Electronic Crack - the new gambling machines, Is this scary or what?

[susato]

http://web.mit.edu/newsoff....4905772

or if that doesn't work, the PDF.

[314159]

The link works fine and the article is really quite scary!

I'll bet that J.R. (our resident expert) doesn't play the "slots".

I don't (and don't really gamble, in general).

Roulette anyone?

[susato]

So long as it's not the Russian kind!  Actually, the regular kind isn't my thing either. Knowing that the house always wins in the end kind of takes away the fun.

The article also discusses machines that play poker - that is, where your opponent is a machine - which is quite different from JR's face to face poker tournaments.

Poker Face        3:57        Lady GaGa        The Fame  

Oops, wrong thread!     Oh well.  This tune seems to be ALWAYS playing when my daughter tunes the radio.

[314159]

Am I obligated to report a post in the wrong thread by a Super Administrator? (!!)

Come Out And Play  3:18  The Offspring

Geesh!  That just appeared automatically.
"Gotta" check my Forum posting scripts!

[phantom]

The two of you should be reprimanded and beaten senseless with wet noodles.

Oh, wait...  The two of you are already senseless!  

[314159]

I will be the first to admit it.

She is.  

I am banning myself from the Forum for another 3.14159 seconds for that.

[jrrodeffer]

The link works fine and the article is really quite scary!

I'll bet that J.R. (our resident expert) doesn't play the "slots".

I don't (and don't really gamble, in general).

Roulette anyone?

Slots and table games (BlackJack, Craps, 3 card poker, etc.) are a trap. The casino has an automatic "edge", amounting to as little as 1% on a VERY FEW slots, up to 35% on Keno. Soooo, they take from 1% to 35% on EVERY BET that hits the table.

Which is why they want you to play as long as possible, since in the long run, they will get ALL THE MONEY.

The ONLY way to beat these games is to get lucky and WALK AWAY. I used to play Blackjack and that is how I won, besides counting cards and betting strategies, LOL. But in the end, you have to "get your chips to the Cashier window" to win.

The article makes a good point about live Poker, it is different and more in your control. You make a majority of the decisions.

In the end, consider gambling entertainment, and keep it cheap. If you can't control yourself, just go to the shows and restaurants, or do like my wife does, SHOP SHOP SHOP.

J.R.

[314159]

1. Excellent advice. Anyone can look at the profits that the Casinos make and verify this.
I would be willing to bet that at least 70% of the revenue comes from the casual visitor who doesn't understand the simple concept of cashing in when ahead.

2. Good to see that avatar active once again. I missed it.

3. Poker probably has about the same odds unless one is a expert player.
I suspect that you lick your lips when sitting down at a table with those less knowledgeable than you.

That said, in watching almost all of the televised high stakes tournaments, I have seen many world class players leave the table when "all in" on a lucky draw of a single card by an opponent.

That's why I am not a gambler.

4. Hmm. "Counting Cards"?  I bet that the Casinos loved you.....

[curby.net]

On a more unusual train of thought, I found the amount of effort put into product design just amazing. The thought that casinos have more ergonomic chairs than most offices and homes is just as depressing as the thought of another industry that wants to literally brainwash you. I've become a bit of a design nerd recently, and am increasingly seeing all the ways that poorly designed products lead to stress, unhappiness, injury, etc.

Companies make sure their toasters heat bread and stop there. Software developers have bug tracking systems but spend much less time on interface, workflow, and usability. If only everyone took as much care in their interface design, industrial design, etc. that these casino product designers did, it'd be a less annoying world. Of course, companies tend to fill the desires and not the needs of its customers, and most people aren't willing to pay more for good design. Sigh.

[lilrabbit129]

I think thats why everyone thinks Apple is so revolutionary, they pay a lot of attention to UI and design. OSX has always "felt" better than a lot of other OSes. That speaks volumes when an OS can literally induce a feeling of comfort in the user. To some extent Windows has been steadily getting better at it as well.