Page 11 - January 2016 • Southern California Gaming Guide

Plan Your Casino New Year
by Gail Anders
Happy New Year! Is it a sign of aging or does each year seem to go by quicker than the one before? Of course, I hope that 2016 will be a fantastic year for you: one lled with good health, good friends, good luck, and lots of fun!
Judging from past years, I predict that I, probably like you, will have ups and downs in everything throughout the year, much like many of our casino experiences. And with some luck, by the end of 2016, hopefully, we will be winners — in all aspects of our lives. e best advice I ever heard about every New Year is,“Expect the best and plan for the worst.”
casino and have dinner. At the beginning of the year we set up a tentative schedule for the upcoming year. is lets everyone plan far enough in advance.
Plan a Total Casino Experience
Planning your casino visits is not just about picking the days you want to gamble. So many Southern California casinos have fantastic award-winning entertainment, great dining and buffets, and an assortment of different games. Plan to see an exciting
headlining entertainer, or have lunch or a special dinner.
Enter and play in casino promotions. Every month casinos run amazing promotions
giving away cash, cars, free play or other prizes. is year,
enter and play in at least one casino promotion
Have a Casino Plan
Many people may find the first part of that advice easy to do, but some may not. I believe that having a positive attitude, no matter what you’re doing, is utmost to be successful. And part of being positive is to put action to your intention, make a plan, and stick to it.
When it comes to going to the casino, have a plan of when you want to go including how many times a month. I’m not suggesting to have your whole year planned out with a rigid schedule. Spontaneity and spur-of-the-moment activities can add to your fun, but make sure you set some time and spending limits so your fun will not cause you to go over your budget.
Plan Your Casino Budget
Plan to have your casino bankroll ready. The beginning of the New Year is an excellent time to sit down and make a realistic casino budget that you can live by for the year ahead. If you like to visit the casino on a whim, then have some money budgeted. There’s an easy way.
Many professional casino players advise that anyone who visits a casino on a regular basis should maintain a separate bank account to use for gambling. Money in that account should be earmarked only for casino play. By maintaining a separate gambling bank account you’ll always have money on hand when you want to go to the casino — and you’ll also have controls in place so you don’t go over budget. You can start small and add funds to your bank account as you’re comfortable, and replenish it with a percentage of your winnings.
Set Loss Limits
Gambling guru, Bill Burton used to write about having a“loss limit” for playing each day at the casino. Gambling is entertainment and like any entertainment, you need
to have an idea of what it will cost, and whether you can a ord it. Your overall loss limit should be determined before you even leave for the casino.
If you are going to be at the casino for a day, gure out how
many hours you want
to be there. And be
sure you don’t lose your bankroll all on one game. If you lose half your money in a short period of time, try
your luck on another machine. Setting a loss limit on each game you play can help extend your playing.
Setting loss limits can also
help you stay in control when
you are losing. According to Burton, some players
start behaving irrationally when they lose. ey try to chase their losses to get their money back. Poker players call this “going on tilt.” en players may get to the point where they no longer care about how much they have lost and they continue to play until all their money is gone. Players who set limits and then have the discipline to stick to them are less likely to lose control.
It’s easy to leave the casino when all your money is gone. It takes discipline to walk away when you hit your loss limit. Discipline and control is what separates winners from losers at the casino.
Plan Each Visit
Plan your casino visit in advance. Some of the fun and excitement of going to the casino can be the anticipation leading up to the day. By planning your casino visits in advance, you’ll have something to look forward to and enjoy the excitement as the day approaches. My friends and I get together once every other month to play at the
a month. Who knows? You may win a new car! Learn and play a new casino game. Branch out play video poker — or learn a table game. ose games have a lower house edge when
you learn to play them correctly.
And, if you don’t already do this, connect with your
favorite casino by email, download the casino’s mobile app, if they have one, and take advantage of the all the digital perks casinos offer.
This year, plan the full entertainment value from your casino visit. It will help to break up your day so you do not spend all your time gambling. And knowing that you have other activities planned can also help from overspending.
A little planning at the beginning of the year can keep you on track throughout the year ahead, so you can have fun and thoroughly enjoy your casino new year.
Happy New Year and Happy Gaming!
Gail Anders writes for online magazines and blogs and lives in Laguna Beach and New York.
JANUARY 2016
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GAMING GUIDE
PAGE 11
and