Some of the most successful Aussie gamblers gave an interview; these were people who earned at least a million dollars every year from gambling bouts. They had few things in common as far as traits go. Some characteristics distinguished them from unsuccessful gamblers. Few gamblers were born this way and they never had to practice any trait but they still needed to develop habits that could only be acquired by hard yakka and discipline. So, this blog is for all those people who are not natural born gamblers. It will help them learn more about all the characteristics of successful gamblers.

Here are some characteristics found in successful gamblers:

1. Fluency in Numbers

The striking trait in professional gamblers is their fluency and their facility with numbers. They may not be mathematical geniuses but they need to have a decent flair with numbers and probability ratios. They are always comfortable with numbers and are not scared of them. This comfort level is achieved by practice and experience. To be experts at gambling, they have to go to casinos or play for many hours, online. Gamblers have to develop a type of native cunning that several educated people even lack. They have to be street smart.

2. Implementing Smart Strategies

It is not enough to know basic strategies while playing Blackjack; anyone would be able to learn them with a keen study and application of mind. It is crucial to know when the dealer is sneaking peeks at your cards. This needs a knack for smelling a suspicious situation. Gamblers have to develop their own individual strategies and not bother listening to expert advice from others. It’s not necessary that whatever works for X at Table 3 may also yakka for Y at Table 7. There is nothing like a sure combination for winning; it depends on the players and also the game. In case of a continued losing streak, the gambler has to rule out each variable methodically after studying and analyzing what may have gone wrong.

3. Courage to face the losing Streaks

Every gambler will go through a losing streak, regardless of how successful he or she may be. Some streaks may be just inconvenient while others may be devastating. Professional players have to face the fact that luck is not always going to be in their favour. For professional gamblers, the outcome of the next day is never going to be clear. Though they may feel that they have the best of it, they cannot depend on a winning outcome on any given day. Every gambler, whether he or she is a poker player or a blackjack player, a brumby handicapper or a sports bettor, will invariably have plenty of losing streaks. If the losing streak lingers, they will have to take a step backwards and then analyse what they could be doing wrong. They will need to maintain a positive outlook in the long run - Perhaps it may have been pressed too hard and too fast. There is a possibility that something may be going on in their personal lives that might be affecting their game play at a table. As entrepreneurs invest great sums in new ideas, gamblers should have the guts to risk large sums of money, too in their deals.

4. Maintaining control over their Emotions

Successful gamblers are always able to put emotions aside when they have to make an important decision. They have to weigh the odds with a calm and grouse head, studying all possibilities carefully. They cannot afford to get caught up in enthusiastic surges and they cannot get discouraged by a stroke of not-so-bonza luck. The player has to stick to their strategies despite fluctuations in their fortune, ready to modify their plans when they identify any technical weaknesses in their strategies.

5. Having the right attitude to both winning and losing

Successful gamblers always learn from their experiences. The wins do not excite them so much but the losses make them more experienced. When errors begin to hurt, they strive to make sure that they avoid them. You cannot learn from your mistakes when you just shrug them off; you have to learn from them. All successful gamblers relish the pleasure of beating a big system or the outsmarting of an opponent.

6. Building up Confidence

Gamblers will not be able to make any rational decisions if they do not build up self confidence in their own abilities and skills while playing. When they sit down at a table, they have to believe that they are entering to win. However, there is a cool-bananas distinction between a swollen head and confidence. Gamblers need that confidence to be successful but a bloated head is one of the fastest ways to help them lose. It is a matter of systematic discipline where they need the confidence to call bluffs but they also have to stay away from a bloated ego and that helps them make all the wrong bluffs.

7. Hard Work and Discipline

All gamblers who are pros have to necessarily go through a learning process to weigh all the odds that they face. Each game experience becomes demanding on a psychological level. They have to assess risk versus reward so that they can yakka out the best and the worst likely outcomes. The player should know when to bet a little more and also learn when to walk out of a situation. This is all about discipline as every hand will turn out to be a risk and some hands are riskier than others. So, gamblers have to keep their heads clear and analyse everything constantly. For example, blackjack players have to study and analyse the different forms of this game so that they can make a few subtle changes in their strategies when required. Sports bettors also have to construct complex models so that they can predict the odds in a better way.

8. Keeping Records

In order to be successful, gamblers have to keep records of their games, bets, losses and wins. They need to study these records periodically and identify where they may be going wrong and then change their strategies accordingly. This also helps in pointing out exactly how far ahead or behind they may have fallen against their estimated benchmarks at any given moment of time. Gamblers have to be thorough with planning and figures and they cannot take it harshly nor lie to themselves. They have to know when they are winning or losing, overall.

9. Being Self Aware

A gambler should have the willingness to openly admit his or her blind spots. Gamblers have to know what they don’t know. For example, when they are playing backgammon, they would not mind making some deliberate errors to see whether their opponents are able to exploit those errors. If others are playing well, they would quit the rounds and prevent chances of throwing away bonza money after not-so-bonza play. The key thing is to know when not to wager. This will turn out to be a common trait among all successful gamblers. They have to be fully aware of their strengths and their weaknesses. Interpersonal competence is a quality that is much needed in successful gamblers. They need sharp skills in their interaction with others, and to be friendly, open and charming. They have to go out of their way to make sure that they are not offending other players and they should be tolerant of others’ viewpoints to avoid arguments.

10. Managing their Finances Smartly

Successful gamblers are aware of how to manage their finances in a smart way. Professionals are investing way ahead in the future while the amateurs are looking more at the present day. Gambling is very much similar to the owning and running of a bizzo enterprise. Gamblers need to make bonza profits to stay alive in bizzo. They cannot afford to gamble away all the money earned, of course. They need to budget cautiously and allot money that they can lose out on, at a stop loss level in order to stay alive and successful.

Risk taking has become an inherent trait in the great land down under. It has become so entrenched in the Aussie culture that this place has become the unofficial gambling capital of the world. No other nation is spending more on gambling per capita than us. Most people here do not realise, it but they have risk for brekkie, every day!