
Most people feel that success in gambling is strictly due to chance, or as some people prefer to think of it, “lady luck.”. Many gamblers tend to think that if they win it is because they have been touched by lady luck. But that also suggests that they will have a winning streak as long as lady luck is on their side.
But that kind of thinking is a type of double edged sword. If it were true that lady luck was responsible for gambling success, then it diminishes any thought that the player is having success due to his ability as a gambler. Lady luck takes everything out of the hands of the gambler and leaves it totally up to fate. But if this is true then why is it that some winners are not really consistent in their wins? How do they win one day and lose the next?
Statisticians will argue that the reality of the situation is better explained mathematically rather than by chance, or lady luck. They can quite logically explain the chances and probabilities of someone winning at any given time.
In fact many people who are critical of gambling tend to classify games like blackjack and roulette as being members of the gaming industry rather than the gambling industry. By offering this distinction, they can then say that those games are based more on mathematical statistics rather than any kind of chance.
There is a problem if you subscribe to the belief that it is all lady luck. Not only does that suggest some sort of primitive way of looking at something, but it also suggests that no matter what the player does, his winning or losing is based on some aspect over which he has no control. If luck is with him he will win, if it is not, he will lose. It can, therefore, undermine his ability to play intelligently.
Believing in the luck theory can even send some people into doing strange and unusual things. In other words, they may go to extremes to do certain things to “ward off evil spirits” that may interfere with lady luck. It can even go so far as to effect the color of clothes that they wear when they play.
One thing to keep in mind, statisticians claim that it is nearly impossible to get a royal flush. In fact, they say the chances of getting one are 1 in 649,739. This illustrates more than anything that most people will lose more than they will win. And that is the entire basis of gambling… losing.
So, keep that in mind. Losing is the norm in gambling and winning the exception. As long as you go into gambling with this thought in mind you will not have unrealistic expectations. But to think that lady luck is on your side and that you will come out a big winner, will only lead to disappointing results. The casino owner is the only one that consistently wins at gambling. That IS a guarantee.