It’s a series of unlikely — but all too wanted — events. All cards have been flung in your favor; all chips have been slid toward your welcoming fingers. The rounds have offered victory after victory. There is no player who can defeat you, no statistic that can break your stride. You are winning and see no reason therefore to stop. Your winning streak seems as great as your favorite direct tv sunday ticket show.

Instead you offer all of your money to a single hand, certain that the rewards will be immense. They’re… not, however. They instead are too damning. Your earnings are stolen; your dollars are gone; and you’re left with nothing but the desire to sob.

The lure of gambling has forever been the chance to gain profits . Players flock to tables (whether real or virtual) and try to outwit each other — craving the coins that rest in the center, wanting to claim them all. Such claims aren’t guaranteed, however. Percentages instead favor the House, with even an all too rare winning streaks eventually coming to a halt.

It’s essential therefore that all players — including you — understand the value of hesitation.

Victories aren’t simply gained. Experience is needed, as well as the blessings of fate. Achieving this combination requires time. Once it has been found, however, players must remember to eventually stop. No good luck will continue permanently. Adding dollar after dollar into the pot therefore will inevitably end in failure — with winnings lost and egos crushed. It’s important therefore that players recognize their limitations, stopping once their initial investments have been exceeded.

Chance can’t be mastered. It can only be manipulated. Learn therefore to cease playing before those manipulations are undone.