Thanks to the increasing accessibility of internet gambling at online casinos, more individuals than ever are using it as a form of entertainment. Gambling has engrained itself into our culture, with many historical and entertainment events happening within casinos. It’s generated quite a few philosophical takes that elegantly discuss the ideas behind gambling.
Here are three quotes from recent history by three very different people, along with a brief analysis of their possible meanings.
Edward O. Thorp
Professor of mathematics, writer, manager of a hedge fund, and blackjack expert, Edward Oakley Thorp is a celebrity among blackjack aficionados. He established the present uses of probability theory, such as leveraging very weak connections for dependable monetary gain.
Those that play blackjack at Paddy Power live casino might not know his name, but if you are implementing a blackjack strategy, which you definitely should, there’s a good chance he contributed to that strategy.
Thorp is quoted as saying, “In the abstract, life is a mixture of chance and choice. Chance can be thought of as the cards you are dealt in life. Choice is how you play them.” It’s no surprise someone who enjoys blackjack would see a card game as a metaphor for life.
The games you find now fall into two categories: games of skill and games of chance. If you play Live Sic-Bo Deluxe, for instance, you’re playing a game of chance. Anyone can play because it requires no expertise. The likelihood of rolling a particular dice combination is used to calculate the odds of winning.
Blackjack has an element of luck, as most outcomes depend on the cards you and the dealer are dealt. The multipliers added to online games such as Live Lightning Blackjack add a further element of luck. Yet, blackjack differs from other casino games because it requires more skill than most of them do. You can reduce the house edge to 0.5% or less by learning basic strategies and picking a solid game.
Charles Bukowski
A German-American poet, novelist, and short story writer Henry Charles Bukowski wrote, “If you don’t gamble, you’ll never win”. It’s a quote that seems obvious but speaks to how we as humans naturally enjoy taking chances at gambling hubs and why gambling’s unpredictable results are so alluring. Part of the thrill of playing roulette, blackjack, and baccarat, particularly in a live format, is not knowing what will happen next.
Bukowski frequented the racetrack and often wrote about gambling. Although Bukowski’s work is recognized now, he was not well-liked by academic critics in the USA during his lifetime, but was more popular in Europe. The common lives of poor Americans, writing itself, relationships with women, and the drudgery of work are all topics covered in Bukowski’s works.
Bukowski is renowned for his realistic depictions of life. The Bukowski’s alter-ego and main character of Bukowski’s novels Ham on Rye, Post Office, Women, and Hollywood, Henry Chinaski, believes that taking risks is necessary to survive in a society where luck plays the dominant role.
Paul Newman
Paul Newman was an American actor, director, race car driver, businessperson, and philanthropist best known for his performances in The Hustler (1961), The Sting (1973), and Cool Hand Luke (1967).
A memorable phrase attributed to Newman, who loved to play poker, is “If you’re playing poker, and you look around the table, and you can’t tell who the sucker is, it’s you.”
This great quote highlights that poker is a game of skill rather than a game of chance like bingo or roulette. “You don’t play the cards in front of you, you play the man across from you,” goes another well-known but attributed saying in poker. Implying that winning depends on being able to predict or read your opponent’s actions. This makes understanding the cards as important as behavioral analysis to be a successful poker player.
Another quote from Newman as “Fast Eddie” Felson in the Martin Scorsese film The Color of Money (1986) is “Money won is twice as sweet as money earned.” Many of us will be able to relate to that feeling of a win putting you on cloud nine in a way a salary never did.
Just three quotes from three very different people partially reveal why we continue to love live gambling and why people continue to use online casinos for recreation more and more these days.