Serious Gamblers.Do you gamble to win or do you gamble for the thrill?

I will start be saying that I consider myself a serious gambler because when I gamble, I gamble to win. I always have a strategy, a limit (no more than $40.00), and I know how I’m going to run my time at the casino. This is a typical casino run for me:
1. Park in the parking garage (never valet park, I always feel like I’m taking advantage).
2. Order a rum and Coke (no ice and with a straw).
3. Scout blackjack tables on the lowest casino floor. Stand back, drink my cocktail, and get a vibe from each blackjack table. If the vibe at a table is good, get $20.00 in chips. If not, proceed to step 4.
4. Go to upper level and scout blackjack tables and cash in $20.00 to play.
5. Stay at the table until I’ve lost that first $20.00, or until I’ve doubled that money. If I’ve lost, I decide whether I cash in the other $20.00 at that table or go to another table or play slots. When I get to $40.00, I start to double my bet and continue to double it until I lose, then I get back up there. I won’t leave until I have lost the $40.00, or until I win $200.00.

I love to play blackjack!! I think that if I could find someone to bankroll me, I could be a champion player. I know how to play the game, I know the numbers, the statistics, the odds, and the power of consistent gameplay. I rarely lose and normally leave with at least $100.00. I don’t have much disposable income these days, so my trips to the casino are about once every other month now. I never sit at a table with a bunch of people who look like they can’t part with the money they’re playing. I figure I’m there to have a good time, test put my strategies and make some money. I’m not going to be all kinds of bummed because I’ve gambled away the car, the house, the kids, etc. I really like to gamble.

I don’t mean to toot my own blackjack skill horn…but toot toot gimme!

Both. Any gambler who says he isn’t into the thrill lies imo.

Of course I (NL Holdem mostly) gamble to win but that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy the thrill. To be more specific, I’d say I don’t play big pots or shit cards just for the thrill and risk throwing away my money, but that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy the thrill of gambling – putting a lot of money on a good hand or trying to make a bluff at the right time.

I think the two are related, the “thrill” is seeing if you can beat the game. Whether you’re talking about games like blackjack, in which the house has an edge, proposition betting, where you’re playing against “liklihoods”, or poker, where you’re beating other players (and the rake).

There may be thrilling moments and big swings, but at least for me the overall enjoyment comes from developing a strategy to beat the games long term. Just like becoming a good pool player, or playing a sport you enjoy, you develop your skillset and then it apply it.

The Euphoria of winning is fantastic,however i only get that feeling when i’m with friends,when i’m alone it’s pretty mundane if i win.
If i lose,the same feelings are there,you just got to let time take over so you can recover from the feelings of dread.