"Rien ne va plus!". "No more bets!" There you are again at the roulette table, relying on luck and chance for a better payout, for a chance to earn more than what you put in. Your eyes are set on the wheel, and your ears are tuned to the sound of the dealer's voice. "This time, I just cannot lose", is the mantra playing in your head. Without a single estranged thought on your mind besides what's in front of you, you hold your breath as that anticipated second is approaching.

"The only difference between a winner and a loser is character" -Nick "the Greek" Dandalos. New World College Dictionary defines character as: the pattern of behavior or personality found in an individual; moral strength; self-discipline, fortitude, etc. Successful casino gambling definitely takes self discipline and fortitude. I have seen many a loser in my day and they all have one thing in common, they lack self discipline.

Being successful at casino gambling is more than just catching a winning streak, or hitting a big jackpot, and while that might make you a winner for the day, it doesn't make you a successful gambler. No, to be successful you need to have a game plan that includes knowledge of your game, correct play based on that knowledge, proper money management, and the discipline and fortitude to implement all of those.

Knowing your game is paramount to your success, you need to know what bets to make and when to make them, you need to know the house advantage (or house percentage), you need to know the odds to win a particular bet, and you need to know which bets are not so smart. Then you need to plan your play accordingly and have the discipline and fortitude to stick with that game plan. Properly playing your last dollar the same way you played your first dollar.

I have also heard many a gambler say, "I am taking so much with me to lose", and while you should never take more than you can afford, you certainly are not taking it to lose, you are taking it to win, and you had better have that mind set from the get go! Proper money management says plan to win (realizing that losing is part of winning). I know you are thinking that doesn't make any sense, so let me give you a baseball analogy.

To be successful as a hitter in baseball you should be have a batting average around.300, and if you do, then you are considered a success. However, by hitting.300 that means you have made an out 7 out of 10 times, or in other words you have failed 70% of the time, so failing (or losing) is part of success. You cannot win every time you play no matter how well you game plan, so losing has to be part of that plan, and having the discipline to stay with that plan while in a losing streak takes fortitude.

Character (self-discipline and fortitude) is the difference between winners and losers. Know your play. Know your way.