Saturday, December 31, 2016

End-of-year thoughts

"It's getting tough to make a living," I said to the video poker player in the chair next to mine. His laugh showed that he appreciated the joke, but what was gallows humor to him was, to me, a simple statement of fact.

Unless I have a hell of a day today (12/31), I will make only about two-thirds of my average annual income for the past half-dozen or so years. In the past, I would have taken this in stride, gambling being characterized by ups and downs. But now I'm pretty well convinced this is the new normal for what I've been doing.

Most of what I have been doing is playing video poker. In the past few years, games have gotten worse, my mail offers from several casinos have been cut off, and ancillary earning opportunities, such as invitational tournanents and drawings, are not what they used to be. My other game, blackjack, hasn't changed as much, but there are fewer places where I'm allowed to play.

And, I'm tired. Gambling professionally is a notoriously time-consuming pursuit. I've basically been working seven days a week for the past several years. It is not as enjoyable as it used to be.

I've thought about doing other things, inside and outside the casino. A guy I used to work with makes his living betting golf, I sport I enjoy watching. I've done a little research on this and it seems hard, but it might be worth pursuing. I've also thought about playing more blackjack for as long as I can get away with it. And I've considered taking up live poker.

I've also thought about getting a job, but there are problems with that. What's left of the profession I worked in has changed a lot, and not in any good ways. I've been out of the job market entirely for half a dozen years.

I would like to to do more writing and have a concept for a book about my experiences in Las Vegas.

I'm going to be travelling for a few days early in the new year. I've got a lot to think about while I'm gone. Things have got to start changing when I get back. At this point, I'm just not sure how.