The Chinese Gambling Disease Revealed

[FLASH1296]

For the longest time I have accepted that many Chinese (and to a lesser extent, some other Asian groups), gamble bizarrely.

I have always dismissed this with the commonly held, if fuzzy notion, that it is simply a matter of a "cross-cultural" disconnect.

As a highly educated non-Asian, I am rational, logical, and empirical in my thought processes; or at least that is what I tell myself.
No superstitious behavior for me. I disdain "doubling-for-less".

Today, I was playing Span21 when I was joined by a young Asian couple from an affluent N.Y.C. suburb.

HE gambled like a lunatic and without a clue as to how to play a hand, even by BJ standards.

SHE was unaffected, even joyful, smiling and watching him go back and forth to the A.T.M.

On one of his trips to the A.T.M. we spoke briefly. She was as articulate as she was attractive.

Inadvertently, she revealed the secret key to the anachronistic mystery that IS the Chinese Gambler.

The key was a six letter [English] word that is the absurd nucleus of this issue.

The word is "D e s t i n y"

Definition:

"The events that will necessarily happen to a particular person in the future.

ex: The baccarat player was able to control his own destiny by recording the pattern of winning hands..

Also, the hidden power believed to control what will happen in the future; fate.

ex: The baccarat player recorded the pattern of the winning hands in order to tap into the card's destiny.

Think about it.

 

[Katweezel]

Brew my own

For the longest time I have accepted that many Chinese (and to a lesser extent, some other Asian groups), gamble bizarrely.

I have always dismissed this with the commonly held, if fuzzy notion, that it is simply a matter of a "cross-cultural" disconnect.

As a highly educated non-Asian, I am rational, logical, and empirical in my thought processes; or at least that is what I tell myself.
No superstitious behavior for me. I disdain "doubling-for-less".

Today, I was playing Span21 when I was joined by a young Asian couple from an affluent N.Y.C. suburb.

HE gambled like a lunatic and without a clue as to how to play a hand, even by BJ standards.

SHE was unaffected, even joyful, smiling and watching him go back and forth to the A.T.M.

On one of his trips to the A.T.M. we spoke briefly. She was as articulate as she was attractive.

Inadvertently, she revealed the secret key to the anachronistic mystery that IS the Chinese Gambler.

The key was a six letter [English] word that is the absurd nucleus of this issue.

The word is "D e s t i n y"

Definition:

"The events that will necessarily happen to a particular person in the future.

ex: The baccarat player was able to control his own destiny by recording the pattern of winning hands..

Also, the hidden power believed to control what will happen in the future; fate.

ex: The baccarat player recorded the pattern of the winning hands in order to tap into the card's destiny.

Think about it.

Interesting observation of perceptions Flash, including yours... Like you said, I thought about it, and "Insh-allah" means 'doing God's will' in Arabic. In Australia they say "Sh*t happens." Maybe this goes in Voodoo? :grin:

 

[Automatic Monkey]

I knew an old Irishman who didn't often gamble but occasionally bought a single lottery ticket.

"Just in case God is trying to reward me in this life for something, now His will is more readily done."

That's cool man. But I'll take my Divine Providence on +EV bets, makes it easier still! :angel:

 

[PrinceDragon]

he gambled like a lunatic and without a clue as to how to play a hand, even by bj standards.

be careful what you say about my cousin...:laugh:

the key was a six letter [english] word that is the absurd nucleus of this issue.

The word is "d e s t i n y"

umm...6?...i thought you are a card counter

ex: The baccarat player recorded the pattern of the winning hands in order to tap into the card's destiny.

that's what i do for years before i learn the "right" way.

BTW,Flash,How many Chinese/Asian AP you know in your life?

P.D.

 

[Tarzan]

Stunned and amazed

I have often watched Asian people bet in a manner that is completely unexplainable via any rational or logical reasoning and this is why what Flash is saying makes a lot of sense to me. It's not like I haven't seen this behavior of non-asians ALSO though. When at the casino and up at the cage window, sometimes they get backed up. Sometimes they get WAY backed up! This occurs when someone is whacking their credit card (for an additional outrageous fee) because they have busted out and are broke. This is a time consuming process, taking much longer than cashing out a stack of chips. Get a few of these people in the mix and you have quite a wait and a line to cash out chips and you might as well pocket them for the next trip.

Let's look at this more closely. These people are getting more cash than what you could pull out of an ATM in a "cash advance" that not only is for the huge additional fee but whatever interest rate the card has in order to pul what can be relatively large amounts of money! I know this from being the next in line and seeing this process in action. I have seen these people get shot down and denied the transaction and then haggling about it with the cashier even! This is why you can't say that Asians are the only hardcore crazy gamblers but I think that their manner of gambling (Asians) makes them a bit more noticible and flambouyant is all. These people that are cash advancing credit cards have gambled it down to their last dollar and then are maxing out their credit cards to go in deeper! Regardless of losing all they had they need more cash to KEEP GAMBLING!!!hahaha I see less asians doing this than non-asians(the credit card advances)--why is this? They go with cash instead! Losing? No problem! Pull out a fat stack of 100's and go hog-wild mental with it!!!!! You will make it up or lose a fortune!!!! Casinos don't built "asian gaming pits" specifically designed to cater to asian people just for the heck of it... how many casinos do you see that have a "Haitian gaming pit" specifically designed to cater to their Haitian clientele and if they did, just how profitable do you think it would be for them?

 

[Automatic Monkey]

I have often watched Asian people bet in a manner that is completely unexplainable via any rational or logical reasoning. It's not like I haven't seen this behavior of non-asians ALSO though. When at the casino and up at the cage window, sometimes they get backed up. Sometimes they get WAY backed up! This occurs when someone is whacking their credit card (for an additional outrageous fee) because they have busted out and are broke. This is a time consuming process, taking much longer than cashing out a stack of chips. Get a few of these people in the mix and you have quite a wait and a line to cash out chips and you might as well pocket them for the next trip.

Let's look at this more closely. These people are getting more cash than what you could pull out of an ATM in a "cash advance" that not only is for the huge additional fee but whatever interest rate the card has! I know this from being the next in line and seeing this process in action. I have seen these people get shot down and denied the transaction and then haggling about it with the cashier even! This is why you can't say that Asians are the only hardcore crazy gamblers but I think that their manner of gambling makes them a bit more noticible and flambouyant is all. These are people that have gambled it down to their last dollar and then are maxing out their credit cards to go in deeper! Regardless of losing all they had they need more cash to KEEP GAMBLING!!!hahaha I see less asians doing this than non-asians(the credit card advances)--why is this? They go with cash instead! Losing? No problem! Pull out a fat stack of 100's and go hog-wild mental with it!!!!! You will make it up or lose a fortune!!!! Casinos don't built "asian gaming pits" specifically designed to cater to asian people just for the heck of it... how many casinos do you see that have a "Haitian gaming pit" specifically designed to cater to their Haitian clientele and if they did, just how profitable do you think it would be for them?

If you are an immigrant with a credit card, using it to gamble might not be such a bad idea.

You play progressions with it every trip until you have enough to pay the vig on the transaction and then some, and you can expect to get away with that for a significant amount of time. When you finally do bust out, you go back to China (or whatever other country) and let the bank whistle for their money. It's really no different than screwing on a marker. A form of advantage play, and if they were better at actually playing the game I would suspect it is an organized, skilled effort.

(Unless the strategy for max EV on this gambit is different!)

 

[FLASH1296]

Cute response.

A $15 bettor might be a "Haitian Sensation", as Haiti is the poorest corner of the hemisphere.

It is not so much the absurdly extreme losses that we have seen Asians suffer,

it is the fashion of their play.

It defies mathematical reasoning.

If you have the temerity to tell an Asian that standing on a 12 vs. a dealer's Face Card is not a preferred way of investing their money, they will look at you AS IF your are speaking in a psychotic swahili dialect.

That is the main thrust of what I am saying, although their widespread willingness to subject themselves to life-altering losses is also an important point !

 

[prankster]

One night I saw this very beautiful Asian lady playing and every guy within 100 feet was just plain dazed by her beauty-I'm thinking "I bet she's an AP"
Then she split 6's against the dealers King upcard-I almost cried for her.:joker:

 

[Deleted member 3798]

Beautiful Asian Lady

One night I saw this very beautiful Asian lady playing and every guy within 100 feet was just plain dazed by her beauty-I'm thinking "I bet she's an AP"
Then she split 6's against the dealers King upcard-I almost cried for her.:joker:

Speaking of a beautiful Asian lady in a casino, do you know she will sleep with any decent guy who will frequently:

1) provide her with comped meals,

2) shelter her for a night with a comped room, and

3) "loan" her 200 bucks to feed her extensive degenerated gambling habit :grin:.

 

[daddybo]

Speaking of a beautiful Asian lady in a casino, do you know she will sleep with any decent guy who will frequently:

1) provide her with comped meals,

2) shelter her for a night with a comped room, and

3) "loan" her 200 bucks to feed her extensive degenerated gambling habit :grin:.

You wouldn't happen to have her number?:grin:

 

[ah...craps]

Does anyone here know how easy it is to acquire a line of credit at a casino or other liquid forms of credit (like credit cards) in foreign countries?

 

[Katweezel]

Credit lines

Does anyone here know how easy it is to acquire a line of credit at a casino or other liquid forms of credit (like credit cards) in foreign countries?

In the current context of this thread, ah...craps, your question reads a little like you might have something financially advantageous in mind; and as you know, members here play the rules strictly by the book. You may ask whose book? :grin: Down here, there have been a number of various scams of the Asian type involving just the types of things you mention. One inventive group conned the casino by establishing fake credentials with a non-existent line of credit. The most recent concerned a blizzard of fake $1000 white chips. (Not for a moment am I suggesting you would ever entertain a felony such as either of those.) My point is that if you are visiting this country - if you want to establish lines of credit and so on - it may help if you are... uh, caucasian, at the moment...

 

[nc-tom]

Cute response.

A $15 bettor might be a "Haitian Sensation", as Haiti is the poorest corner of the hemisphere.

It is not so much the absurdly extreme losses that we have seen Asians suffer,

it is the fashion of their play.

It defies mathematical reasoning.

If you have the temerity to tell an Asian that standing on a 12 vs. a dealer's Face Card is not a preferred way of investing their money, they will look at you AS IF your are speaking in a psychotic swahili dialect.

That is the main thrust of what I am saying, although their widespread willingness to subject themselves to life-altering losses is also an important point !

From years of watching them play I have always thought of them for the most part as "action junkies" Seems they crave the action more than they worry about the money.

 

[StudiodeKadent]

I have also witnessed much stupid BJ playing in Macau. Chinese culture has a very strong affinity for concepts like luck and fortune and destiny and the like.

This does tend to generate tragically irrational gambling.