Making Financial Cents (Sort of)

Cutter's Log - Stardate 0102.12.90
Current Song - What You Won't Do For Love (Bobby Caldwell)

I play the lottery. I try to play smart. Therefore, I don't play often.

The only time I play lotto is whenever I travel out of town. This can be for any reason, like covering games. I will play $7-$9 in Pick 3 and Pick 4 (combined), and maybe some Lotto or Little Lotto quick picks to make it $10. I've been doing this for a month now, and hit twice on my Pick 3s (playing them $0.50 in any order - Box).

It's not because I'm not hitting. It's because I'm realizing that my money needs to go elsewhere. I don't play for the jackpot, but rather for them smaller prizes. College is coming up in less than a year, and I'll need a new car by that time too.

The key here is to not cut ot completely, but rather cut back a few times until nothing. I will be cutting back by only buying tickets whenever I travel to Chicagoland. That's where the winners seem to come from. A week's worth of the jackpot games, plue a few Pick 3's and Pick 4's should be good. What helps is the fact that I don't travel into Chicagoland that much.

Lotto tickets aren't my only gambling vice ... It spreads out to the blackjack table.

I've been cutting back on the blackjack table little by little for a long time. The last time I was up there was a couple of weeks ago at Diamond Jo in Dubuque. I used $50.00, got up to about $135.00 and lost it all. That took me 1 1/2 hours. So I thought maybe I'll let the clock dictate my table playing. I figure 45 minutes is sufficent. I'll see if there's a way to amek that possible through the casino itself.

Eventually it should cease alltogether.