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Aunty and Monsters

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Hoolulu Street behind Zippy’s Kapahulu

Monster houses have been popping up on the island of Oahu in neighborhoods that normally have single family dwellings with yards and frontages allowing for parking of their inhabitants.

Granted, Kaimuki isn’t a ritzy area.  It is spotted with some derelict houses amongst nice old houses and a few new big houses that don’t always fit in, BUT, 10 – 20 bedroom houses are being built on average sized lots that are zoned for single family dwellings, passing the permitting process with unusual speed.  These “homes” do not have enough parking (wasn’t there a requirement of 1 parking available per bedroom?), some are 3 stories (what happened to the height restrictions?) and they take up the entire lot without setbacks (aren’t there 10′ setbacks for front and back and 5′ setbacks per side?)

Aunty’s beloved Palolo Valley has fallen victim.  Wilhelmina Rise, with its already horrible lack of parking has a community up in arms, but the building goes on.

A recent KITV news report highlighted one project on Houghtailing Street with 29 (!) bedrooms and 17 (!) bathrooms that has been permitted as a 2 family unit.  The same contractor is building another one on Kalihi Street – a 6 (!) story home with 20 bedrooms and 16 bathrooms.  The parking situation on those streets will definitely cause problems.  These look and act like apartment buildings.

Regardless, these “homes” have NOT been in violation of building codes – until a City and County moratorium was passed this February with the Mayor signing off in March.  This is a temporary halt with rough edges until the new building code laws are changed sometime this year.

Currently, our State legislators are pushing through a bill to make lying to county inspectors a crime, to strengthen the enforcement side of illegal building and/or use.

A question to determine our future

Thomas Bena produced a documentary, “One Big Home”. about monster homes that started popping up on Martha’s Vineyard, in Chilmark – a rather laid back township, sort of like Kauai.  Some of those monster homes had 66,000 sq ft of building!  Aunty went to see a free showing of it since Thomas was in town.

Kristin Andres, a reviewer, asked this question, “What is it we value about our town, our community, and what is our responsibility in protecting it?”

Aunty feels that this is a question that everyone who loves our island should think about and answer.

You can also share it in a comment below.  Aunty’s answer of value is growing up in a neighborhood that is safe and friendly.  Having mangoes handed over from neighbors that call me “Aunty.”  It does not include being invaded by monsters and an over growth of buildings changing our skylines, horizon, and density.

Share your answers with your elected officials.  Let your voice be heard, and in doing so, you are doing your bit to protect our island lifestyle that is getting more fragile with every pour of concrete and uninhibited change.

 

 

What to do for a cold

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Aunty rarely gets sick.  It could be because she reaches for Congaplex by Standard Process Labs at the first hint of a sore throat, sniffles, or being around others who are sick.

However, this time, with no Congaplex in sight, this cold that started as a slight sore throat became a cough with a fatigued body.  Yuck!

*Update alert!  Ever hear of the hydrogen peroxide trick?  3 drops in your ear, for 10 minutes.  It cackles and crunches in the ear.  Then, remove with a qtip.  Supposedly works 80% of the time to kick out beginning colds and flu!

So Aunty is staying home (couldn’t testify about Monster Houses today, boohoo) and away from air conditioning and drinking lots of warm liquids.  Here is what Aunty is doing, and feeling better.

Oil of Oregano

Oil of Oregano was recommended by Jini of ListentoYourGut.com.  This stuff can burn the lips, so it is important to do as instructed – load up dropperful, tilt back head, insert into open mouth and squirt in.  Close mouth and swallow.  Let this sit in the throat.  It WILL be hot but manageable.  Then, drink water.  Oil of Oregano absolutely kills any bacterial infection and works very well for flu/strep throat and sinus issues.

Stop Eating

There was a saying, “Feed a cold, starve a fever” but Aunty believes in not eating when sick.  Perhaps a little bit of rice and chicken noodle soup.  A bit of crackers.  Nothing greasy or sugary.  By doing this, the digestive system of your body gets a break and you also stay out of the kitchen and stop spreading germs.

Drinking liquids

Years ago, Dr. Bernard Jensen (renown iridologist) taught us about a drink for fasting or while sick.

Maple syrup, 1-2 TSP

Fresh squeezed lemon juice to taste

Dash of cayenne pepper

Hot water

This is actually very delicious and has enough calories to give you energy.   Aunty made a big bottle of it and took it to class yesterday.

Vicks Vapor Rub and Air Detox

Peppermint and eucalyptus oils have such wonderful smell, and Aunty rubbed Vicks Vapor Rub on her chest and sprayed a paper towel with Dr. Schulze’s Air Detox.  This paper towel is very handy to breathe through as well as use to wipe off common areas of exposure such as door knobs and handles.

Tapping

Something new that Aunty tried, with skepticism is “tapping“.  Here is a video explaining the process of boosting your immune system (so you get well).  It was quite revealing to Aunty – and by golly, it works!  Take a number reading, from 1-10 of how bad you are feeling before, then after.

Load up on vitamins and good stuff

We all know that vitamin C is good for colds, so drink a lot of orange juice or take supplements.  B12 patches also help to give you energy and help you heal faster.  Green tea, clothing that keeps you warm but not hot, socks, and

REST!

Take it easy.  Allow your body to heal itself by not doing what you don’t have to do.  Pamper yourself and you will soon be well.

SLEEP….

This is probably one of the most important tips when sick.  When we sleep at night, the body’s immune system kicks in and the healing begins.

Unfortunately, it is very hard to sleep when battling a cold that keeps us up at night and makes us so terribly uncomfortable.  Aunty would toss and turn and watch the clock.  Finally after a couple of nights of poor sleep, she went out and picked lemon balm leaves that grows like a weed, poured hot water over the leaves, and drank the tea before bedtime.  It really helped to calm and aid in a good night’s sleep, and then the real healing began.

Not sure about taking sleep aids such as sleeping pills or cough syrup with codeine.  To each their own and now Aunty will take better care of her lemon balm bush that she would whack at to get rid of.

How to buy Bitcoin in Hawaii

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Bitcoin is something else.  When Aunty first heard about it, it was not for real.  Some made up internet money that was generated by computer power that took up a lot of electricity and buying it involved a lot of steps and verification in places that were new and unproven.  And how could a regular person like Aunty with very little techno skills buy it?

Well, the easiest way was to open an account with Coinbase, but they pulled out of Hawaii in a hurry after our State regulators got too strict.  After that, it became very difficult to buy bitcoin in Hawaii, and the tax bite on profits were quite high since it was considered to be “property”.

Using IRA money

Aunty used existing Roth IRA funds, transferring monies into an account with BitCoinIRA.com.  VERY high initial fees, long processing times, limited trading times, and delays in orders being taken and recorded.  It takes patience and is a bit complicated for things to get rolling, but it has been the best thing that Aunty has done last year because of the price movement of Bitcoin, and the zero tax status of using Roth IRA money in a Roth IRA account.

Matthew@BitcoinIRA.com was super helpful and had to answer Aunty’s many questions.  It is almost like there are 3 layers of transactions – Kingdom Trust being the custodian of the account, BitcoinIRA being the sales/mediator, and Bitgo being the wallet that changes dollars to digital currencies and back again.

Once the money is deposited into the Kingdom Trust custodial account, the fun begins.  Purchasing choices are the digital currencies: Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, Bitcoin Cash, or Ripple.  A call to BitcoinIRA starts the buying (or selling) process, then a confirmation call from Bitgo, and then in a few days, the transaction shows up on the Kingdom Trust account.  This can take over a week.  However, profit potential is huge because of the way these digital currencies move swiftly and spectacularly.  Some people like to just hold on for the ride.  Aunty likes to sell and buy, sell and buy.  Sometimes it works out, sometimes Aunty sells too soon.  But such is life and Aunty’s results have been pretty good.

Using a familiar broker, like Ameritrade

The easiest way to invest in Bitcoin is in a “stock” symbol GBTC.  Anyone with a trading account (Ameritrade, ETrade, Schwab, etc.) can buy GBTC at its market price, which had a tremendous ride last year, going from $100 to over $3,000 in a matter of months.  One share in GBTC represents .09 BTC, just under one tenth of a Bitcoin, held in trust.  It is something like an ETF (Exchange Traded Fund), but not really.

The market price of GBTC is quite a bit higher than the actual value of .09 BTC, which is why Aunty hadn’t bought into it BUT a 91 t0 1 split will soon be taking place, for those that have GBTC in their portfolio on January 22, 2018.

When this happens, each share of GBTC will be worth about 1/1000 BTC, so the price will be less per share and much more affordable for the average investor.  Instead of $2,000 per share, the split will shatter the old GBTC into 91 smaller pieces of .001 BTC that cost $20 per share if the market value of actual Bitcoin is at today’s pricing.

It will be an interesting split, that Aunty will want to be a part of.  To do this today will cost about $2,000 each – maybe more, maybe less, depending on what the market is for the day.  If that is too steep for you, wait for the split, and the cost per share will go down to ~$20 or so.

Opening a wallet of digital currency

Bitcoin now has more of a legitimate status nowadays.  Some businesses accept payment in Bitcoin (Aunty saw a sign in the Aloha Crepes window in Kaimuki “bitcoin accepted here!”)  You will be able to pay for your new Tesla car with Bitcoin.  Because it is a digital currency with no ties to a bank, a digital currency wallet is necessary to transfer Bitcoin in or out as well as convert to or from US dollars.

Opening and funding a wallet is very difficult, especially in Hawaii, but it is doable.  There are several wallet companies, but only a few that will accept us Hawaii people.  Aunty was finally successful with Abra, an online app on Aunty’s iPhone that can convert dollars and store Bitcoin, as well as send out fractions of Bitcoin to other wallets for products or services.  A small problem with Abra is that NONE of the Hawaii banks are acceptable for funds transfers, so you must have and get verification in a mainland bank account such as Wells Fargo, Citi Bank, Bank of America, etc.  You can only fund a limited number of dollars at a time, so it will take awhile to have a substantial wallet account, but a fraction of a Bitcoin today is better than none, in Aunty’s opinion.

You can also fund Abra with your American Express card but that comes with very very high fees, so your best option is to open a mainland bank account so you can use it with your Abra account.

If you are willing and have the patience to open an Abra account, congratulations!  It will be worth the effort.  Just be sure to write down your security “phrase”, word by word, in order, and complete each step.  Keep that in a safe place that only you have access to.  Your Abra “address” is a very long account number of upper and lower case letters with numbers.  This must be entered exactly as it reads, or one can use the QR code associated with the account.

Since this will NOT be an IRA or retirement account, your gains on crypto currencies (Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, etc.) are subject to taxation, so every transaction must be recorded for your account.  Especially your cost basis – what you initially buy Bitcoin for, and all subsequent buy/sell activities.

Spending Bitcoin transactions such as buying a cup of coffee at Starbucks must also be recorded, because spending Bitcoin is the same as doing a withdrawal or sale.

Using a wallet

Aunty used her Abra wallet to purchase USI-tech BTC packages.  This was an investment with daily payouts based on number of packages purchased.  However, USI-tech has recently halted its business side – the multilevel marketing side of signing up new people, and the purchase of more BTC packages.  What will happen to Aunty’s existing account is still up in the air, but, like any other investment, the risk was limited to what Aunty could afford to lose without losing sleep.

If and when the dust settles at USI-tech, the Abra wallet will be utilized to withdraw Bitcoin from USI-tech, converted into US dollars, then transferred to a bank account.

Phew!

It IS a huge learning curve, and this is just a small view from Aunty’s perspective and experience.  However, once you get used to it, you will love it because of the roller coaster ride into uncharted territories.

Aunty likes checking on her Bitcoin accounts with a free online app called Blockfolio.  This is an app that you add the digital currencies that you are interested in, or it can act like your own personal portfolio tracker by entering the number and price of your Bitcoin/Ethereum/etc. purchases.

Another way to follow the digital currency movements is with CoinGecko.  This website shows the most active digital currencies with links to price charts and info on each.  There are over 1000 different digital currencies that CoinGecko tracks with very up to the date prices.

CoinDesk is where the latest news, buzz, and opinions from various digital currency writers abound.  This site also has tutorials on what is Bitcoin, how it works, etc.

Aunty first decided to test the waters because of Teeka Tiwari of the Palm Beach Research Group.  His passion and belief in digital currencies is contagious, so kudos to him for his lessons and recommendations.  His advice is, even if you don’t subscribe to his service (quite expensive), buy a little bitcoin, even if only $100.

Aunty also says Buy Buy Buy!

But only invest what you can afford to lose.

For the average person, the hoops, verifications and requirements of establishing a digital currency wallet and custodian are overwhelming, and so, the simplest and most familiar way would be to buy GBTC with one’s stock account (i.e. Ameritrade).  Today’s price is around $2,000, but it will drop substantially after the 91 to 1 stock split on January 22.

Buying with Roth IRA money in BitCoinIRA is having the best of all possibilities because of the no tax on profits, with no reporting necessary.  The drawbacks are that it is a slow process to get going and the need to call in trades and wait for transactions to clear.  So far, BitcoinIRA it is the only game in town that handles IRA funds in ways that will comply with IRS regulations, so it IS the one.

The beauty and wisdom of a Roth IRA and growing up

Aunty once did a post on opening a Checkbook IRA.  That post is the cornerstone of Aunty’s legacy, and hopefully taken to heart by Aunty’s readers, young and old.

The Roth IRA is a gift from the government, but only if it is opened, funded, and used for growth.  Aunty never thought she would be old – until she was called “Aunty” by some young kid on the bus.  From that point, there was no turning back.

Other than having a younger body, Aunty wouldn’t want to turn back.  She would lose her Ross Stores senior discount on Tuesdays and the long awaited Zippy’s Senior Discount card!  Life is shorter, but better now.

 

 

New Year Plans

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This is a excuse/to-do/notice post since it is already the 6th day of the New Year!

2017 was one of much change – so many endings, which then creates new beginnings. Aunty tends to love change so it was a great year, and 2018 will be one of growth and expansion.  One of Aunty’s favorite New Year posts was from 2016 – Make like a tree and …

Upcoming posts will be about The Fascianator, something that pal Wandaful persuaded Aunty to go to, a neat tip about storing plastic shopping bags, investing in bitcoin (SUPER exciting), benefits about having a C-corporation, more health and healing posts (Aunty has been procrastinating about writing Uncle’s Battle about cancer, hospitals and options), and an overdue life changing post about Mari Kondo’s “Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up” book in practice.

btw, Happy New Year everyone!!!  Please turn off the news and avoid reading about events that upset you.  Take care of yourself, your home, and your loved ones.  Be safe and snug.  Only do the things that you want to, be with who you like, and embrace each day as a new start filled with hope, goodness, and possibilities!

How to remove sticky residue labels from jars

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Aunty loves to collect empty glass bottles and keep their lids. However, most labels that come with those bottles are too branded so Aunty likes to remove their identity by removing labels.

Goop Off or lighter fluid was the solution of choice. However, the toxic fumes and the danger of ignition bothered Aunty’s sense of environmental goodness. Searching on wonderful Google, Aunty found Cheryl at ThatsWhatCheSaid, and her super simple, cheapo and effective way to remove the sticky residue that some labels leave after the paper or plastic is peeled off.

Super simple:

Equal parts of baking soda and vegetable oil. Mix to a paste, apply to the bottle, wait a few minutes, then scrape and wipe off.

It works wonderfully well!

Aunty uses a short plastic fork in a disposable cup to mix, then uses the same fork to apply and also to scrape after sitting time. A paper towel then wipes up the gunk. Sometimes a 2nd application may be needed. Then, wash the bottle and Voila! A naked wonderful bottle.

It doesn’t seem to work with the non sticky type of glue. But that’s okay. Aunty will use the toxic stuff for that – later.

Thank you Cheryl, for your great tip!

Monster house – let us stop them on Wednesday!!!

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*** Update!  By a unanimous vote, the monster houses will be stopped, but it will take some time before the details are worked out and it becomes law.  We are all so happy, and it was Trevor Ozawa who really started the ball rolling because so many people in his district called and begged for help.  

Aunty recently got an update about the bill to stop the monster houses.  The council might vote and decide on zoning and permitting criteria this Wednesday, December 6 at City Hall.  The agenda is a pretty full one, so the Resolution 17-276, CD1 pertaining to the monster houses will probably be discussed a little later, perhaps even after the lunch break.  The meeting begins at 10:00 am, and live feed can be accessed on the Honolulu.gov website, under the “event calendar”, click on the “City Council – Live meetings”.  This will allow viewers to see the actual meeting in real time and get a better idea of when the resolution 17-276 will actually be heard.

Written testimonies can be submitted online.  Oral testimonies (1 minute in length) can be done by either registering online, at the door, or after others have testified about their opinions about monster houses, yea or nay.

Here is some info that Aunty received about the process:

Councilmember asked that I send you a copy of Resolution 17-276, CD1 relating to monster homes.  This resolution will be up for adoption at this week’s December 6th Council meeting at Honolulu Hale.  We anticipate that this resolution will be adopted by the City Council and will require the Department of Planning and Permitting to start the review process on the bill attached to the resolution.

We hope that you will be able to come down to Honolulu Hale to testify in person, but if you are unable to do so, please submit written testimony.  I have provided the link to both the resolution and Council agenda for your reference.  The resolution is listed on page 17.

Resolution 17-276, CD1: http://www4.honolulu.gov/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-201637/Replacement%20sheet.pdf

Council Agenda: http://www4.honolulu.gov/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-201875/120617%20Council%20Agenda.pdf

Here are the instructions on how to register to speak and/or submit written testimony;

SPEAKER REGISTRATION

Persons wishing to testify are requested to register by 10 a.m. as follows:

a. On-Line at http://www.honolulu.gov/ccl-testimony-form.html;

b. By faxing to 768-3826 your name, phone number and subject matter;

c. By filling out the registration form in person; or

d. By calling 768-3819 or 768-3814.

Persons who have not registered to testify by 10 a.m. will be given an opportunity to speak on an item following oral testimonies of the registered speakers. Each speaker shall not have anyone else read their statement and is limited to:

a. three-minute presentation on Public Hearing, New Business and Sunshined items;

b. one-minute presentation on all other items.

WRITTEN TESTIMONY

Written testimony may be faxed to 768-3826 or transmitted via the internet at http://www.honolulu.gov/ccl-testimony-form.html for distribution at the meeting.

If submitted, written testimonies, including the testifier’s address, e-mail address and phone number, may be posted by the City Clerk and available to the public on the City’s DocuShare Website.

Thank you for your support.

Let’s show up or send in testimonies to preserve our neighborhoods!  The last time Aunty went to testify, she was only 1 of 2 local people – outnumbered 10 to 1 by foreign builders, investors, and their support groups.  Let’s stop the monsters BEFORE they take over, okay?  Please?

Thanking you in advance,

Aunty

TV Aunty and Monster Houses

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Honolulu, Hawaii news, sports & weather – KITV Channel 4

(Aunty on TV at the 2:30 time frame)

Some things really bother Aunty.  Some are small kind stuff, like personal issues such as age spots on her face.

One big thing that really bothers Aunty is when our Hawaii paradise is under attack.  You know the words to that song by Joni Mitchell, “Don’t it always seem to go, that you don’t know what you’ve got ’till it’s gone.  They paved paradise, and put up a parking lot.”

Those lyrics are so sad – bulldozing away wonderful mango, avocado, lychee trees and old houses – with an asphalt parking lot.  Imagine this happening to your neighborhood: contractors come in, remove all of the trees and put up a monster house with 20+ bedrooms with the minimum amount of setback allowed.  That is taking away paradise in a worse way than a parking lot.  In fact, a parking lot would be far more welcome because these monster houses do not build with enough parking on the lot for a potential 20+ cars.

Recent news articles and news reports have brought these eyesores out for our view.  Aunty feels so bad for the broken hearted residents of Koko Drive, where a monster house has invaded their quiet street with a massive 16 bedroom 3 story house, and another one soon on its way, with 16 bedrooms and 11 bathrooms.  These are not houses.  They are apartments.

These monstrosities have to be stopped.  Thankfully, our district’s councilman, Trevor Ozawa (808-768-5004), is introducing a bill to change the current regulations, and councilwomen, Ann Kobayashi (808-768-5005) and Carol Fukunaga (808-768-5006) are asking for a moratorium on the permitting and construction of these huge houses.

However, we all need to get involved for these measures to be passed.  Show up at your neighborhood board meetings.  Call the mayor’s office (808-768-4141), call your city councilperson, send in testimonies.  It could happen to you next door, so what you do today will affect your piece of paradise in the future.  Go to the public hearings at City Hall.  Aunty testified at the November 16 meeting.  We locals were very underrepresented, and most of the testimonies were by foreign contractors and their representatives who are opposed to changes in the regulations to limit building size in residential neighborhoods.  Their reasoning was that what they were doing was actually good for Hawaii.  Ha!

Please get out and reach out to whoever you can grab.  Otherwise, our residential single family home neighborhoods will turn into a high density apartment housing like Makiki.

Aunty is on a mission, not just for herself, but to protect our fragile island paradise.  The next City Council meeting on zoning will probably be in December.  Aunty will be there, hopefully with smaller bags under her eyes.

How to win in Vegas

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Aunty just got home from a 5 day Vegas trip – for the 15th (and last, boohoo) Clay Carnival.  It was outstanding and Aunty is all-in to start playing with her polymer clay again.

The Clay Carnival was held in the Linq Hotel, on the Strip.  It was always held at this location, though the names and ownership have changed over the years, for it was originally the old Imperial Palace (dinky but charming), then the Quad, and now the Linq.  Aunty had to request a room change after the first night because the nightly booming music from the Harrah’s side would have made her a wreck for the rest of the week.  Because the request was made midweek, rather than on the crazy busy weekends, Aunty got an even better room in Tower One, close to the elevators.

Tables unplayed

Aunty likes to play table games, such as Pai Gow poker and Craps.  (note:  did you know that table games’ winnings are not reported as income?)  Unfortunately, or maybe it was fortunate, Aunty’s Carnival playmates did not play table games, and so Aunty went along with them to donate her money to the slot machines.  Bleech.  They truly are bandits with bells and whistles.

People play slot machines because of the potential of a big easy win.  Big, and super easy to play, no real decisions to make other than minimum or maximum bets.  They make so much noise to stir up the excitement of a small win with “cling cling cling!” and lights flashing.  The pattern becomes – win some, lose all.  Vegas takes more than it gives.

Regardless, it is a place of hope, unconstraints and possibilities.  Where else can one wake up too early (4:00 AM) and play a giant popping rubber dice Craps machine with a complete stranger from Georgia for a few minutes and start high five-ing mutual victories?  Or to shout out “Winnah!” when your number is finally called at In and Out Burgers?

First class benefits

Aunty almost always flies home on first class (using Hawaiian miles to upgrade).  Life is too short and the difference in comfort and food is worth the expense, in Aunty’s opinion.  This recent return flight was exceptional because it had seats that became flat enough to lie down with just the right amount of legroom and storage.  Aunty’s seatmate was quite a character, with a black top hat, black skinny mustache and black clothes on a skinny frame.  He kept jabbing Aunty with his elbow or poking her with his finger as he talked, to emphasize his points.  And he had many points.

He was almost a professional gambler, being an emerald/platinum/high roller status in several hotels in Vegas.  Hotels would have limo services at his disposal and complimentary rooms whenever he visited Vegas, and he visits Vegas at least once a month.  Even the flight attendants on our flight knew him well since he was such a regular to them.

His game was roulette.  He tried to explain his theory – breaking the wheel into 8 parts and playing the board in such a way that 60% of the numbers were his.  It was Greek to Aunty and much too complicated, so Aunty mentioned how slot machines are for losing money.  He poked Aunty with his elbow.  “Not so,” he said, “I always make small money on the machines and then play for big money on the tables.”

How does he win in slots?

By not being greedy.  By not going for the big win.  His goal on machines is to NOT win more than $1200 or else it will have to reported to the IRS as income.

He poked Aunty as he started his lesson.  First, you put your player card in the machine of your choice (though he does move around a lot testing out different machines in a casino).  Then, insert your money into the machine and begin playing.  Machines almost always pay out a little bit in the very beginning.  $2, maybe $5, sometimes even more.  After a very short time, while you are up in profit, push the “cash out” button and take the ticket.  Get cash for it.  Go back on the same machine (your player card is still in it) and play again for a short while until you are up again.  Aunty got the elbow jab.  “Cash out” again, take the ticket and get cash.

Poke, poke.  By cashing out on the machine, the machine thinks that you are leaving.  If you stick the cash out ticket back into the machine, it knows that you are back.  Poke, poke.  So don’t play the machines with your tickets.  When real cash is put in the machine, it thinks that it is a new player and it pays out a little again in the beginning.  The machine is attempting to hook you in early with easy small wins and then keep you in the seat, chasing the bigger win that usually does not come.

Bing!

The light bulb went off in Aunty’s head.  Almost every time that Aunty sat down at those machines, it paid out wins in the beginning, with a lot of clanging and lights.  $20 became $24 quite easily.  And what does Aunty do?  Keep on playing and hoping for a bigger pay off, until the $24 goes down to nothing.  The machine knows better than us – we hope like fools, and fools will lose in the end.

Rinse and repeat to win

If we could get away from our natural tendency of playing to win big, and instead play to win small consistently, then we are not gambling.  We are investing and having fun at the same time.  Meanwhile, because our player cards are in a machine, our play credits are piling up on our account which start adding up to enough credits for some comps or bonuses.

A very successful stock market guru taught Aunty the same thing.  Rather than going to bat for the homeruns that rarely happen, hit for 1st or 2nd base, every time.

Very good advice.  Well worth listening to and doing.

Well worth all the elbow jabs and finger pokes, don’tcha think?

Update:  Aunty tried this machine theory in Vegas, and it works!  Well, not in a homerun way, but in a way that losses are limited, and gains are small (though it COULD potentially get big if hitting it lucky).  Pai Gow was Aunty’s downfall this time, but machines were good, with small gains, small losses, and still taking money home.  It did take discipline, cashing out from machines when $20 went down to $16, and when $20 went to $24 (or higher on a good last win).

A new tip is to hold your $20 and $100 bills in a clear zip lock quart size bag along with your cash out tickets. Cash out and write down how much went into the machine (i.e. playing a machine(s) 6 times with $20 bill = $120, and the total that the cashier cage gives you is your net.

Also, the higher the max bet on the machine, the larger the bills you insert otherwise you will hit the low limit of 20% too soon.  Never insert $1s or $5s because they are “cheap” bills and don’t mean much to you, and the machines know this and will take them from you very quickly.

Good luck, happy playing, and bring at least some of your gambling money home!