Why do we gamble?
 

Speaking for myself,considering I am well aware of the vast fortune I have dribbled away over the last 30 years,I obviously am not in it too make money.
Maybe I am too much a coward to risk my limbs on participating in physical endeavours so I get my adrenalin rush from betting.
I can probably find a hundred reasons to quit gambling,but could someone please give me some support and state a reason why I should continue.
Am I the only loser on this forum?
And if not,what keeps you other losers cheerful in your losses?

I gamble for fun and to occupy myself, if I have spare time and spare money I like to have a bet. It's that simple, and winning is exciting.

I lose more money than I win but I win more bets than I lose. I just bet too bigger amount sometimes which costs me in the long run, I'm learning though.

I also have a lot of interest in sport and I follow all soccer, NBA, tennis, AFL, NRL, boxing, NBL and have a small interest in NFL (not that I like or have any interest in the sport - don't understand it either).

I can't imagine life without gambling. :p

(...all those paragraphs begin with 'I'.)

I am in it for the excitement too. I get a real buzz out of a win, obviously the losses are not so great, but over time I am learning also.

As Knowledge said, I love sport and having a bet on the side adds a little extra incentive to either attend some of the games we bet on or watch them on the idiot box. At the very least keep an eye on the results or follow the live scores on the internet.

Sports I love are: Rugby League, Rugby Union, Soccer, AFL, Cricket, Snowboarding and Skiing, Moto GP, F1, Golf, Tennis, Basketball, Gridiron.

I used to play league, cricket and soccer when I was younger, I have always had a love for motorbikes and grew up around them and riding them, I still play golf, tennis ocassionally and may continue snowboarding next year (I will have to see how the leg heals after a major break in July this year).

Anyway I am starting to waffle on a bit.

So I will finish up by saying: Enjoy the bet you have and rate your win/loss according to the circumstances leading to the result. You are not in control of anything other than placing your bet. Be aware of this and you will enjoy it!

Knowledge.
When you have a bad losing day,do you feel depressed or angry?
I do.
And that is the part I seem to find is ruining the enjoyment.
Perhaps I am betting more than I can afford?

Jack Daniels.Could you just explain a little bit more about this paragraph?
I think there is something powerful lurking in there that I can't quite see.

And one more thing about my gambling.
My favourite gambling event is AFL footy,but I sort of would lose any interest in the sport if there were no facilities for betting available.

yep. I hate it. but when that happens i go back to drawing board and see where i went wrong. the loss is probably due to carelessness, otherwise it's just unlucky. either way i hate losing but im getting better.

i reckon if i had a betfair account i'd make heaps of money, particularly with the 'lay' option.

Jack Daniels: i read u broke ur leg.. thats not good. how did it efect ur life and how long did it take to heal? i just broke my right arm and is very annoying.

Yes you are right knowledge.
The drawing board is where I go too,but I tend too make too many changes and lose my money for different reasons.
I will now attempt to change only one thing at a time.

Good luck with your left hand Knowledge.Hope it doesn't get too messy for you.

thanks mate

geez guys winning isnt every thing and if we didnt lose what fun would there be in winning i think i get buzz from it because there is bigger chance of losing so when i win it gives you that rush,im now bored with punting all thou im making money out of it not much but it,s gotten boring i dont take the risks i used to no more plunges on the good thing of the day computer does all the work and takes all the fun out of it,but every now and then i say f**k it and have a crack and do my ********,and the missus says ur on the couch.
i bet all you guys could mark off 3 bets for the day and come out winning 9 out of ten times. but no fun cause your only having 3 bets if ur anything like me i want to bet on every race.

Moeee I like to invest rather than gamble.The main thing I have learnt is to restrict your bets.There are people at my tab who bet on every race on a Saturday so even if you win a few you would probably come out behind.I have been an emotional gambler/investor in the past and have got annoyed if a favourite horse or sporting team lost.I was a big LONHRO fan and have had to endure 2 lost Cox Plates as well as the Lions occasional loss.See Moeee we should be like SPORTZNUT he has no emotional centre in his brain whatsoever and he bets accordingly.He follows the Lions but bets against them all the time.I got off the track a bit,treat your gambling as fun ,if you lose a bit dont be too concerned,if you constantly lose have a rethink.I dont lose as much as I did when I was younger because I look for more information
about a horses form or AFL team etc.Sometimes its better to watch and wait
Cheers

Ahh, thanks a lot. :p

Yep, as I see it, one of the most important things is to take emotion out of your betting altogether.

Mr J is a prime example. Wonder where he's got to? Anyway, he doesn't really seem to know an awful lot about sport (except Rugby and a couple of american sports), but he's an incredibly successful punter just from using tips, statistics, computer models, and more importantly a great knowledge of all things to do with punting and how to get the best value.

betting against ur team can be ok. that way if your team loses u get some money but if u lose money at least ur team wins.

Okay Mr System.
You want a bit of a rush.Start up a tipping thread and risk your ******** on line.
I don't do it very often,but I get a rush when I can nominate more winners than losers on this forum.

All this talk is making me wanna bet! See ya, i'm off to sportstab!

Im in it for a profit. I only make sure value bets. I have the discipline to stop. Plus since gambling Ive watche dalot of sports i never watched before.... Its the biggets rush ever compared to anything ive ever done

I do it for a living. I liked punting a lot more when I was a recreational punter. These days with technology automating the whole lot it has taken the fun out of it. I put bets on and dont even watch or listen to the races, just interested in the result. I cant remember the last time I visited a TAB and filled a ticket out. When you are in the game full time it is boring but the money is good. And the best part is that my income is TAX free!

Cheers
ATC

didnt mean to offend moeee
 

sounds like fun moeee and i cant lose money and i was,nt being a smart ass your talking about a bloke here who would bet his last on a maiden at whoop whoop but not anymore except for the odd occasion.and also moeee i reckon u could tip 3 selections a week just by looking at names in field without any study.just the eye triggering s/thing in the the brain.which i think i can say weve all had b4.
assume the crown im same dont watch or listen to them only gets the emotions going which was my worst downfall.horse getting ridden badly gettin done by a nose in a photo, protests all bad.i just place bet now and move to next race and check results later.
here moee 3 tips for tomorrow and i,ll put a 4th in just incase of scratching.
and im only looking at horses names no study.
br8 no 2 moshi moshi
mr7 no6 sensational swing
ar4 no1 toys for the boys
ar6 no1 top commander

no offence taken
 

Just like winners to show a bit of proof that it can be done,Mr System!
So I will pick 1 of your 4 and give it a burl.
Sensational swing sounds good.
If it don't win, "I'LL BE BACK"!

good point assume the clown. Tax free, no workers comp to pay,no petrol to pay,just need a computer with internet access and probaly pay tv. Not bad just $120 a month on expenses. Well its easy money but not every body can do it...i know ppl once they start running on a losing streak they start crashing and the value of money turns blank.

Thats weird i reckon, value of money turns blank. I work all week to earn me $800 then sometimes i'll lose at least that much at the track on saturday and dont think anything of it. Likewise when i win i take a few gorrilas home and chuck it in me saving account on monday and dont see it again. But i still cringe at paying $6 for a JB when i'm out, i think ******** i could've made 20 with that, but what do i do with the 20. When i lose i think oh well its only money but then you wonder why you try so hard and study so much form to get more of it.

Mr System
 

Well done on your selection of Sensational Swing.
I backed it for the win for $5 and it paid $4.50 a place.
Could have been a nice collect.
More good fortune and power to you,system.