Young gambler finds his niche in sports betting
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| Sportsbook at South Point Hotel and Casino (Courtesy: thevegasparlay.com) |
People go to casinos to try to make money. Such is the case for the young, full-time gambler Jesse Romero, 21. Jesse started to pursue gambling just before the COVID-19 pandemic forced casinos to close. He was winning, and kept winning, so he never stopped. For him, gambling is the path to a good life.
“I
made more money in one night at a casino than I did in two weeks at work
($1000),” he said. He bets on sports like basketball, football, soccer and
fighting more than any others. Jesse prefers to do parlays, where he bets on
player props.
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| Example of a player prop bet (Courtesy: americanbettingexperts.com) |
A player prop bet is a bet on whether a player will score over or under a set line made by the sportsbook. For example, he recently placed a bet on the Utah Jazz’s Rudy Gobert to get under 3 blocks, over 10 points, and over 12 rebounds against the Orlando Magic. He won the bet because in the Jazz’s game against the Magic, Gobert finished with 2 blocks, 12 points and 16 rebounds.
“Player prop bets are more fun than regular parlays,” Jesse said. “NCAA [men’s] basketball is the easiest to bet on and win.”
Jesse
prefers betting on NCAA men’s basketball above all. He calls basketball at this
level the “purest form” because the players are typically at the same level of
skill and talent. He will not bet on player props at the collegiate level;
however, he does do standard parlays where he will either take a team to win or
lose or he will bet on the final score to go over or under a set line.
In addition to his player prop and standard parlay bets, he also plays online poker and slot machines. He does not play online poker very often but prefers it because he has won more online than in person. For slots, his favorite machine is called “More Hearts”. He has won more on that specific slot machine than any other, but still, Jesse said you should float the casino floor instead of staying at one machine. But even if you move from machine to machine, Jesse said, “Slot machines only win when you bet the max or near it.”
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| Slot Machines (Courtesy: Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @csstevensphoto |
As
he only recently began playing on slot machines and gambling full-time in the
last year, Jesse is still becoming aware of some of the potential risks of
gambling. He said, “The only risks I am aware of are going broke or getting
addicted.” Other risks were discussed with Christy Romero (no relation to
Jesse), 69, who has been gambling full-time since 1987, when she won $109,000
after putting 3 quarters in a slot machine.
Christy is a firm believer that gambling is purely a game of luck. She said, “Gambling is a game of luck. Why am I lucky? I have no idea.” Lucky indeed, as Christy made more $200,000 last year, even though the casino she goes to was closed for a large part of the year. However, Christy does not think superstitions have anything to do with winning, and like Jesse, thinks you should move from machine to machine for the best outcome. She is also quite aware of the risks of the game, as she stated, “On February 4, I had $14,000. Today, I have $0.”
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| Winning Statements (Courtesy: Christy Romero) |
Risks,
like going broke, are a part of gambling. The risk is a thrill. As Christy puts
it, “Gambling is a thrill game. It is no different than mountain climbing.” She
continued, “It can be like alcohol or drugs, you got to know when to quit.”
Christy is aware of going broke, having done it, and she is aware that gambling
can be an addiction, as she compared it to alcohol and drugs. Another risk,
Christy mentions, “Gambling is not for everyone, you have to have it in you.”
Christy
and Jesse agree on several things, among them is the belief that when you are
losing, you must walk away. For Jesse, who said, “When you enter the casino
floor, the money is not yours anymore, it’s the casino’s,” gambling is
something that “you know” when to step away from. Christy said it is more about
discipline. She believes that, whether you are losing or winning, you should have
the discipline and just know when to walk away.
When
walking away is difficult, Jesse said it might be because the player is of the
mindset that they need to win.
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