[UA] Words from a Casino Floor--translation [OT]

[Cassady Toles]

 here's what I wrote about it this morning on myspace: Theory vs. Practice...There's an old joke: What's the difference between theory and practice? In theory there isn't one. While, as a theatre practitioner, I've found this to be true. It's also pretty true in the field of engineering, Carpentry, and Material Science. I work in one of the few fields where it isn't. I work in gambling. Gamblers like to think of themselves as empiricists. They notice a spot loses and stop betting there. They notice that a particular gamble didn't work once, so they don't do it again. The trick here is that gambling is all about math, and over time the mathematics bear themselves out. If that weren't true, there wouldn't be casinoes. In most games the edge is small, generally in the neighborhood of 1-2%. If it gets too much bigger, players won't play. If it gets too much smaller, casinoes stop being profitable.Every night, I watch people succumb to the power of sheer math. And I collect their 
 money. I watch them collect their evidence and discuss their systems and listen to their instincts. I do this as I smile, and let the math do my work for me. I play my system regardless of the players. I play my system regardless of action. I play my system. I smile and I nod, and I tell people how brilliant they are. And the math pays my company.That's what I do for a living. I'm a practical theorist.Now in answer to your question, Ben:Does it get boring, not yet.  I sit at a table, play cards and talk shit with players and I get paid for it.  Everyone else is paying for the priviledge.  Everyone else pays for it.  I always walk out with more money that I walked in.  It's way less bad than sitting in a cubicle.  I'm trying to do everything to guarantee I never end up in a cube farm again.    The reality is that if you'd do something for sheer love of it, no one will pay you to do it.  You'll do it for free.  But this ain't bad.  The hardest part is that it begins to wrench 
 your grip on reality.  I'm beginning to lose my ability to look people in the eye.  I watch people who probably aren't even thinking of cheating me for the twist that will be an attempt to scam money.  I sometimes don't even know how to talk to people who aren't hustlers, dealers, or pimps anymore.  It isn't dull, it's just alien.  It's also wierd.  I'm the archtypical outsider at the casino, the gambler who doesn't gamble...You know, he's got really great hair, for a speed freak...-Excerpt from actual conversation--- On Tue 03/23, S. Ben Melhuish < sben at pile.org > wrote:From: S. Ben Melhuish [mailto: sben at pile.org]To: ua at lists.unknown-armies.comDate: Tue, 23 Mar 2004 15:12:12 -0800Subject: Re: [UA] Words from a Casino Floor--translationCassady Toles wrote:> We usually end up ahead over 8 hour periods. That's a > long time playing at one table.This is pretty much part of any successful gambling scheme, right? Be willing to accept (possibly gutwrenching) losses in
  the short term, knowing that the math tells you that you'll win in the long term. (And then hope your actuaries are right.)I have to ask: Does that get boring? Or, I suppose, compare the boredom level of playing poker 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, to the boredom level of sitting in a cubicle 8 hours a day, 5 days a week.-- Sben-- Pile on!http://pile.org/_______________________________________________UA mailing listUA at lists.unknown-armies.comhttp://lists.unknown-armies.com/mailman/listinfo/ua

_______________________________________________
Join Excite! - http://www.excite.com
The most personalized portal on the Web!
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.unknown-armies.com/pipermail/ua-unknown-armies.com/attachments/20040323/e3c2d851/attachment-0001.htm>