Hello $100 bills, welcome to my wallet!  http://twitpic.com/5b9fze

It was certainly a surreal experience to turn $40 into $460 in just a few presses of a button. After the obligatory "Holy Shit!" my next thought was "can it really be this easy?" I was in and out of the casino in less than 10 minutes, but with a pocket full of cash.

(Of course if it was loosing hundreds in a few minutes, that would be equally jaw-dropping, heh).

So, anybody dabble in any gambling/betting now and then?

Dojo, casino, it's all in the mind!

I don't gamble at all but everyone in my family does.  Thankfully that gene skipped right over me, since they never win anything substantial.  And even in the rare event that they do, it all goes back eventually anyway.  I think the most I've won before was $50 or so, on a scratch off.

Congrats on those winnings dude!  Time to go buy some VGM.

Nice win!  The only gamble I'd ever made that yielded a generous return was that 2005 Super Bowl pool I participated in.  $20 for $2000 wasn't too shabby at all.

Other than that, I'll dabble in the casinos every now and again whenever I'm in Atlantic City.  I'm generally a low risk taker when it comes to my finances.

And thus the addiction begins...

Haha, seriously though, congrats, Carl!

I'm not the gambling type myself, but I have won similar amounts on TV game shows.
Which, you know, has no entry fee whatsoever

I once gambled with a $20 bill that a friend gave to me, due to my stubborn resistance. I lost all of it to a slot machine. Amusingly, one of my friend's warnings came to immediate fruition after I had lost. An older woman, perhaps 65, rudely and abrasively scooted into my seat and inserted a $50 bill into the machine. He had told me that the older women stalk the machines, waiting for some sap to have a losing streak. They assume that since the machine doled out a run of 'bad luck', it is due to deliver 'good luck'.

I enjoy playing blackjack whenever I go to Atlantic City, which is usually a couple times a year at most.  I'd probably go more if I weren't so lazy.
I usually only bring in $100-200 total to bet with, so I'm a small fry gambler only.  The most I ever won in an evening was about $480.  Usually I end up with +/- $150 or so.  In the long run I'd estimate I've broken about even, but it's something to do to have fun and/or get a frustrating rush, especially when I go with a friend or two.

Now the question of strategy...
Stick to playing the same machine each time, or play different machines??

(People probably have lots of different opinions about that, just like everyone has theories on what is the "right strategy" to play the Lottery.)

Yes, I did actually order some, for the first time in about 2 YEARS (@_@)

It does get a bit tempting, I have visited twice since, playing (and loosing) 40 bucks each time.

I do it very rarely and always make sure I come in with a set amount of money. Most of the time, I still lose.

The intrigue continues.

Turned $20 into $60, then left for the day (Friday).
Turned that $60 into $180, then left for the day (Sunday).

Clearly this trend will continue indefinitely. In a month's time, you will be a very rich man.

The thought that my un-enjoyable JOB of 11 years would continue indefinitely is a highly depressing scenario to me.
Thus my tolerance for risk has increased as the satisfaction gained from current employment has steadily decreased.

Knowing that my yearly salary can only increase .40 cents (average) or .60 cents (maximum) each year is miniscule enough to be enormously soul crushing.

My previous attempts at entering different fields of work were unsuccessful, and those would also be considered "big risks" since they entailed college loans and out of state relocations, but bore no career payoff in the end.

A game at a casino doesn't seem very different than the game of life.