Gaming Guru

The Integrated Gambler: How to Enjoy the Total Casino Experience - Part 2

Going to the casinos is the ultimate leisure-time activity and should be approached as such. In fact, casino vacations (and even day trips) should be considered a concentrated leisure-time activity. What do I mean by concentrated? Follow me:

In a given month of nonconcentrated leisure time, in-between work days or after work hours, a person might enjoy a weekly poker or bingo game; maybe go to the movies several times, perhaps go out to dinner a few times, maybe even attend a play or concert; or, in mellow moods, a person might spend some relaxing times at the beach or on the bench of his/her favorite park, maybe even read a book or two (preferably mine). In between these nonconcentrated leisure-time activities, work dominates life with its very real and often harsh demands. In real life, to keep our balance and to stop work from upending us completely, we establish a nonconcentrated leisure-time rhythm, which consists of a little of this, a little of that, and not too much of anything; that is, not too much of anything except, unfortunately, work. That's the cycle of mundane life for most citizens.

However, on vacations, especially on vacations to casino towns, we tend to forego our usual nonconcentrated rhythms and "concentrate" our time and energies on one or, at best, a few things to the exclusion of just about everything else. When we vacation at an historical town or county, for example, we can burn ourselves out by too much sight-seeing and too little "other" activities. I have two good friends, Annette and Dave, who can go from eight in the morning until 10 in the evening visiting museums and historical houses and digs and churches and you-name-it when on vacation. After five hours of going around with them, I'm ready for a nap, or a workout, or anything but looking at another old house that some obscure guy from some obscure time did some obscure activity in.

In casino-hotels and casino towns, the gambling can tend to get in the way of a full, rich vacation experience for many people and they return from their trips more exhausted than when they left. I heard one man say as he left the Mirage in Las Vegas: "I need a vacation from my vacation!"

Next time:On casino vacations gambling can so dominate the days, the nights, the mind and the heart, that we become mentally, emotionally and physically lopsided.