Ever heard friends coming to Vegas say, “I’ve taking a thousand-dollar bankroll along I’m going to play until it’s all gone!”?

I’ve heard it many times and it always stuns me. In 60 trips to Vegas, including last week’s, I’ve never said that.

Ever notice the excitement on the plane into Harry Reid and the hungover silence on the way back? Of the 125 people on that plane, maybe five are winners. I’m often one of them and when I’m not, it’s not a loss after five trips to the ATM and a lot of “Why did I do that?” self-recrimination.

Some trips I lose a few hundred, some trips I win a few hundred. Every three to five trips, I make a nice win of, say, $500-$1,500. Nothing wild. Just steady as she goes. And I never come to town with the intention of losing everything I bring. That’s a self-fulfilling prophecy.

I go to Vegas to play and I go to win. When people ask me if I gamble, I say, “No, I like to win money.” That’s completely different than gambling. Gamblers love the thrill of risk, being in action. I like action, but only when I know what I’m doing, when I know the game, when I have a strategy and implement it. That’s fun.

If I have a reasonable chance of winning, good. If I’m not winning, I stop. If I give a casino $20 and they give me back $10, that’s not fun. If I give them $20 and they give me $40 that is! 

Have and build a gambling bank. Every new sit is a session and every session has win and loss goals. I do my best to stick to them. Here’s another Bobby Vegas rule: When you’re winning, stop. When you’re losing, stop.

Last week at the Downtown Grand after business with clients, something exceptional happened during my video poker play. I didn’t hit a royal, but I did hit 14 4-of-a-kinds in six different casinos in about 18 hours of (non-continuous) play. (And I have the photos to prove it.) I left town up $1,200. That was my intention. To win. And I did.