Several blogs ago, I wrote in some detail regarding various aspects of gambling. I recall reasoning that as with most things in life, gambling has both a positive as well as a negative aspect. I also added back then, that more often than not it was the darker, shadier aspects that got into the collective psyche thus demonizing the concept as a whole.
What I said back then still holds true for me, and I will not re-iterate those cogitations, still I feel I have something more to add to all the rhetoric. In the following exposition I propose to link gambling in general to the way the human brain is wired, and how this biological imperative impacts upon all mental undertakings, including gambling.
The human brain is a pattern-matching machine, we learn by memorizing patterns, determining similarities between what we perceive to be related matters. Even pre-schoolers are taught to first learn how to group related objects together, at times even before being taught the rudimentary concepts behind mathematics and language. Additionally, mathematical constructs such as addition, are normally approached from the standpoint of groupings of similar units. Poetry is itself an exercise in pattern matching, creating linguistic harmony by alternating rhyming verse.
John Ratey (2001), a Harvard psychiatrist believes that the brain works by relating whole concepts to one another while looking for similarities, differences and relationships between them. Each time we learn something new, we effectively put together a new pattern that will aid us in the evaluation of similar circumstances. There is a downside to this drive for identifying patterns, for our minds may trick us into seeing patterns where there might be none. Methods based on these made-up or false patterns, could lead to disastrous conclusions as we shall see later.
Going one step further, most of our endeavours in life are based on our ability to recognise patterns, and to successfully take favourable actions based on our ability to predict the next element in patterns occurring around us. An extreme example of all this would be determining an acceptable level of risk for a given venture. Taken from a mathematical standpoint, risk is calculated using formulas derived from the observation of patterns, which are then broken down and logically weaved into abstract thought processes which facilitate the direct analysis of a situation. From a sociological standpoint, risk can then be analysed from the past behaviours of individuals or groups, given a specific set of environmental variables whether intrinsic or extrinsic, which impinge upon the scenario being considered.
As we grow we therefore realise that being skilled at recognising patterns and extrapolating future occurrences from past experience, will lead to favourable personal outcomes. In a nutshell we learn that becoming good at detecting certain patterns will result in rewards and satisfaction. In some people, the rewards and satisfaction accrued from their pattern matching skill, take precedence over anything else they might do in life. It is not uncommon for people we identify as being exceptionally gifted in a certain field, to be so immersed in their work as to appear alienated in other fields of life. They become the eccentric gurus, the whizz kids that inspire millions with the fruits of their labour.
Yet this same pattern matching skill is what drives us towards other endeavours in life such as gaming. Games come in all shapes and sizes yet at the heart of each game you will find some sort of pattern matching exercise. Take Chess for instance, this intriguing game follows a specific set of rules; each individual chessman moves in a predetermined pattern and can conduct any finite number of moves within a specific scenario. The Chess player learns to leverage the strength of each piece on the board, based on patterns of play which he memorizes. At a higher level then, he will take those patterns of play and systematically extrapolate each move forward in time in order to determine the best course of action. The stronger players are those who have efficient recall of precisely the moves required to perform a certain manoeuvre that will lead to victory. The satisfaction derived from beating an opponent becomes the vital juice that drives the consummate player towards improving and practising his skill, game after game.
This happens even with games of imperfect information such as backgammon or poker. In these games, chance adds a further dimension to game play; because it forces the player to optimise a strategy that takes into account that which he cannot control. In backgammon for instance, the player strives to maximise positional strength by building points on the board, to either block an opponent or set him up for an aggressive onslaught. To do so the proficient backgammon player would have studied the best possible moves given specific rolls of dice. He would learn how to recognise certain checker layouts, in order to quickly determine whether or not to offer or accept a double.
In poker, the players learn to maximize the effect of each infinitesimal bit of information available to them, in order to enact psychological and strategic moves that grant them an edge over the competition. They would effectively be doing this by recalling past correlations between behaviour and actual play, in order to spot similar patterns in moves happening in the current hand. Not only but thanks to mathematical models such as Expected Value, they also learn to attach weights to the possibility of certain patterns materializing as opposed to others. At a higher level then the gamer will also learn to scrap certain patterns based on newer information that would favour others.
Either game (poker or backgammon) depends on a player’s ability to recall effective skilful plays based on recognising patterns, the better a player’s recall, the more potentially skilful his play. Again as with other endeavours mentioned earlier on, winning at these games results in potent psychological re-enforcement, encouraging that player to both repeat those patterns that led to victory as well as strive to improve his game over time. Improvement in turn comes at the cost of assessing certain patterns that work and adopting them, while discarding others that prove ineffective over time. Indeed the greatest ability lies in the discovery that perhaps an embraced pattern needs to be disposed of in order to foster intellectual growth and hence better over all play.
So long as a person’s inclination and aptitude at recognising patterns is kept in check, there can be nothing wrong in pursuing excellence in a particular field of interest; but what happens when that skill becomes an obsession? That is when a player becomes so enamoured with the rewards accrued from his perceived or actual ability, that everything else takes second place. Such a person could even potentially start to get his priorities all wrong, resulting in social problems that could eventually destroy him on a psychological and physical level.
We are here entering the realm of addictions, where a person will now take up an activity with so much intensity that nothing else carries any importance; the worse the addiction, the greater the impact on the actions taken by that person. A quick search on Wikipedia describes addictive behaviour as any activity, substance, object, or behaviour that becomes the major focus of a person's life resulting in a physical, mental, and/or social withdrawal from their normal day to day obligations. For instance a person believes he has mastered a specific method (or pattern of actions) that promises a lucrative outcome. The promise itself becomes the motivator to experiment repeatedly with that method which however could be flawed. Yet the person becomes engaged into a pattern of repeated behaviours that develop into psychological addiction. The person suffers losses as a consequence to underlying false premises that make up that perceived method. Rather than stopping to reconsider, that person blindly loses himself in that delusion, resulting in further losses.
Yet it does not have to be so, the underlying skill is a valid one and working on it, regardless of the venue, can have positive ripple effects on other areas in one’s life. The secret towards maximising the benefits one could accrue from it is to never stop learning. When a person believes he has learnt all there is to be learnt on a subject, he will inevitably start building a delusion that could prove fatal. Moderation and knowledge on the other hand could not only to reap the benefits of one’s skill-base but also not to fall victim of personal misconceptions over time.
Some people, it is true are genetically predisposed to addictive behaviour patterns (addictive personalities), they must therefore learn to stay away from those situations that will lead to addiction. As for others they must simply learn that on-going education, constructive self-criticism and moderation go a long way towards maximising their pattern-recognition skills without falling victims to the dangers of excess.
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