“Eating bacon will cause cancer.”
Do you remember that headline back in the ’80’s?
Researchers found that you would actually have to eat at least fifty pounds of bacon each day for the same lethal rat-killing “nitrate” effect. On the other hand, if you are watching your cholesterol, ANY amount of bacon might not be good for you.
You’re not going to eat fifty pounds of bacon, nor are you going to play at a crap table 24 hours a day for the rest of your life.
Too much of anything isn’t be good for you. That’s not an old wive’s tale, and your mother was right to preach moderation. We should always seek a balance in our lives. The reason I say that is because a recent e-mail writer asked me what kind of life I lived, if I spent most of it hunched over a craps table seemingly for 24 hours a day.
Thankfully, I do not live at the craps table, nor do I have a personal zip-code at the tables for mail delivery. I have a fantastic life outside of craps, too. On the other hand, my lifestyle is greatly influenced by craps, just as your career probably has some influence over your lifestyle and activities.
Most of my travels are planned around gaming destinations. From Australia to Zimbabwe; from Montreal to Monte Carlo; and from Biloxi to Bahamas, gaming is widely available, and I take full advantage of the travel opportunities. It not only provides enjoyable variety and exciting entertainment, but also culture, advancement of knowledge and civilized enlightenment. Plus I love the food, wine, architecture, culture and people of different places.
I actually play craps from 20 to 30 hours each week, which is less time than most people spend at work on full-time jobs. This fuels a lifestyle that provides virtually everything that I want or need. I still truly enjoy the game of craps, and the mental challenge of continual improvement, combined with the financial reward aspect. I have a lot of other gratifying interests including exotic car collecting, vintage car-rallying, and off-road racing but craps grants a special satisfaction that all my other pursuits cannot do. What is that?
Simply, we have always been told that craps is an unbeatable game. But with Precision-Shooting, it is not only a positive-expectation game; it now provides a consistently profitable income. Actually, it has turned out to be more of a lucrative lifestyle, than a work-a-day career.
There is a certain satisfaction that comes from beating an “unbeatable” game.
That’s where balance and moderation enter into the picture.
If you were to use craps as the central focus of your life, after a while, the casino could cause a certain level of disorientation and disconnection from reality. I am always careful to ensure that I have a firm grip on everything happening in the “real” world outside of the casino gaming lifestyle, so that my view is not skewed or blurred as to what is actually happening around me at any given time. Doing so gives me a high level of contentment, security and happiness.
Mental contentment is vital if you are to be a long-term winner. The ability to remain calm when the entire world around you is in chaos, is a MUST. The craps table is in constant chaos. Like I said previously, I actually play up to about 30 hours each week, but when I was perfecting my Precision-Throwing, I would sometimes play up to 10 or 12 hours each day. Clearly, I couldn’t maintain that pace for very long. It was difficult to maintain perspective at that rate. In fact, I quickly realized that my shooting ability actually declined if I played for too long or too frequently. It makes sense of course, just as much as not eating 50 pounds of bacon each day makes sense.
Your mother was right, all things in moderation makes sense. If you have been playing so long that you have to squint towards the other end of the table just to see where the dice land, it can’t be good for you or your game. As your mother would say, you better stop that before you go blind!
Good Luck & Good Skill at the Tables…and in Life.
By: The Mad Professor
