My good friend is a fish, and this is how he thinks

[MicroBob]

[ QUOTE ]
And denying reality is pretty important and isn't something I would wish on people I cared about.

[/ QUOTE ]


I think a lot of gamblers deny reality all the time.
Most roulette and slot players believe in their 'system' for winning and refuse to admit that their ideas have absolutely NO mathematical validity.

Should I take every BJ player in the high-limit room winning or losing thousands of dollars in a night and sign them up for GA if they insist they can tell when they are going to win by the 'flow of the cards' and whether the shoe is 'hot' or not??
When I dealt BJ I would estimate that 95% of the players spoke in such terms and very few of them were doing so in much of a jokine manner.
in other words, they completely believed that if I kept busting that the shoe was 'hot' and I was more likely to keep on busting-out.
many would also make up their own stats
"wow!! that's the 5th time in a row he's pulled out a 21"
(when i had in fact just paid them on back to back hands and only gotten 21 3x).
some of it is alcohol....but most of it is just people denying reality big time.

[Cerril]

Simply? Yes. I don't much care about the crippling, life-threatening, problems of people I don't know and am only peripherally involved with. That's true in poker and true in every other aspect of life. Those same problems in friends, on the other hand, are major issues.

Are we 'supposed to' think this way? I don't know, I don't have a problem imagining people I don't know suffering so I'm alright with it. If you have issues with it then you oughta do something.

Last, it's easier to give advice along the lines of 'you oughta do something about your friend's potential/current problem' than to actually do something about it. What they're really saying is 'this is the sort of guy I take money from, maybe you shouldn't want someone you care about to be the sort of guy I take money from.'

[jokerthief]

[ QUOTE ]
Brain... so .... attuned.... to winning.... cannot.... comprehend...... losing.... attitude...........

*Kaboom*

[/ QUOTE ]

lol...this is one of the funniest posts I've read in a long time!

[BigBaitsim (milo)]

I'm not so sure he has a problem that requires treatment. Regardless of symptoms, there is one critical element to every problem that must be met before a "Diagnosis" can be made and treatment recommended. That is, the problem, symptoms or ailment must interfere with life in some way. If this fellows friend enjoys gambling, is not troubled by losing and can afford to do so, he is a fool, but not a pathological gambler.

My classic example of this is a family friend who is absolutely terrified of cats. Bring a cat into the room, and she will scream herself silly and run away. There is no doubt she has a phobia, but does not meet diagnostic criteria because it does not interfere with her life. The only accomodation she makes is to check that her cat-owning friends have locked the beasts in a room or the basement before she will enter the house. This does not change her life or impair her in any way, hence no diagnosis.

Now might Jeff be at risk for developing PG? Yes. Should he stop? I think so. He is behaving stupidly, and I am generally against people behaving stupidly.

[paland]

[ QUOTE ]
He is behaving stupidly, and I am generally against people behaving stupidly.

[/ QUOTE ]
Why is he behaving stupidly? If "Jeff" enjoys playing and doesn't lose too much, is that stupid? Under that concept, Most everyone does stupid things daily. Is it stupid to go to an NBA game and spend $240 for your family when you have NO chance of winning any money? And to many, Poker is much more entertaining than many of our "recreational" hobbies and adventures. I always thought it was "stupid" for people to go to sports events, but I won't begrudge them that if that is what turns them on. I don't see how we can criticise "Jeff" either.