All Psyched Up: Life is a gamble

By Linda Hancock on August 16, 2025.

I think that I have only been in three casinos in my life. So, I was surprised when my 31-year-old grandson invited me to celebrate his birthday at one of them! I was told that the prime rib buffet was excellent and at a good price.

In addition to this, an outing to the University of Calgary Observatory was planned.

There were six family members who met at the Casino and enjoyed every single bite of the beautiful meal. Then, to our surprise, my son-in-law received an email from the Observatory stating that due to weather, our tickets were re-scheduled for September.

So, seeing we were in the casino already, the consensus was that we would check out the gambling options. First stop was at a bar where my daughter ordered a white wine for me. I seldom drink and the grandsons joked that now they had managed to get me into a casino with a drink in my hand so all I needed was a cigarette!

I was shocked and somewhat overly stimulated by the noise, flashing lights and smoke. Those who were with me found large machines that ate up twenty-dollar bills in minutes by just repeatedly pushing one button.

As a psychologist I watched people and looked for patterns of behaviours.

Then I decided that the machines weren’t my style and went to a table that had a man running it. Of course, because I don’t frequent this culture, I had to ask a lot of questions as this was an entirely new experience for me.

So, after an unfulfilling investment of twenty dollars, I decided to get some cash, and everyone laughed when I asked a man in the lineup why there were two machines. He calmly replied, “Ma’am, that one is called an ATB and this one is for points.”

Three tries at the ATM and I was able to withdraw one hundred dollars (which actually cost an additional five dollars for the service). Family laughed as I approached them saying “I won!”

Back to the table and I then won quite a bit of money but didn’t decide to quit soon enough. I played until it was gone.

As we were leaving the casino I stuck my hand in my pocket and found sixty dollars. I thought I had given it all to the staff, but I guess I had only invested forty dollars.

So, at the end of the adventure I realized that I had spent less than one hundred dollars on a meal and fun!

Life is a gamble and here are the parallels:

1. Know where you are going and what you want to do before you start. (Casino for dinner).

2. Determine your boundaries and decide if you are willing to stretch them at all. (Instead of star-gazing, we went to gamble and have a drink of alcohol).

3. Take like-minded friends with you. (The family were there for celebration and fun).

4. Ask the professionals for help so you know what choices you have. (The croupier is very willing to teach the rules).

5. Make choices that you are comfortable with. (I didn’t want to play with boring machines).

6. Limit the bets to those you can afford in case you don’t win. (I only took one hundred from the ATM).

7. Leave when you are winning! I blew this one! (There is a reason that casinos are frequently renovated – they are the financial winners).

8. Treasure the experiences you have. (Good memories and valuable lessons).

9. Consider other options that might be interesting (Next time we are thinking of going to a concert there).

10. Give thanks for what you have after the adventure ends. (I still had sixty dollars in my pocket).

All of these tips can be applied to personal, business, investment and relationship situations. Hope they are “winners” for you!

Dr. Linda Hancock, the author of “Life is An Adventure…every step of the way” and “Open for Business Success” is a Registered Psychologist who has a private practice in Calgary. She can be reached by email at office@drlindahancock.com

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