Friday, February 5, 2010

AN INTELLIGENT GAMBLER.

Most people gamble at some point in their lives. For most it provides entertainment, for some it becomes an addiction, while a few become pros and make a living at it. Gambling provides a living for a very small minority and entertainment for the masses, but a casual gambler reaching for a quick buck has the same chance of success as an ice cube on a hot stove.
Some famous investors like betting on horses. They include Peter Lynch, of Magellan Fund fame, and Warren Buffett, who used to publish a newsletter on handicapping. Some card games,such as baccarat, are based on chance alone, whereas others, such as blackjack, involve a degree of skill that attracts intelligent people. Professionals treat gambling as a job. They keep calculating odds and act only when mathematics point in their favor. Losers, on the other hand, itch for the action and enter one game after another,switching between half-baked systems.
When you gamble for entertainment, follow a set of money management rules. The first rule is to limit how much you’ll risk in any given session. On a rare occasion when a friend pulls me into a casino,I put what I am willing to lose that night into my right pocket, and stuff my winnings, if any, into the left one. I stop playing as soon as my right pocket is empty, without ever reaching into the left. Once in a
while I find more money in the left pocket than I had in my right, but I certainly do not count on it.
A friend who is a successful businessman enjoys the glitter of Las Vegas. Several times a year he takes $5,000 in cash and flies there for a weekend. When his bankroll runs out, he goes for a swim in the pool,enjoys a good dinner, and flies back home. He can afford to spend $5,000 on entertainment and never blows more than his initial stake.Lounging at a pool after his cash is gone, he differs from legions of compulsive gamblers who keep charging more chips on their credit cards, waiting for their “luck” to turn. A gambler with no money management is guaranteed to bust out.(Excerpts from "Come into my Trading room"..by Dr.Alexander Elder.)

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