• Home
  • ZorkFest
    • ZorkFest 2018 Thank You
    • ZorkFest Social Wall
    • ZorkFest Info
    • ZorkFest Schedule 2018 Las Vegas
    • Podcasters After Dark
  • ZorkCast
  • SHOP
    • ZorkFest – Register Today!
    • TravelZork Store
    • My Cart
    • My Account
    • TravelZork Store Terms & Conditions
  • DEALS
    • Travel Deals
    • FoundersCard | Limited Promotion | Founders Card
    • USA | Miles+Points Credit Card Offers
  • Vegas & Casino
    • Hotel Reviews (Casino)
    • Casino Trip Reports & Narratives
    • Casino Loyalty, Casino Gaming and Gambling
    • Casino News
    • Strip Resort/Parking Fees
    • Non-Strip Resort/Parking Fees
  • Airlines
    • KLM
    • Delta
    • Air France
    • American Airlines
    • Southwest Airlines
  • Hotels
    • Hotel Reviews (non-casino)
    • Hotel Reviews (casino)
  • Tourism
  • Dining
  • About
    • Team
      • Meet The TravelZork Team
      • Join Our Team – Be a TravelZork
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
  • CART
  • Home
  • ZorkFest
    • ZorkFest 2018 Thank You
    • ZorkFest Social Wall
    • ZorkFest Info
    • ZorkFest Schedule 2018 Las Vegas
    • Podcasters After Dark
  • ZorkCast
  • SHOP
    • ZorkFest – Register Today!
    • TravelZork Store
    • My Cart
    • My Account
    • TravelZork Store Terms & Conditions
  • DEALS
    • Travel Deals
    • FoundersCard | Limited Promotion | Founders Card
    • USA | Miles+Points Credit Card Offers
  • Vegas & Casino
    • Hotel Reviews (Casino)
    • Casino Trip Reports & Narratives
    • Casino Loyalty, Casino Gaming and Gambling
    • Casino News
    • Strip Resort/Parking Fees
    • Non-Strip Resort/Parking Fees
  • Airlines
    • KLM
    • Delta
    • Air France
    • American Airlines
    • Southwest Airlines
  • Hotels
    • Hotel Reviews (non-casino)
    • Hotel Reviews (casino)
  • Tourism
  • Dining
  • About
    • Team
      • Meet The TravelZork Team
      • Join Our Team – Be a TravelZork
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
  • CART
Previous Next

Recreational Gambling | A Fun Way to Spend Money

Posted by: TheInveterateGambler , April 7, 2018
Gambling | A Fun Way to Spend Money
Image Source : Getty Images

“Recreational Gambling”

Mark DeVol and Dr. Mike, the excellent hosts of the highly regarded, You Can Bet on That podcast, refer to themselves as “recreational gamblers.” Prior to them coining the term, I never heard casino gamblers referred to, with those words. I guess the term can have different definitions to different people. To me, a recreational gambler is someone that considers gambling an avocation or hobby; an enjoyable way to spend free time. The recreational gambler has a certain amount of money budgeted for entertainment that they chose to risk by taking on lady luck. As a recreational gambler, they hope to win but they accept that they will likely “lose” their money in any particular gambling session. They understand that at the end of the day, GAMBLING IS JUST A FUN WAY TO SPEND MONEY. Unlike a shot-taker or an addicted gambler, the recreational gambler knows that a visit to the casino is not expected to be income supplementation or a way to get rich quick.

The recreational gambler knows his or her way around the casino. They are knowledgeable about the rules of the games. They know which games have the highest house edge and which bets are strictly long shot sucker bets. If they want to stay and play, they have to play games that give them a chance to win now and again or at least lose slowly. Games like the “The Big Wheel” are not even considered.

The recreational gambler plays for the fun that comes with the thrill and adrenalin rush of risking just enough money to keep them interested in a game but not betting so much that a loss will have a deleterious effect on their lifestyle. Naturally, the required wager amount varies greatly from person to person.

“401-G”

Smart recreational gamblers keep their “real world” money segregated from their “fun money.” A good way to do this is to utilize what is known, euphemistically, as a “401-G” account. The “G” stands for gambling. Satirically, borrowing its name from actual financial products like the 403-B or the 401-K, the 401-G is a great, albeit fictitious, financial product. It is designed as a firewall to prevent financial disaster. It can be kept in a special bank account or for some, perhaps, even a cigar or shoe box. An interesting way to secure the money is to use one of the internet based banks that offer free checking accounts for holding the funds.

401-G money is designated for casino trips only. Some days the 401-G will grow, on others it will dwindle. The #1 rule of the 401-G is that, it is the ONLY source for funding gambling. Invading other sources for gambling funds, or worse yet, obtaining high interest credit card cash advances, is a rocky road filled with pitfalls that scores of undisciplined gamblers have fallen victim to.

As a side note, there is a somewhat more nefarious version of the 401-G account—the infamous Off-Shore 401-G. This is a secret gambling account that a spouse or partner is unaware of. For domestic tranquility, I don’t recommend this because its discovery can be disastrous.

The recreational gambler also knows how to most efficiently use the perks that the casino rewards them with for risking their money. This could be a complimentary (comp) buffet, a free hotel room, show tickets, airline ticket reimbursement or even an ocean cruise with an affiliated partner of the casino. Spending money in a casino resort is different than spending money on other vacations. Does anyone know of a case of Disney providing a visitor with anything free? I don’t and a couple of days in Disney World can easily cost much more than two days in a casino resort. At least with the casino vacation there is an opportunity to come home with more money than you went with; that is not happening at Disney World.

Related: Generating Casino Offers

Learn the Casino Comp System

Learning the casino comp (complementary) system can pay dividends to the savvy recreational gambler. For comp purposes, casinos credit different games in different manners. A $25 Three Card Poker player may get more credit for comps than a $25 blackjack player. In the casino world, the slot machine player is king. The machines make plenty of money for the house. They have a very low operating cost as there is a minimal labor expense. The high return on investment for the casino results in a bounty of casino comp offers for the slot devotee.

The method of quantifying a player’s worth to the casino varies from property to property. Casino corporations value the player’s outlays differently. In “Casino A,” they may give a player credit for all monies expended on the property, such as gambling and on property spending, such as restaurants, the spa etc., while “Casino B” may not figure the $800 spent in the steakhouse into the equation.

So if you have the financial resources, knowledge of the casino games and most importantly, the discipline, being a recreational gambler can be a lot of fun. One caveat: Gamblers must also always be vigilant to ensure that the hobby does not become an obsession. As I mentioned earlier, “GAMBLING IS JUST A FUN WAY TO SPEND MONEY.”

If you want to learn more about the comp game, consider attending the 2018 ZorkFest in Las Vegas, Memorial Day weekend.

Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards

Nonstop to your next reward flight.

Southwest Vacations Vegas
Book a flight + Wynn Las Vegas or Encore hotel package of two nights or more, and enjoy a complimentary daily breakfast buffet for two. Plus, receive exclusive savings on select room categories.

Advertisement - Privacy and Cookie Policy Disclosure

Tags: 401G, casino comp, casino comp offers, casino comp system, casino complementary system, casino comps, casino hobby, casino loyalty, casino perks, fun money, gamble, Gambling, gambling is fun, gambling money, Las Vegas, Las Vegas gambling, Learn casino comps, Recreational Gambling, vegas, Vegas gambling, You Can Bet on That, ZorkFest

TheInveterateGambler

About the author
mm

The Inveterate Gambler has had a keen interest in casino games and the casino industry for more decades that he likes to remember. Craps, Blackjack and some Pai Gow Poker are his games of choice. He also enjoys playing in the home poker game were wild cards and luck overcome skill. He has no interest in slots and if there were no table games he would never set foot inside a casino. He is an expert on the Atlantic City scene. Like Batman, Superman, The Green Hornet, and a host of his other comic book heroes, The Inveterate Gambler must keep his true identity secret.

Popular
Recent
Comments
  • KLM Upgrade

    KLM Upgrade Bidding “Upgrade Yourself”

    April 11, 2015
    Living the Mlife: An Introduction

    Living the Mlife: An Introduction – MGM M life Rewards Loyalty Program

    February 11, 2019
    FoundersCard Benefits

    FoundersCard Caesars Benefit | Caesars Total Rewards Diamond Status

    April 29, 2016
  • Living the Mlife: An Introduction

    Living the Mlife: An Introduction – MGM M li ...

    February 11, 2019
    Vegas News 10 February 2019 | Binion's Expands, Golden Nugget Might Be On The Market and more

    Vegas News | Binion’s Expands, Golden Nugget ...

    February 10, 2019
    Basic Strategy for Blackjack

    Four Steps to MASTER Basic Strategy for Blackjack

    February 9, 2019
  • […] is more expensive every few months and c ...

    February 10, 2019

    […] Related: The Truth about Other Players D ...

    February 9, 2019

    […] in visitation I predict it will come in ...

    January 27, 2019

Tag Cloud

atlantic city atlantic city casinos atlantic city events atlantic city promotions Atlantic City shows borgata borgata atlantic city Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa Caesars Caesars Entertainment Caesars Palace casino CASINO GAMING Casino Hotel casino loyalty Casino news Casinos Cosmopolitan Delta DOAC downtown las vegas downtown vegas DTLV Entertainment Fremont Street Fremont Street Vegas Gambling gaming Golden Nugget Las Vegas lasvegas Las Vegas News Las Vegas Strip mgm MGM Resorts MGM Resorts International The Vegas total rewards travel TravelZork vegas Vegas News Vegas Strip Vegas Strip Casino Wynn

Archives

  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
Copyright © 2014 - 2019 TravelZork
Designed and Developed by fdMobile
Hosted by Powder Cloud Corporation
  • Home
  • Team
  • Contact
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. Accept Privacy Policy