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DFS and Gambling - A Discussion (1 Viewer)

LittleLarry

LittleLarry

Footballguy
I used to be just like you guys. I was happy with playing a few fantasy football leagues a season. Then FBGs started turning me on to Fanduel. I started gradually at first. I began by throwing $5 into a few weekly contests.

But I got bored waiting for the Monday night game to finish to see if I won that week. So then I moved on to playing just the 1pm contest. Then the 4pm. Then Sunday & Monday night only. I needed more and more action. I was addicted to the rush of the game and wanted to enter more and more contests.

Football season ended so I moved on to daily games in basketball and baseball. I know little about these sports, but I didn't care. I now just stick to the $109 50/50s. I've played in over 600 of these now. I've won a few more of these contests than I've lost, and I don't understand why I'm still seriously behind in funds.

I wish I could go back to just a few leagues a season.

 
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You have to tally 5 wins to every 4 losses to make up for the 'rake' that FanDuel gets. For every $100 bet you make, if you win, you'll only take home $80. Stretch that out to 600 games, or 594 for sake of simple math and you'll have to have a record of 330-264 meaning you'd have to have 66 more wins than you have losses.

From your post you said you've won a few more than you've lost. Unless you've won 66 more than you've lost, you're losing money friend.

 
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ZigZagMan said:
You have to tally 5 wins to every 4 losses to make up for the 'rake' that FanDuel gets. For every $100 bet you make, if you win, you'll only take home $80.
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I've never been on the site, but is that really their rake? 100 to win 80? And people are still flocking to play there? If so: wow.

I remember the early 2000s, when the big online poker sites first launched, and all the bold predictions that the days of 10%-to-$4 per hand rake was over, that thanks to the lower overhead costs and intense competition the rake would eventually settle out everywhere at a buck or less. Yeah, not so much.

So I guess I shouldn't be surprised that sites like Fanduel can manage to scrape that much off the top either. But you'll excuse me for not rushing to sign up.

 
AngryPatriot said:
It can be no laughing matter, get help if you need it. Enjoy life!
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LittlePhatty said:
1-800-522-4700
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:goodposting:

OP sure sounds like a subtle cry for help. Gambling addiction is no joke. If you can't control it, get help before it's way out of control. Looks like you are trending that way.

Money aside, even just being in one dynasty league can become addicting and cause you to waste too much time, energy and aggravation. I have a very addictive personality. There were times where I remember being pissed off all day on Christmas because I was losing a stupid fantasy playoff. Christmas day! Even a few years ago I would catch myself ignoring my wife and kids too many times so I could do fantasy "research". Kids pick up on this stuff faster than you think. They sense where they fall on your priority list. The last thing I want is for my kids to think I love football more than them.

I was fortunate enough to have a "what the hell am I doing?" moment and finally got it under control. I had to set rules and guidelines for myself to ensure that this stuff doesn't become more important than my family or my job. I'd give it all up in a heartbeat if I start heading back in that direction. The only reason I do the two leagues I am in is because draft day is literally the only day of the year I see half of my friends.

Sorry to rant. My intentions were to hit submit after I dropped the emoticon, but felt compelled to say more. I enjoy reading this board and the people who contribute on it. I would hate to see any of them feel like their life is in ruins because of gambling or fantasy sports. It should be a fun distraction from the stress of real life. Not an added stress. If you feel like you're heading in a bad direction, don't be afraid to seek help.

 
Mr. Irrelevant said:
ZigZagMan said:
You have to tally 5 wins to every 4 losses to make up for the 'rake' that FanDuel gets. For every $100 bet you make, if you win, you'll only take home $80.
Click to expand...
I've never been on the site, but is that really their rake? 100 to win 80? And people are still flocking to play there? If so: wow.

I remember the early 2000s, when the big online poker sites first launched, and all the bold predictions that the days of 10%-to-$4 per hand rake was over, that thanks to the lower overhead costs and intense competition the rake would eventually settle out everywhere at a buck or less. Yeah, not so much.

So I guess I shouldn't be surprised that sites like Fanduel can manage to scrape that much off the top either. But you'll excuse me for not rushing to sign up.
Click to expand...
Yes, the rake is such that you generally need to win the online head 2 head contests at a 60% clip just to break even. Meaning you'd better play the highest stakes, play often and be very good to make money long term. It's too bad because these daily sites like FanDuel are only shooting themselves in the foot by raking so much. The way to really make money is to shear a sheep 100 times rather than skin him once. If they charged a 3-5% rake they'd keep more breakeven players in the pool, which would keep more contests at all levels open for signup, which would draw more "very good" players. Ultimately though, on sites like this the money is destined to float up, into the hands of VERY few of the high stakes players. Anything below $50 heads up you're destined to go broke from the rake.

 
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Mr. Irrelevant said:
ZigZagMan said:
You have to tally 5 wins to every 4 losses to make up for the 'rake' that FanDuel gets. For every $100 bet you make, if you win, you'll only take home $80.
Click to expand...
I've never been on the site, but is that really their rake? 100 to win 80? And people are still flocking to play there? If so: wow.

I remember the early 2000s, when the big online poker sites first launched, and all the bold predictions that the days of 10%-to-$4 per hand rake was over, that thanks to the lower overhead costs and intense competition the rake would eventually settle out everywhere at a buck or less. Yeah, not so much.

So I guess I shouldn't be surprised that sites like Fanduel can manage to scrape that much off the top either. But you'll excuse me for not rushing to sign up.
Click to expand...
the 100 to 80 rake is for the $5 game. So in essence it's for every $5 bet you make and win you get $4 in profit. At the $109 level, its about half that...109 wins 100. Still a bit high imo, but not unreasonable.

 
Well, think about it. FD obviously wants to make money, no other reason they would partner with FBG and offer to pay for people's subscriptions......

They know dudes are gonna get hooked.

Im glad I came across this post OP. I have never gone to their site, but have always wondered or thought about doing something on there bc it gets pumped on this site so much. But it's way low on the priority list.....

I can't gamble, kids and a family.....

OP-You want some action? Find a friend, Take ten bucks every Sunday, and just bet on games or players with him. And 10.00 is the max.....once it's gone on Sunday, it's gone. And if you make a buck, buy your bud a beer.

 
You're the type of gambler they're looking for when they run all those promotions, and it's exactly why you should completely abandon that type of game.

Look, it doesn't sound like you've lost very much at all. Consider it a VERY cheap lesson (compared to what some people pay). Gambling isn't for you. You don't have the self-control for that hobby, and you found out on the cheap. If you have trouble walking away, call the number people have posted in this thread. Not kidding.

This doesn't make you a weak person. It makes you a person with a weakness, just like everyone. You found out yours at little personal cost. Close your account.

 
Neil Beaufort Zod said:
This doesn't make you a weak person. It makes you a person with a weakness, just like everyone. You found out yours at little personal cost. Close your account.
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These may be the wisest words I've read on the board today, if not this year.

LittleLarry, $600X109 is $65,400. If their rake is really 20%, I guess that means they've made about $13K off of you. (Your out-of-pocket will be different depending on your w/l ratio.)

Don't beat yourself up though. NBZ nailed it... you're mortal like the rest of us, and whatever your losses - even if it were the full $65K - can be overcome.

Good luck.

 
There's an expression in AA that you "can get off the elevator at any time" - if you know it's headed to the basement, you don't need to go there before you do something. OP you may tell yourself things like "When I lose X I will stop" or "When my wife catches me I will own up and stop". If that is the case, why wait?

1. Delete the bookmarks of the sites.

2. Add them as blocked sites w/ the parental controls on your machines. Have someone else set the passwords.

3. If you can't do this, go to a GA meeting.

4. Good luck!

 
I used to gamble quite a bit...I can totally relate...even betting on Euro sports at times.

Then I got married and had kids. That chit stopped real quick. Now I drink.

Seriously, there are people out there that put way more time, effort and and access to more info on daily fantasy than you ever will. Losing sucks. You should buy a golf membership, play every day and get really good at something.

 
All due respect, but people give the same tired advice and the same failures happen. So let's give different advice. We all know it's a statistical fact that if you lose for a while, you are bound to win eventually. I won't even hear any arguments about this, if you have a problem with that go take a math course.

So now that we know that Little Larry is bound to win, why bother with winning a small amount of cash? You don't know when he'll win again. So let's max this sucker out and bet everything possible. Little Larry - cash out your retirement (the penalty won't matter after how much cash you'll win) along with everything else you can. Go take out some loans as well. Get leverage! Then bet as much as possible on your next set of games. Do your research, so that you'll make some educated bets. You'll win, and you'll thank me later. Bentleys look best in white, by the way.

 
I have enjoyed playing them, but I usually do it more systematically and with very little money. I do a $1 50/50, a $2 50/50 and then a $1 10 team league and a $1 20 team league, usually with same lineup. This way I can usually break even on a good day, and win a little on a greta day. That said, you can still go on cold streaks. Daily fantasy is fun, but I am starting to wonder with the explosion of its popularity if it won't become very hard to win on a regular basis.

 
Slider said:
Pretty cool marketing for Fanduel.
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I wonder if the FBG site owners feel any responsibility for this. I'm sure they're making good money off their partnership with Fanduel.

I was happy with a few regular leagues a season. I hung out in the Shark Pool and concentrated on my next waiver pickup. Now my addicted personality just wants to get in more and more contest.

I am like a drug addict - I just keep needing it more and more.

 
MoveToSkypager said:
All due respect, but people give the same tired advice and the same failures happen. So let's give different advice. We all know it's a statistical fact that if you lose for a while, you are bound to win eventually. I won't even hear any arguments about this, if you have a problem with that go take a math course.

So now that we know that Little Larry is bound to win, why bother with winning a small amount of cash? You don't know when he'll win again. So let's max this sucker out and bet everything possible. Little Larry - cash out your retirement (the penalty won't matter after how much cash you'll win) along with everything else you can. Go take out some loans as well. Get leverage! Then bet as much as possible on your next set of games. Do your research, so that you'll make some educated bets. You'll win, and you'll thank me later. Bentleys look best in white, by the way.
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You might want to get your "When is sarcasm clever?" meter checked. I think it's broken...

 
I just did it to get the FBG membership for next year. Make a couple bets and then cash out.. It's like a FBG membership for free?

 
I know firsthand about the the serious problems involving addiction. I've had a very close family member who was addicted to drugs to the point it almost killed. her. I'm also very close friends with a guy who basically lost his family (through divorce) because of his gambling problems. The thing to remember is that there is no gene for "gambling addiction" or "drug addiction"--there are people with addictive behavior who get involved with drugs, drinking, gambling, eating....etc. The thing that I have learned with my experiences is that if you have addictive behavior--and you are currently addicted to gambling--the key is to manifest your addictive behavior into something more healthy. My family member who was addicted to drugs--is now addicted to church--and volunteering. She mentors people who are currently battling drug issues--- she's now addicted to church and helping others. My other friend who lost his family due to gambling problems--is now addicted to succeeding in the business world. He opened up a small business and has worked relentlessly to make it grow. He's also now addicted to working out--so he has a healthier and more successful lifestyle. He's also slowly but surely working his way back to re-establish healthy relationships with his ex wife and children--which is great to see. In any case--my advice is to keep your head up--and slowly find a healthier addiction to get involved in. Maybe pick up a sport, or running, get more heavily involved in volunteering..etc. I wish you the best of luck with your battle--and I'm confident that you can overcome it.

 
I profited 1800 bucks last year between football and hockey. Strict 8 football games a week and when hockey came I'd play 2 low stakes entries a night.

This year I've only played baseball and I've burned 450 of my bankroll. I'm completely out of the 50/50 game because the big players who win a ton play every 50/50 game and then clone their team between their 10-20 dummy accounts. There are hundreds of complaints scattered around the web about that problem but every time I've reported the issue the fanduel reps say it's probably just friends and family who like to have the same line up. The real thing is that it's the known daily celebrities (if there is such a thing) that are responsible and they don't want to slap their hands.

 
Neil Beaufort Zod said:
You're the type of gambler they're looking for when they run all those promotions, and it's exactly why you should completely abandon that type of game.

Look, it doesn't sound like you've lost very much at all. Consider it a VERY cheap lesson (compared to what some people pay). Gambling isn't for you. You don't have the self-control for that hobby, and you found out on the cheap. If you have trouble walking away, call the number people have posted in this thread. Not kidding.

This doesn't make you a weak person. It makes you a person with a weakness, just like everyone. You found out yours at little personal cost. Close your account.
Click to expand...
:goodposting:

Little Larry..as one who has battled a gambling addiction for the past 15 years, I couldn't give you any better advice than the above. Do yourself and those who love you a favor, and get some help. God bless you.

 
The rates that are listed above are way off. Just about the maximum that Fanduel takes off the top is 10%. At 10%, you need to win five out of nine times to break even, not the ridiculous rates cited above. There might be one game that is 11%, but the large majority are at or under the 10% threshold. The $109 50/50s that OP loves to play gives back $100 to the top half. That's a take of 9/109=8.26%.

Fanduel also gives a pending bonus, which in essence reduces the rake by 4% until all the pending bonus is gone. So unless you are playing an excessive amount, you are usually paying only 6% or less. Those with gambling problems, of course, will end up paying more; which of course is the goal. But as long as you can control yourself, the cost of playing isn't prohibitive and it can be a fun diversion.

I only added funds for the free FBG subscription. Once those funds are gone, I am done. Assuming you can win 50% of the time in 50/50s, with $20 you would be expected to take back $18.80. $1.20 for a subscription to FBGs sounds good to me.

 
LittleLarry said:
Has anyone else struggled with this?
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I would so I stayed away. Good promos were being run, on this site and on local radio (200 signup credit)

However, the immediacy of online gaming has worried me. Brick and mortar fantasy and casinos feel like quite enough and sometimes too much.

Here's a hint that helped me. Keep a gambling journal on your phone. I break it down by life and by year. I don't sports bet(again, too immediate). Every time I put money on the table at the casino, say 100, it goes in the log as -100. If I cash out 22 bucks then it gets logged -78. I win 50, +150. I Also list day, casino, game played and session length. It started off as a way to evaluate my poker skills and seeing that they were as good as I thought, I played less. Over 4 years, I've lost 3000 bucks and maybe 1300 this year. Money I can afford to lose, but I guarantee if you asked me to evaluate my gambling before, I would have said "break even or a little ahead"& I would have believed it.

If you're In deep, call GA. It can't hurt.

Everyone is different. I don't have the appetite for gambling now. I think I've been In a casino once since April. Fact of the matter is, I'm not a great gambler against experts. I can crush the local card game, and pretty good about fantasy player. I'm realistic about my abilities or lack there of. But that doesn't mean I can't be very close to a pattern where I'm betting more than I should, is smart or is in the wrong frame of mind(angry, chasing)

Gambling now is what it used to be, a fun sidebar and some entertainment and nothing more.

Why don't you take 30 days and see how you feel. It your next month is heller you're ready to fire right back into it, might be time for more significant help.

Also, take every dime you plan to bet and throw it In a jar and look at what you have after a month.

 
I guess when you have that kind of money to waste like the OP it can become easy to get addicted. I do one game a week and never spend more than $25 for an entry. Last year, the first week I ever played, I took third place in one of the contests and won $250. That paid for the rest of my entries all year and part way into this year. I'd never play 50/50. The biggest problem i have with the contests I enter there are how many others i have to compete against. It makes it a lot tougher. But, I trust my fantasy skills enough, that here and there, with some luck I can finish at least in the money somewhere. For example, the contest i entered for this week is a $25 100,000 pot. Winner takes $15,000. They pay 300 places, which is at worst $75. I win even that, I have tripled my $$. if I lose...big deal, it's $25. And if I happen to win the $15,000....well..I'd be done for good. Someone has to win it.

 
msudaisy26 said:
LittleLarry said:
KellysHeroes said:
LittleLarry said:
Has anyone else struggled with this?
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dude, the site is ripping you off; do your best to stay away and theres no shame in seeking help for gambling. Your not the 1st and you won't be the last.
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You're 100% right.But I like FBGs a lot. Why are they choosing to be partners with a site that rips people off?
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Money
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The site is hardly ripping people off. They're very up front about the 'rake' and they post it on the top off every entry page. It's not FanDuel or Football Guy's fault when people don't read what their winnings would be.

 
ZigZagMan said:
msudaisy26 said:
LittleLarry said:
KellysHeroes said:
LittleLarry said:
Has anyone else struggled with this?
Click to expand...
dude, the site is ripping you off; do your best to stay away and theres no shame in seeking help for gambling. Your not the 1st and you won't be the last.
Click to expand...
You're 100% right.But I like FBGs a lot. Why are they choosing to be partners with a site that rips people off?
Click to expand...
Money
Click to expand...
The site is hardly ripping people off. They're very up front about the 'rake' and they post it on the top off every entry page. It's not FanDuel or Football Guy's fault when people don't read what their winnings would be.
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I would agree that the rake is not the issue here. That would imply OP's situation is perfectly fine apart from the fact that he's in the red instead of in the black. Financial loss isn't the problem, it's a consequence of the problem.

As far as FBG and FanDuel goes, it's a natural partnership based on the overall trend of monetizing fantasy football. They do it in different ways but many of the individuals here attempt to do it too. It's pretty dangerous and disingenuous to start pointing fingers at either one (or both) as the "bad guy" in this...

 
LittleLarry said:
KellysHeroes said:
LittleLarry said:
Has anyone else struggled with this?
Click to expand...
dude, the site is ripping you off; do your best to stay away and theres no shame in seeking help for gambling. Your not the 1st and you won't be the last.
Click to expand...
You're 100% right.

But I like FBGs a lot. Why are they choosing to be partners with a site that rips people off?
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OK, Little Larry...you lost me right here.

Its one thing to get involved with something that could lead to an addiction. Its something totally different to bash FBGs or Fanduel for their business deals.

 
Fanduel is certainly not ripping people off. They're very upfront about their rake. I play on Fanduel myself (low limits with money I'm not afraid to lose). I do think it's amusing though that for years Joe Bryant posted many times in poker threads in the FFA about how he couldn't understand why anybody would deposit money in an online Gambling site, and in the end his skepticism was proven correct. But now that its in his financial best interests, he's actively pimping an online Gambling site. I guess money talks.

 
Draftstreet is way better...got hooked on that recently. Smaller buy-ins ($5, $11, $22, etc) and potential to win more money if not make your money back at worst.

 
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