A Perfect Gambling Experience

I had a perfect gambling experience yesterday at Wild Horse Pass Casino just outside Chandler, AZ.

Before I tell you why I think it was perfect, let's talk about what elements go into a good experience at the tables and what constitutes a bad one.

Obviously, the first thought that strikes most people on this subject is winning. How can a person enjoy a day at a casino, card room or on-line without winning. Good point and excellent question.

While winning is certainly important, it is not everything. People disagree on this subject, by the way. Even my younger brother and I occasionally get into regular arguments on the importance of winning and the importance money plays in any casino experience.

I personally look at casinos and card rooms as a never-ending baseball game. I choose baseball because it's my favorite sport. I was a pitcher and outfielder in high school and college sports and have never lost my regard for the game.

In the first inning, the opposing team can score five runs. While that is disconcerting and puts a lot of pressure on your team to come back, the game is far from over. Good teams actually relish being the underdog. In Phoenix where I live, we have the Arizona Diamondbacks and they relish bouncing back from a three or four run deficit. The D-Backs, as we call them, seem to score more runs with two outs than any other team in baseball.

You can lose the first five hands you play in poker and still win enough money in a cash game to end up a winner -- or to win a poker tournament.

But -- and this is an important but -- winning is not everything, even in gambling. The important thing is for you to play your best game, every time, all the time. And never give up.

If the cards go against you, as they will on occasion. you have several options. You can sulk, gnash your teeth, beat your head against the wall or scream obscenities against the winners.

You can do all of those things. But in my humble opinion, that would be a huge mistake.

I think it's much smarter and more civil to smile, engage in conversation with the person who just beat you and say, 'Nice hand.' You do this, of course, while you are silently figuring out what you did wrong and how you can overcome it next time around.

A perfect gambling experience in my opinion is being at a table with decent people who are well-mannered, who accept losses as well as victories in a measured respectful manner, who enjoy good conversation and a joke, and who have something to offer besides gambling.

Yesterday at Wild Horse Pass I won a decent amount of money. It was a good day's wages by anyone's standards. On the last hand, I became involved in a large pot involving four other players. There were raises and re-raises. Everyone had a hand made or a good strong draw, and they were determined to stay in the action until the final card. Had I drawn a two, four or seven, I would have won half of he monster pot. Instead the dealer dealt me a queen and I had to fold my hand.

I picked up my chips and went to the cashier's window, basking in the making of new friends and in the knowledge I had accumulated from the game and the final hand.

Memories live a lot longer than the money you may win or lose whether the game is poker, blackjack, slots, dice, the horses or any other game of chance.

Send me an email and tell me about your favorite casino or card room, whether it's on the Internet, a cruise ship or land-based. I will be happy to share the information with my readers. Thanks for tuning in.

Author: Geno Lawrenzi Jr.

(Geno Lawrenzi Jr. is an international journalist, magazine author and ghostwriter and poker player who lives in Phoenx, AZ. He has published 2,000 articles in 50 magazines and 125 newspapers. If you want to share a gambling story or book idea with him, send an email to glawrenzi@gmail.com ).