Quote:
Originally Posted by sublime_fan24
I have wondered this before, but not asked since I didn't want to be intrusive, but I here I go.
Have you thought about stopping you local play all together? You often talk about you know its a losing proposition in the end, but enjoy the rush and aren't dipping into your life roll. However, let's say you do eventually have to dip into your life roll; that wouldn't be a huge deal as long as its not a ton, and you can justify is as entertainment (totally reasonable to spend a small portion of earnings on gambling as entertainment). So in the long run, where you may have to spend out of your own pocket per se; it would probably be more fun and easier to deal with losses if they were just in vegas (and less frequent losses since local is more accessible).
Just curious; feel free to ignore though; you have already been very open about your thought process with gambling and don't need to expand on that.
Happy to answer- the long version is, it doesn't matter.
A quote from Marcus Aurelius that has been very prominent in my life and thought process for some time now is "Memento Mori". Basically, "remember that you will die". Ultimately we're all dead and presumably have only one life to live. So from that standpoint, I want to make the most of whatever my time on this earth is.
Clearly, you can take a thought process like that way too far and ignore basic responsibilities, feeding the kids, etc. My wife and I take care of all of that and fortunately we have plenty leftover. So now the thought becomes- how shall I enjoy my life? Is it even "irresponsible" if I lose a bunch gambling, money that no doubt could go to "better" things, if I've already taken care of all the responsibilities out there? The answer I keep coming back to is "no". In some sense we all have long ago made this decision any time we splurge on a meal, lose even 5$ in Vegas, etc. The wrong way to think about it, IMO, is that certain expenditures are "responsible" and anything else is "irresponsible" in a binary way. It's not that simple. Is taking care of one's self and being happy "irresponsible"? I don't think so.
I know plenty of people that buy food in bulk and always go for the cheapest, typically most processed option. They spend far less than I do on food, but ingest far more unhealthy calories. Which is the more "responsible" choice? There's not a clear answer but I'm sure happy with the choices I'm making for my kids' and my own health.
On top of that, my former poker player self knows "it's all one long game". Who cares where I lose it, if I'm just going to eventually lose it anyways? The result is the same. So pretty much when I feel like going to the local, I go. The only thing holding me back is the finite bankroll (wish I had infinite money to lose but then I suppose it wouldn't be fun) and the knowledge that any loss at the local MAY limit my ability to play in Vegas. Actually one huge factor is knowing just how awful I can run in Vegas- I've pretty much established any trip I may go through a 15k swing. That's so big that I HAVE to save some of those 1k, 2k losses at the local- they add up and might matter.
So, basically I've curtailed my play at the local for the reasons above, but see no reason to stop entirely.