The Conservative Cave
Current Events => The DUmpster => Topic started by: CC27 on February 13, 2011, 06:21:40 PM
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SoCalDem Donating Member (1000+ posts) Journal Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list Sun Feb-13-11 04:05 PM
Original message
Getting Lucky In America (The New American Dream)
Edited on Sun Feb-13-11 04:12 PM by SoCalDem
The old adage of bootstrapping/out-thinking the competition as a way to win the American Dream Lottery, is an option for fewer and fewer people.
Where once a low-to-mid range job, & frugality was an entry into "middle class" and a sustaining factor once there, that is no longer the way we live here.
Last week a friend of our won $38,400.00 on a penny-slot machine at a local casino.
She works at a $10.50 an hour job (she's 58). Her husband is also 58 and is laid off. Before the judgmental-Judys pile on, the only reason they went was because that Casino sent her a "birthday $20 coupon" & free buffet". They used to go to the casino from time to time until he was laid off. This time they went for the free dinner & to gamble with the small amount they added to that $20.. It was her birthday present :)
On the 4th play of the machine, she hit the big one :) She thought she had won $384.00 and was ecstatic. She was surprised to see all the confusion around her until her husband said. "I think you won $3,840.00".. What they both missed was the fact that she was at a "times 10" level, so she won the big jackpot for that machine. (Excited winners often lose math skills, temporarily :) )
Anyway, that money (taxes were withheld) gave them enough of a boost that they no longer have to worry themselves sick over the monthly bills (they rent), and made her husband a little less depressed over the lay off. It allowed them to get new tires for her car, and to have money in the bank.
These people are like most people probably. They have worked all their lives, and worked hard. Her jobs have always been retail, and his have always been factory work..dirty work, and his health has suffered for it. They are years away from SS & Medicare and they are still scraping along...never quite ahead enough to rest easily.
They got lucky..this one time, and it may make enough of a difference to make their lives better for a pretty long time.
How many others (Casinos aside) will NEVER get lucky?
They are the rest of us who just plod along , day by day, putting one foot in front of the other. We struggle month to month, praying that we don't run out of money before we run out of month.
You can have the best business idea ever, but if you cannot finance it, you are dead meat. Entrepreneurship depends on people being ABLE to take that chance on their ideas, but if you are always worried about where the money for the next electricity bill will come from, you are a lot less likely to start a business. If you have a family, you will probably have to work FOR someone, and pray that they like you and need you and will offer you health care .
If you win the gene-pool lottery, and are lucky enough to be born into wealth, you will probably do just fine, but for the rest of us, it's always a gamble, whether we are at a casino or a desk or an assembly line.
edited to add.. Her son was one of the soldiers in Iraq, that DUers sent care packages to a while back :)
He came back safe & sound, and was very appreciative for all the goodies we sent to his little group of soldier-friends.
Someone is jealous they did not get their cut. Don't forget boys and girls its heart time at the DUmp.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x409395
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When people win the money via gambling they tend to go on shopping sprees and more casino trips and the money is gone very fast, people who have money have common sense, they tend to save more as opposed to waste the money, and hold back on buying material things.
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When people win the money via gambling they tend to go on shopping sprees and more casino trips and the money is gone very fast, people who have money have common sense, they tend to save more as opposed to waste the money, and hold back on buying material things.
I worked with a guy, in the lab, who the poker and blackjack dealers out at Turning Stone knew by name. He lost tens of thousands out there (I think he still does).
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I worked with a guy, in the lab, who the poker and blackjack dealers out at Turning Stone knew by name. He lost tens of thousands out there (I think he still does).
Hubby and I like to gamble, it's a night out, but we only do it a few times a year with money we can blow, if we come home with what we left with we're happy, but we never go to a casino with a we have to win attitude, we've seen way too many people going to casinos hoping for a win to pay their bills.
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Hubby and I like to gamble, it's a night out, but we only do it a few times a year with money we can blow, if we come home with what we left with we're happy, but we never go to a casino with a we have to win attitude, we've seen way too many people going to casinos hoping for a win to pay their bills.
This guy was an only child, and he never married, and his parents left him with a whole buttload of money when they died. Plus, as a NYS employee, he had a constant stream of money to repay those gambling debts.
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When people win the money via gambling they tend to go on shopping sprees and more casino trips and the money is gone very fast, people who have money have common sense, they tend to save more as opposed to waste the money, and hold back on buying material things.
"Toots" is in Vegas as we speak. We agreed before she went down, she could spend $200 in order to partake in the local customs. So far I think she's still about $20 ahead. If she loses the $200, her gamblin' days are over! Doesn't take much sense to realize who usually comes out ahead in a gamblin' joint!
It's lookin' like my Son In Law may walk away with a enough to pay for the trip in the Bow Shoot though, So I'm still crossin' my fingers. I think he's got one more day to shoot! So far he has a score of 889 out of a possible 900 in his class! He's one step down from the "Big Boys". Pretty damn good shootin' for a kid!!!!!!!! ( ETA: )He's around 38, I think. Oh, I should mention there are 1600 shooters!
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"Toots" is in Vegas as we speak. We agreed before she went down, she could spend $200 in order to partake in the local customs. So far I think she's still about $20 ahead. If she loses the $200, her gamblin' days are over! Doesn't take much sense to realize who usually comes out ahead in a gamblin' joint!
It's lookin' like my Son In Law may walk away with a enough to pay for the trip in the Bow Shoot though, So I'm still crossin' my fingers. I think he's got one more day to shoot! So far he has a score of 889 out of a possible 900 in his class! He's one step down from the "Big Boys". Pretty damn good shootin' for a kid!!!!!!!! ( ETA: )He's around 38, I think.
$200 for the whole trip? :o I can go through that in less than an hour LOL. You want to hear woman logic? when we go to the Casino I take a couple hundred more than hubby, the 1st few times he said "why do you get more money than me" and I said "because you're a slow gambler and I'm faster so I go through money faster than you do" :-) he still shakes his head at that logic.
And congrats to your son in law!
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We're going to Vegas later this month. We never spend more than we can afford to lose and I like to walk around more than gamble anyway. Now if only I could get there without being felt up by a TSA agent.
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$200 for the whole trip? :o I can go through that in less than an hour LOL. You want to hear woman logic? when we go to the Casino I take a couple hundred more than hubby, the 1st few times he said "why do you get more money than me" and I said "because you're a slow gambler and I'm faster so I go through money faster than you do" :-) he still shakes his head at that logic.
And congrats to your son in law!
Ive been around a lot of Bow hunters in my day and this boy is the real deal! He has a coupla sponsors watchin' him there in Vegas, so I'm hopin' he comes out with a backer! It's damned expensive to fly around the country for these tournaments! Specially since I don't get to go!!!!!
I've got a niece that's damn near as good, but we couldn't afford to send them both.
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I have never liked to gamble. I have tried to get into it a few times but it's boring. My brother on the other hand has a gambling problem and has filed bankruptcy because of it and is in debt (big $) again because of his addiction.
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I have never liked to gamble. I have tried to get into it a few times but it's boring. My brother on the other hand has a gambling problem and has filed bankruptcy because of it and is in debt (big $) again because of his addiction.
The one thing ya have to remember is, "the house wins" at least 80% of the time! If ya manage to get back at 'em, take your money and run!!!
I can usually go down and play for a coupla days and break even or lose what I have allocated to lose. Given the meals, shows and drinks they give away to get ya in there, you can have a damn nice time on a coupla hundred. Once I lose my initial "investment", I quit. Same with "Toots". We agreed she could lose $200. Once you lose your initial stake, walk away! She's still playin' on the original 200, but I think after tonight, unless her luck turns, she's done.
When economic times were better I'd go down with a grand, but we just can't afford that right now. The more money you're willin' to lose, the better your odds are.
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My hubby an I go out to gamble once in a blue moon or so. But its mostly me that really gets into it. My parents sort of forced me to play bridge and pinochile with them and the other adults when I was growing up so that theyd have enough people to play. So from an early age I unwittingly learned to "count cards". These people were serious. Even with me as a child.
We'll (my friends and I or my hubby and I) will go out on one of these gambling boats off shore. I usually take 2 or 3 hundred. And I can play near all night and fold early .. till I get a hand I know I can play. One win can make up for the whole night and then some... depending on certain variables. 2 or 3 wins is tops. Many folk Ive known just dont know when to quit. If I get ahead by a couple or three hundred I'll usually quit ... and just be greatful that I came out ahead ... which I usually do as Im not about to frit it all away. When Im ahead, I wanna stay that way, and I know the odds are not good against the house. I'll even sit and watch the others play until theyve had enough, knowing that Im already set. Once in a while I'll lose most of what I had. But that is rare indeed .. but .. its always a lot of fun if you play it right. I must say though .. I play "the odds", I play to win. Still, just take what you can afford to lose and leave it at that if it happens to get to that point.
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"Toots" is in Vegas as we speak. We agreed before she went down, she could spend $200 in order to partake in the local customs. So far I think she's still about $20 ahead. If she loses the $200, her gamblin' days are over! Doesn't take much sense to realize who usually comes out ahead in a gamblin' joint!
It's lookin' like my Son In Law may walk away with a enough to pay for the trip in the Bow Shoot though, So I'm still crossin' my fingers. I think he's got one more day to shoot! So far he has a score of 889 out of a possible 900 in his class! He's one step down from the "Big Boys". Pretty damn good shootin' for a kid!!!!!!!! ( ETA: )He's around 38, I think. Oh, I should mention there are 1600 shooters!
Tell her to go to one of the Station Casinos, they are doing a HUGE promotion this month. They are giving away a car a day at each casino and four $500 cash winners. All you have to do is be a member of their players club (free) and get your 10 free entries.
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I play poker, and I do Vegas maybe once every 12-18 months. The poker tournaments in NH are pretty much low-level affairs (most $50 or less) and when I go to Vegas I leave the ATM card and any other cash generating plastic at home. I have X amount of cash per day, and once I go through that, I'm done.
Fortunately, I'm good enough at the poker it pays for itself. Vegas, meh. I don't go expecting to win. Nobody should.
Same thing with the lottery. Only when the Powerball/Megabucks hits the $200 M range will I buy ONE ticket. I remember seeing somewhere that something like 1/2 of all lottery millionaires are bankrupt within two years.
Oh, and as far as "joining the middle class", DUmmies: "I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have." -Thomas Jefferson
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Never been to Vegas, never been in a casino. Went to the horse track in Charles Town, WV once. Played the horses all day, I think I was down $20 bucks when I left, but I can see how gambling can be a real strong temptation.
About the only gambling I do now is Mega Millions.
Once or twice a year. :naughty:
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I'll do Powerball and MegaMillions when they get high enough, and Saratoga Race Course sees me on Opening Day every year.
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If you win the gene-pool lottery, and are lucky enough to be born into wealth, you will probably do just fine, but for the rest of us, it's always a gamble, whether we are at a casino or a desk or an assembly line.
Perhaps if you were to spend more time behind a desk or assembly line rather than in the casino waiting for the big payoff you'd have a less sour disposition and a little more authority on this topic.
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I'm near AC but I don't gamble -- too worried about getting the kid through school to throw $ away, I guess.
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My mom took me to AC when I was 18, and I (illegally) won a couple hundred on the nickel slots. Of course, I was gambling with someone else's money, which made it more fun. Now that I have to use my own money, I don't like it nearly as much. I'll still stick a couple quarters in a slot machine when I'm at a casino, but I'm very careful about how much. The only money I don't mind blowing is when we bet on the Triple Crown, because I like ponies. :-)
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Never been to Vegas, never been in a casino. Went to the horse track in Charles Town, WV once. Played the horses all day, I think I was down $20 bucks when I left, but I can see how gambling can be a real strong temptation.
About the only gambling I do now is Mega Millions.
Once or twice a year. :naughty:
I used to gallop horses at Charlestown. :-)
Blue State, Saratoga is on my list of places I want to see. Beautiful track.
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Blue State, Saratoga is on my list of places I want to see. Beautiful track.
Yep. Opening Day is a great day. My wife and I generally go on Opening Day, but she hasn't made it the last few years. Last year, it poured on Opening Day. We did make it back up for a day a few weeks into the meet (so The Heiress could see the horses). Supposedly, NYRA is lengthening the meet to 8 weeks, but shortening the racing week to 5 days a week--in 2012.
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We go to the casino maybe once a year. My husband buys lottery tickets every week. The closest I get to gambling is Bunko.
Cindie
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Yep. Opening Day is a great day. My wife and I generally go on Opening Day, but she hasn't made it the last few years. Last year, it poured on Opening Day. We did make it back up for a day a few weeks into the meet (so The Heiress could see the horses). Supposedly, NYRA is lengthening the meet to 8 weeks, but shortening the racing week to 5 days a week--in 2012.
If it is anything like Keenland opening day then it's an interesting sight. Lots of money down there. Not as much as when the sales are going on but there are still lots of old names with old money.
The sales are interesting BTW. I was there to see Fusaichi Pegasus go under the hammer as a yearling for $4 million. Fun to watch but sitting on your hands is advised.
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If it is anything like Keenland opening day then it's an interesting sight. Lots of money down there. Not as much as when the sales are going on but there are still lots of old names with old money.
The sales are interesting BTW. I was there to see Fusaichi Pegasus go under the hammer as a yearling for $4 million. Fun to watch but sitting on your hands is advised.
I ran into Rod Stewart at Opening Day, a few years ago. The chick with him was hot (and I don't mean her temperature).
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I've found the best way to win at slots is while you're wandering around is to take and throw a few quarters or dollars in a random machine on the way by. Never more than 3 plays. I always find myself with more money that way than any other, besides not playing. :-)
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I've found the best way to win at slots is while you're wandering around is to take and throw a few quarters or dollars in a random machine on the way by. Never more than 3 plays. I always find myself with more money that way than any other, besides not playing. :-)
We've done that and haven't had much luck, and we've tried sitting in seats that have high visibility in the Casino and that hasn't worked either LOL. It's pretty much random and certain machines are due to go off at certain times, so it's just luck.
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SoCalDem Donating Member (1000+ posts) Sun Feb-13-11 04:05 PM
Original message
Getting Lucky In America (The New American Dream)
The old adage of bootstrapping/out-thinking the competition as a way to win the American Dream Lottery, is an option for fewer and fewer people.
Where once a low-to-mid range job, & frugality was an entry into "middle class" and a sustaining factor once there, that is no longer the way we live here.
Yeah. Thank that communist community organizer in the White Mosque. He's making it worse day by day. The shrinking middle class.