Money Talks
Gambling Psychology
by James A. McKenna, Ph.D

While some people use drugs and alcohol for stimulation, there are gamblers that will risk money for that thrill. The majority of players use money in appropriate ways. Similar to investing in the stock market, such players don’t bet funds needed for other necessities in life. They bring an attitude of harmony between themselves and their money to the table. A minority of players will bring money attitudes of non-harmony in these areas.

Betting Habits
Some people will guard their chips and only bet on sure hands. They don’t like to risk, and when they bet most other players will fold. Such people save for a rainy day (which never comes). They don’t lose much and they don’t usually win much. Their counterpart player is the compulsively loose better. Such Will Rogers players never see a hand they don’t want to bet. Most often though, they’re building a pot for someone else.

Money Management
How players keep their nests can tell a lot. Some player’s chips are arranged both for order and for function. For example, it’s easier to check on how good or bad he’s doing at a glance. It may also be arranged in piles ready to bet or fold. He’s there to make money, play the odds, and not so much to socialize. Other players reveal unorganized piles of chips. The chips are just there, probably the most insignificant part of why the player is in the game. These players are usually there to make contact with people.

Money as the Drug of Choice
Some people avoid contact with others and search for stimulation in money. The low risk player will avoid any kind of stimulation. He’s there to play cards, to concentrate, and not to socialize. Everything about him is designed to stay uninvolved. His money is precious and he has to be serious about how he’s betting. Mostly he’s afraid to fail and lose his money. Such players in their personal lives generally won’t change jobs and seldom, if ever, move. Change is something that involves too much risk and stimulation for these low-keyed players.

Moral Money Attitudes
On one extreme, there are players who worship their chips. They’re usually regulars who play a great game. If you ever doubt how good they are, just ask them. Some will build towers in front of them with their chips. It may appear that they won all those chips but this is not necessarily so. One such player began losing and explained, “I just like to have a lot in front of me. It makes me feel like I am ahead.” Large displays of chips may act as trophies or might actually be come-ons to entice the unsuspecting novice.

These “high and mighty” players usually do pretty well. They don’t like to spend money. They are not playing cards for recreation. They are there to make more money so they can show how successful they are. Such keepers of the chip towers are the parents at the gaming tables. You’ll hear them shouting how others are handling their money. The other extreme is players who seem ashamed to win.“Money is the root of all evil” paraphrases their attitude. They bet very cautiously and agonize over losing. They will not feel great whether they win or lose. In short, they use betting money to feel tainted. In their private lives they’ll be miserly with money. Having money is their source of safety and spending seems to deplete their sense of power.

Yes it’s true that money talks, and we all know what walks!

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