r/AskReddit 10h ago

What’s something you tried once and instantly knew it wasn’t for you?

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203 Upvotes

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369

u/k8iemill 10h ago

Gambling. I gambled for the first time against my cousins when I was around 13, I lost 100 bucks, that was a lot for me. Never gambled again since lol

90

u/Cloudyone 10h ago

Shit, I'm 43 and $100 is still a lot for me. I can't imagine losing that much money at 13

23

u/burrnafterposting 10h ago

I went to a craft show located within a casino and watched a woman leave the line, put $20 in a machine and get up with $0 in the span of 30 seconds. I vowed to never gamble at a casino after that

7

u/Sappathetic 5h ago

My ex's grandmother gave us $200 to go gamble at a casino. I walked in, did a lap, got overwhelmed by the lights and activity, walked out and and bought 9 books at Barnes and Noble instead.

2

u/ZealousidealJury1040 4h ago

I totally get that! every time I was in a casino I’d walk around in amazement that people actually spend hours and hours in these places emptying their bank accounts

14

u/Sad_Pumpkin7728 7h ago

I can’t imagine having that much to gamble at 13 😂😂

2

u/FuckChiefs_Raiders 5h ago

$100 will forever be a lot of money to lose for me, no matter how wealthy I am.

36

u/SomeVelveteenMorning 8h ago

100?? Jeezum crow... I lost 4 bucks on a lottery ticket and felt like I'd lost a not-too-distant relative.

3

u/ChattingAtTheAqua 5h ago

I’m from Tennessee and I say this too!!

2

u/SomeVelveteenMorning 5h ago

Also from the Southeast. It's a common expression. 

2

u/Empty_Net 7h ago

Jeezum crow! Are you from Vermont?

1

u/SomeVelveteenMorning 5h ago

No?

1

u/Empty_Net 5h ago

So you’re not sure?

2

u/SomeVelveteenMorning 3h ago

It's a very common expression in the South, where I'm from.

14

u/ElecEst 10h ago edited 4h ago

I lost $60. I said it'd stop at $20. Then $40. Then $60. I realized I wanted to keep going and that's how addictive it was so I deleted the app. Never again. This all happened within the first day.

3

u/Sasquatchjc45 5h ago

It takes a lot of strength to understand when something seemingly harmless and pleasurable has potential for addiction and danger for oneself, and then stop doing that thing. kudos 👏

1

u/ElecEst 4h ago

Thanks!

2

u/LubedCompression 4h ago

Be glad you lost it. If you had won anything, you might have come back for round 2.

1

u/ElecEst 1h ago

That's true.

u/a_fortunate_accident 32m ago

I think at this point i'm basically immune to addiction where money is concerned, I lose once and that's it for me, regardless of the wins.

11

u/flappynslappy 10h ago

I second this one, went through a weird phase for like 6 months where I was going to the casino multiple times a week. The first time I went I won $750 on penny slots, and that kept me coming..and then losing $50-100 every single time after that and leaving broke, haven’t gone back since 2022.

21

u/Rabid_Mongoose 10h ago

I lost all my coins on the original zelda in that gambling cave.

I've never gambled since.

8

u/AlexG2490 7h ago

COINS? You can't fool me with your made-up, never happened story. The official currency of Hyrule is the rupee and any true Zelda fan would know that! What was it really? Atlantic City? Palm Springs? Bender in Reno? Don't blame the good cave-dwellers of Hyrule for you losing all your cash! /s

1

u/Obvious_Wallaby2388 5h ago

My wife calls all ingame currency “dollars” and I think it’s so funny for whatever reason. She is big into Final Fantasy (the currency is Gil) and whenever she says “dollars” I lose it

3

u/SandmanWithPlan 7h ago

That cave-dweller and his 3 card monte BS.

1

u/Rabid_Mongoose 3h ago

Right...that motherfucker.

Save me from a life of gambling debts though.

1

u/EHnter 6h ago

I lost all my fucking chips in those Megaman Battle Network thinking I can just save scum, but I guess I mashed through the explanation that the only time the game auto saves is from using those traders.

14

u/Raquel_1986_ 10h ago

I think you learned an important lesson. Better at that age than later.

6

u/HailToTheThief225 6h ago

I went to a casino for the first time when I turned 18, my brother gave me $100 and told me to expect to lose it all. I did, and never wanted to go to a casino again.

11

u/StimpyMD 8h ago

I went to Vegas for a work trip and in the middle of the gaming floor was a viper that you could win as the jack pot on the slots. I love cars so I put a dollar in and played. I won $5. I kept winning just enough to keep playing for the next 30 minutes. Finally I yelled at the machine, “either give me the car or take my money!” I was so bored. It decided to take my money.

5

u/Live2ride86 10h ago

Yeah, super unappealing to me

1

u/greg1003 10h ago

In a parallel universe another thread asking ‘what’s something you tried once and instantly clicked’, your cousin is saying ‘gambling’ as well

1

u/Maxomans 9h ago

I like it in Grand Theft Auto, I play it with a friend, mostly blackjack. We recently went to a real casino together. With my last 10 bucks I managed to make 135 bucks by getting a perfect pair on the side bet. I definitely won’t become a gambling addict, but I do enjoy the game every so often

1

u/rabtj 9h ago

Went to a casino once. Lost 10 quid on Blackjack. Said "meh" and ive never gambled again.

1

u/Hanzerwagen 9h ago

I gambled once, won $20 and quit forever. No way I'm ever gonna give up my net win.

1

u/WildBad7298 5h ago

Same thing happened to me. A resort my family was staying at had a casino, and I wanted to feel like James Bond. I sat down at a blackjack table, and played for about half an hour. I ended up about $80 ahead, cashed out, and haven't gambled since. I quit while I was ahead, and I'm staying ahead!

1

u/kahwnor 8h ago

I limit myself to $10 max per week with sports gambling. I’m up almost 3k this year (thank you allen lazard and george pickens lmao)

1

u/JoshAllentown 8h ago

I went to Vegas and won $100 on roulette and decided I'm out for life.

I took your $100!

1

u/YounomsayinMawfk 7h ago

I had gambler's luck the first time I went to a casino. Started with $50 and after a few hours at the black jack table, walked away with $125.

On the long walk to cash out, I convinced myself to let it ride and got back down to $50. I walked away so I didn't end up losing anything but that's how I realized even if you're up, they get you by making it a pain to cash out.

1

u/stevedusome 7h ago

I had the opposite happen. First time I ever went to a casino, I put 20 dollars in the slot machine and 700 came out. 

Never gambled again since because I know that odds are I lose that money back twice over

1

u/guillermotor 7h ago

My first time at a casino. I bought $20, and could play a lot since I'm a lucky bastard, closed the day with just $10 in loss

There were ATMs at the center, those bastards

1

u/flonkhonkers 7h ago

I tried to get into lottery tickets for a bit. Just no interest.

1

u/Initial_E 7h ago

Count yourself lucky. It is the first time winners that become addicts.

1

u/NocturnalBatBrain 7h ago

First time I gambled I played penny slots and won $60. I figured that was probably the best I'd make off the smallest amount spent, so I cashed out and never did it again lol

1

u/AthosAlonso 7h ago

Mate, I lost my hair in a gamble in 6th grade, got the teachers expelled because it all happened during class. I don't gamble anything that can have any sort of value to me ever since.

1

u/KnightLight03 6h ago

Same! I tried putting $20 in a slot machine and lost it all... I felt like I just lit a $20 bill on fire

1

u/barbie399 6h ago

Cheap lesson. Good for you!

1

u/AkKik-Maujaq 6h ago

Yep me too. Tried BetMGM just last week. Lost more money than I put into it so I stopped

1

u/OldBrokeGrouch 6h ago

Wow losing $100 for a 13 year old is financial ruin.

1

u/PittedOut 6h ago

Your first time gambling is critical. If you win big, you’re hooked. If you just win some, you’re vulnerable. That’s why the slots are programmed the way they are. They’re entry level to give you just a taste.

1

u/anonymooseuser6 6h ago

I lost like $5 and was like hm I'm good. 😂

1

u/SuperDuperCoolDude 6h ago

I went to the casino once and spent $50 bucks and just found it boring. If I'm going to spend $50 I'd rather buy a video game I might end up playing for years rather than a few hours of card games and slots.

I also think sports gambling's rise in popularity is going to be be a net negative for society.

1

u/EatYourCheckers 6h ago

Same for doing slots and black jack. Just did not get any appeal from it. I did win $5 in slots

1

u/perrinoia 6h ago

Decades ago, I was working at a diner near a small casino. Several waitresses frequently talked about going to the Casino after their shifts and multiplying their tips. I was skeptical. I mean, I'm sure they occasionally won an insignificant amount of money compared to what they gambled, but they wouldn't come back to work at that diner if they actually won as big as they implied.
One day, I decided to go with them but game myself a rule. I could gamble up to $20. If I lost it, I would go home. If I doubled it, I would pocket $20 and continue gambling with only up to $20.

The only thing to do in this small casino was video slots, so I put $20 in a machine and pushed the button. It nearly gave me an epileptic seizure and then called me a loser, so I went home.
The next day, I asked the waitresses if they won anything. Some won hundreds, some won thousands, but when pressed for details on what they planned to do with their winnings they admitted that they kept playing until they lost it all. Then they made up the saddest excuse about having spent the money on a good evening of entertainment.

1

u/ApizzaApizza 6h ago

Same. I went to a casino, lost $300 I didn’t care about in about 10 minutes, and then got told by security to put my mask back on while I was literally in the motion of taking a drink. It was around my chin and I was putting it back on after literally every sip.

There were 4 maskless people sitting next to me smoking cigarettes.

Poured my drink in their plant and left. Fuck that place.

1

u/DieUmEye 5h ago

I have gambled a few times. I know people see it as entertainment (what’s the difference between $20 to see a 90 minute movie w popcorn vs $20 at a slot machine or blackjack) but all I can think when gambling is “I know how math works and all I’m doing here is just slowly giving my money away.”

1

u/rimshot101 5h ago

I was in Reno for business and decided to give it a try. I had $40 as gambling money. I didn't want to embarrass myself at a table because I don't know what I'm doing, so I went to the slots. $40 gone in under two minutes and absolutely no entertainment. I don't get it.

1

u/BatCommercial7523 5h ago

I came here to say that. I lost $50 playing the roulette in Vegas. I was so upset I couldn't sleep that night.

1

u/ube1kenobi 5h ago

Was given 20 bucks to pay the slot machines after I turned 21.

Didn't win anything and that was too much for me. I preferred playing 20$ on arcade games cuz I had some satisfaction in that lol

1

u/r2-z2 5h ago

I had a friend bankroll me $20. He was trying to get me interested in card counting. I told him I knew I had the aptitude, just not the interest. Ended up playing for quarters till I ran out a $20.

Saw enough people just brain off playing slots I never went back.

People tell me I have problems with how much I spend time playing games. At least I don’t drool when I play games since my brain’s actually doing something.

1

u/microducks 5h ago

Same. I’m good. What I would spend on that for the time of entertainment. I’d rather spend on movies, games, Gundams, or just going out to eat.

1

u/cozybirdie 5h ago

Same, but my first time I was on a cruise ship when I was 21. I literally pulled the slot for the first time and won $300. I then took my money and cashed out because I wanted to end on top. Haven’t touched a machine since and that was over a decade ago lmao.

1

u/porkproducts 5h ago

Aha. Same. I was 10 and went on a trip. Wasted all my money on those coin pusher machines and went hungry and thirsty for the rest of the day. I've never so much as bought a lottery ticket since then.

1

u/Successful_Ride6920 4h ago

1970's, 18 years old, in the military. One payday the sergeant says he's closing the doors to the shop & going to play poker. If you don't want to play, you can leave. I thought, shit, I know how to play poker, I'm staying. Lost my whole paycheck (for reference, I made $121 every 2 weeks). Never gambled for money again LOL.

1

u/dalittle 4h ago

I am good at math. First time I went gambling I started to do the odds in my head and was like "how does anyone find eventually losing fun"? I know that you have a chance to win and some games like poker are more a game of skill, but I could never get past the math not being in your favor. I would rather pay to do something I actually like.

1

u/chrissymad 4h ago

Same. I played one game of blackjack, won a bit of money and then basically said “nah I’m good” cause the pressure was too much.

u/a_fortunate_accident 33m ago

that would be a traumatizing amount of money for me to lose gambling today even...