You’ve tried it, you’ve enjoyed it, and now you want to try it again. But as soon as you log back on, you realize that the world has changed while you were gone. Maybe the betting site that you frequent changed their T&Cs (terms and conditions), or maybe the games have been removed due to government regulations (such as the DotA 2 and Hearthstone ban in China). Or maybe the games have just become too easy. Either way, no matter what changes, it’s hard to keep up.
The good news is that you’re not alone. Many people have found themselves in this position and have asked us about how they can keep their betting balance. Here are some of the most common answers along with some helpful advice on how to keep betting even when the world changes around you.
Regulatory Changes
For starters, some governments have placed limitations on what types of games casinos and betting sites can offer. In some cases, this can mean that the casino must close down or change the games they offer. Even if this isn’t the case, the government’s intervention changes the dynamic of a legally-bound contract, and that can make keeping to it tricky. For example, Valve had to remove all gambling from its games in order to stay under government scrutiny in China. Even if they had received no complaints about the games, it was simply too much risk to take without proper regulation.
Game Improvements
Another common cause of account withdrawals is the improvements that games make over time. It’s difficult enough to keep up with what’s new when the updates are introduced regularly and relatively frequently, but if one or two huge updates knock out all your wins, it’s a problem. Some of the changes that cause problems for bettors are:
- Improved Graphics/Skins
- Increased Complexity/Intricity
- Increased Random Number Generator (RNG) Variability
- Increased Speed
- Decreased Input-Output Spool Size
- Increased Deposit/Withdrawal Limits
- Increased Minimum Balance Pre-Filled
- Increased Number of Contingent Winners
- and The List Goes On
If you play certain games often enough (and make enough money at them), you’ll notice that they start needing more and more updates in order to keep up. Even then, the list above is just a small fraction of the things that can go wrong. The developers of these games know that they’re playing in a largely unregulated environment, and that the people behind the bets are mostly just trying to have a bit of fun.
Losing Concentration
Even when the above problems don’t exist, things can still go wrong when you’re not careful. Sometimes the very act of placing a bet can turn into a larger commitment than you realize, and the longer you stay in the betting app or website, the more likely it is to pull you out of poker game or strategy session. This is called losing concentration, and it’s a habit that’s difficult to break. The solution is to make sure that nothing interrupts your concentration when you’re in the middle of a hand. Never pick up your phone during a game if you want to stay focused. This doesn’t mean that you have to play on a television completely disconnected from the world around you. You can use apps or listen to music to mask the sound of people talking around you, or put stickers on your laptop’s display so that the images don’t blur when you look at them through your computer’s display. If you can find a way to keep your concentration when playing, you’ll find that your wins far outnumber your losses, leading to greater overall enjoyment of the game.
New Platforms/Device UIs
It’s also worth noting that the platforms and device UIs (user interfaces) can sometimes have quirks that cause problems when used with certain games or betting apps. For example, some games require you to enter your PIN number in a certain sequence, and if you use a device with a number pad, you might end up entering it incorrectly. It’s not always easy to find the right settings for each game and device combination, and when you do find them, they can require some trial and error before you start winning again.
In some cases, losing to UI issues is one of the only ways to lose. Other times, the UI might just be bugging out because the RNG (random number generator) is making incorrect picks. There’s a lot of variance there, and it takes some time to get used to.
Technical Support
As a last resort, you can contact the tech support of the betting site or app provider. Most of the time, they’ll be able to help you out with any issues that you’re encountering. Sometimes this is just a matter of resetting your passwords or email addresses, but in some cases it can lead to much more than that. For example, if you’re using Coinbase to store your Bitcoins (as we recommend in our review), they can help you to move your wallet to a different address, find the source of the issue, and hopefully fix it. Without proper support, it’s very easy to lose money due to hacks, glitches, and other related issues.
In summary, it’s very easy for things to change in life, and when they do, it’s usually in unpredictable ways. This makes it very difficult to maintain a strict relationship with your bank account, but it doesn’t have to. There are a variety of tools and tricks that you can use to ensure that you’re always prepared for the next big change, and it begins with knowing the source of your bets. Keeping a record of your bets and their outcomes can help you to easily see when things are going wrong and to determine the root cause. This will hopefully lead you to a place of greater enjoyment when playing games for money, and allow you to keep practicing for your upcoming poker tournament.