Jeff's Life In Retrospect

We will never understand, and it’s just that simple. We will never understand what it’s like to be so competitive and have the adrenaline rush of 50,000 fans screaming your name while you are knocking in the winning run or scoring the winning basket. This is a rush sitting at home and watching television just can’t replace. So, what do athletes do? They gamble. They get involved with sports betting.

The debate is out whether it is ok for athletes to gamble after the recent comments made by John Daly and Charles Barkley. Daly recently came out and said he has lost between an estimated $50 million and $60 million in the last twelve years due to out-of-control gambling. Barkley followed up by saying Wednesday on ESPN that he has lost “probably $10 million” gambling, adding, “It is a problem for me.”

“Do I have a gambling problem? Yeah, I do have a gambling problem, but I don’t consider it a problem because I can afford to gamble. It’s just a stupid habit that I’ve got to get under control because it’s just not a good thing to be broke after all of these years,” Barkley said.

Embedded in this touchy subject are two issues of great importance. When athletes gamble, how much is too much and what is ok for them to gamble on?

I believe there is a fine line between recreational gambling and just utter craziness. In this situation, Daly is crazy, and Barkley is not. I truly believe it’s ok for a former athlete to call up their local sportsbook and place a small-to-medium wager on a ball club if that athlete feels like this bet will satisfy their need for an adrenaline fix. We, as fans, don’t know what it’s like to be in competition everyday on the greatest stage and then have it snapped away just like that. That transition can be brutal and can lead to depression–the reason most of our childhood heroes fall so far from grace. This is also why athletes stay in the game way too long after they should have retired years before they actually do. For Barkley, it is what it is–a habit that needs to be under control. Does he have to stop? Absolutely not.

On the flip side, we have John Daly. It’s one thing for an athlete to gamble a few million if they can afford it. Hey, it’s their money, and they can spend it how they please. We are not their parents or superiors, and let’s stop pretending we are. It’s another thing, however, to end up flat broke and put your family at risk. That is what a loss of $50 million will do. We all know gambling isn’t the only addiction Daly has gone through; he recently beat an addiction to alcohol. This connection leads us to believe Daly really has a problem, and Barkley does not.

Now, to the most important issue at hand. What sports are appropriate or inappropriate for athletes to gamble on? I have one steadfast rule on this. In no way shape or form should athletes now or ever gamble on their sport. Barkley has responded by saying he never bet on basketball, and I believe he is true to his word. However, if he ever did decide to take sports betting to that next level and gamble on the Kings vs. the Spurs on Friday night, for example, (Spurs -2), it would ruin his credibility as a player and, more importantly, as an analyst, and Barkley is a damn good analyst at that. This is what got Pete Rose banned from the game of baseball for life. We all know what an uphill battle that has been for Rose trying to regain his eligibility to be elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Gambling on one’s own sport is a big no-no and will permanently ruin a career and reputation.

All in all, I don’t think it is a big deal when athletes gamble on sports or in casinos. I think we, the media, like to make a big case out of everything and blow everything out of proportion. I would much rather see Mr. Barkley put down a couple of thousand in a poker game than see an ESPN article covering his addiction to cocaine. I believe these athletes need a bridge between professional sports and retirement, and let’s give them this. Isn’t it every person’s right to sit back after a hard day at the office, grab a cold beer and watch the ball game that you just happen to have a little wager on? If you don’t think so, I’ll bet you a dollar it is.

Video Poker combines both the luck of the draw and the skill of the player. Luck comes into play when the video poker machine randomly deals out the player’s cards. Skill on the part of the player is needed to know which cards to keep and which cards to discard. Although luck is a big factor in the game, the likelihood of winning increases based on the amount of skill the player possesses.

No matter what the skill level the player has, it’s important to know what to keep and what to discard if you want to end up with a winning hand. It’s essential to know the types of winning hands that are available in video poker if the player is playing to win.

The smart player knows the patterns to look for, which will make the difference between them winning big and losing it all. Here is a listing of the most common combination of video poker hands ranked from the highest possible to the lowest.

Sequential Royal Flush: This is a hand which occurs when the cards fall in exact order and suit, like 10 Spades, J Spades, Q Spades, K Spades, and A Spades. Remember this is video poker, and that the Sequential Royal Flush is different from the Royal Flush.

Royal Flush: This is when you get a same suit flush with the cards 10 Hearts, Q Hearts, J Hearts, A Hearts, and K Hearts in any order. As long as all the cards are there, the order is not an issue.

Straight Flush: The Straight Flush occurs when all five cards are in sequence, and all five cards are of the same suit 4 Spades, 5 Spades, 6 Spades, 7 Spades, and 8 Spades.

Four of a Kind: Four of a Kind is when there are four cards which all possess the same rank 5 Diamonds, 5 Spades, 5 Clubs, and 5 Hearts.

Full House: The Full House is three of a kind plus a pair. Suit does not come into play with a Full House. A good example of a Full house would be 5 Diamonds, 5 Clubs, 5 Hearts, 7 Clubs, and 7 Spades.

Flush: The Flush is when the player gets five cards with all having the same suit. Rank makes no difference with this hand. It’s the suit that is featured in the Flush. For an example; 2 Hearts, 4 Hearts, 5 Hearts, 7 Hearts, 10 Hearts.

Straight: A player holds a Straight when all five cards held are in rank sequence. With the following hand, the player would have a Straight; 2 Hearts, 3 Clubs, 4 Spades, 5 Hearts, 6 Diamonds.

Three of a Kind: When a player is dealt three cards all of which have the same rank, they have Three of a Kind. The remaining two cards do not count as anything in the hand. The suit of the cards does not matter with this hand. An example of this hand is 4 Hearts, 4 Clubs, and 4 Spades.

Two Pair: Two Pair is when the player has two pairs of cards, each set of a different rank. An example of this hand is 3 Diamonds, 3 Clubs, 5 Hearts and 5 Spades.

One Pair: One Pair is two cards of the same rank, regardless of the suit. An example of this hand is 7 Diamonds and 7 Hearts.