological gambling linked to dopamine agonists is reversible as long as the association is recognized.

Although physicians frequently prescribe pramipexole for restless legs syndrome, the Mayo Clinic researchers believe the lower doses used pose little danger of it prompting pathological gambling.

 

[JWP]

Interestingly, the pharmaceutical companies were developing a new drug to treat parkinson's disease when a totally unexpected side effect developed

Ecstasy and cannabis may help Parkinson's




I only play roulette.

1st 12 - 2nd 12 - 3rd 12

If you put $1 on the 1st & 2nd you have a 66.66% chance at a win with a return of 3:1
But it can only land on one. So from the $2 you put down you will be sure to loose $1 but its a 66.6% chance you will get a return of $3 from your $2 bet

I like them odds.

Now say it lands on the 3rd 12. You loose $2 But if yu double your bet each time you loose when you eventually win you will get your $$$ back.

$2 1st - $2 2nd

You win? you get $6 ... That covers the initial $2 bet and the $4 bet you just placed. Get me ????

Now i wont give away all my secrets and tell you the exact formula. Doubling is just for this example. Im sure all you mathamagicians can work it out.

The ONLY 2 things that can stop you from winning is:

1. A table limit
2. If you dont take enough money

I will usually take an obscene amount of cash with me to the casino and wait for it to land on the 3rd 12 2 or 3 times in a row before placing a bet.

Its best to bet BIG and not often.

I wait, i win, i leave

Good luck


Edit: The casino i go to the most often has table limits but i take enough to cover the betting of 5 rounds. 5 losses

Dont get greedy now and never devate from your plan.

Win or loose be in and out as quick as possible

Im not addicted to gambling but iam addicted to sex & nicotine

 

[Guest]

If you really are growing in your home,you're a gambler haha!I've become a little fond of the slots lately,especially double diamond deluxe.

 

[trouble]

I have been betting on sporting events for over 30 years and have found there is a good reason they call it gambling, because you never know! I'm not a professional gambler by any means, however, I do happen to know a few and luck alone is not what has keep them in the game for so many years. There are many different little things to look for in any game that may influence the odds one way or the other. For example, you will find that most money won in college football consistently over time is money on home team underdogs where the spread is very little.

If your going to play I would strongly suggest that you know and learn to live by Rule#1: Money Managment. Never bet more then you can afford to lose. If you have a bad day never try to get it all back on one game or race. And never make picks while drunk or high!

I gamble strictly for entertainment nothing eles and I have found by following Rule#1, I dont hurt myself or anyone eles.


...

 

[Papulz]

as you have hinted american, most if not all of us in this field are gambling.. right now with our lives and our freedom.

 

[med_breeder]

Thank you all so much for the responses.
I have never gambled, but if I do it will be sports betting.
I feel because so much more info is availible i.e weather, field condition, home field advantage, reports on injuries, history against a team etc... I feel that there is more control.
I am not sure about the legality, the sports betting mag that has been appearing in my mail box has Jesse the body ventura endorsing the service.
he is a former gov of minnesota so I guess it's legit.


peace.

 

[Guest]

gambling is a science.
the science of separating a sucker from his money.


tracy

 

[m@rg]

every pound ive ever won was from pure luck
i like to call it skill

 

[DrKatz420]

Thank you all so much for the responses.
I have never gambled, but if I do it will be sports betting.
I feel because so much more info is availible i.e weather, field condition, home field advantage, reports on injuries, history against a team etc... I feel that there is more control.
I am not sure about the legality, the sports betting mag that has been appearing in my mail box has Jesse the body ventura endorsing the service.
he is a former gov of minnesota so I guess it's legit.


peace.

Did you actually read any of the responses? I don't think any of them mentioned sports betting being a good idea. All the information you mentioned, weather, injuries, etc., is available to the people who set the odds, and they have a much better idea of what to do with it than you do. Not to mention that with most sports betting, you bet 11 to win 10 (it costs you 10%) on what is pretty much a coinflip. It doesn't take a degree in statistics to realize how that's gonna end up, so if you want to burn money, it's your choice.