Superstitious much? Like cards, craps, and guessing games? Do you play the odds even when you know they are not in your favor because the jackpot is winking to you? Do you think when Lady Luck brushes against you you’ll have the magic touch on slot machines, lottery tickets, street games, horse races, and any game at all? Then, hello, Gambler! 

Gamblers come from all walks of life, but they share one common trait: they believe that chance is on their side. They prefer to make sure of this with strategies and calculations. And while not usually resorting to outright cheating, a Gambler will certainly exploit any opportunity to turn the game to his or her favor. For the Gambler, the thrill of the game is almost as much fun as the result — almost…. But even when Gamblers lose they believe a big win is just around the corner.

Gamblers are the personification of the “get rich quick” scheme. They believe their mental abilities will overcome any obstacles and they always think they’re the smartest person in the room. Gamblers have the ability to view a problem from multiple points of view to find the one that’s most advantageous to their own bottom line.

Gambler Superpowers

• Optimistic (often overly so) about the chances of hitting it big
• Clever, cunning, and smart like a fox
• Logical thinker
• Master strategist
• Stamina for days, or more likely nights into days (into nights, into days…)

A Happy Gambler
The moment of great risk holds inside it great hope, anticipation and delicious tension; it’s the height of happiness for the gambler. However, great risk is also what the Gambler attempts to minimize before almost any bet. Gamblers will also bet on pure randomness for the sheer joy of learning the outcome. They are happiest when they have someone around from whom they can consistently take money by outwitting them in apparent games of chance. For the Gambler, figuring out how the other person will play the game is like the gold at the end of the rainbow.

Famous Gamblers
Alvin “Titanic” Thompson (“The Man Who Bets on Anything” was the basis for Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls); Fyodor Dostoevsky (while a renowned writer of novels, including The Gambler, his gambling was famously analyzed by Freud, and a number of his works centered around gambling and addiction); Wild Bill Hickock (he was shot during a poker game holding a pair of aces and eights, now known as a “Dead Man’s Hand”)

Gambler Entourage
Gamblers hang out together. They sometimes have relationships with Codependents and Victims, and they can be closely associated with the Cheater.

Gamblers in Love
In love, like life, the Gambler likes to be in control. They’ll always be looking for the next score, which can be good or bad. When they are winning and riding the crest of the wave, the Gambler can be lavish and extravagant, treating their partner to the finest things in life. If they hit a bad streak, however, the Gambler can’t be trusted around any of your finances. They will think nothing of borrowing on your credit cards or taking your cash, knowing they’ll “pay you back” as soon as they start winning again. They’ll believe it, too. The next bet will be the one to turn things around.

Gambler Challenge
The challenge for the Gambler is knowing when to quit. If they’re winning, they don’t want to stop because every roll of the dice or turn of the card brings them more money, power, or prestige. If they’re losing, those same dice and cards hold the promise of a return to glory and riches on their next flip.

How to Play It
If you know a Gambler, be careful. Make sure you protect yourself since that what the Gambler will be doing. They may see you as another wager to be won.

If you see bits of the Gambler in yourself, understand you will lose as often, if not more so, than you win. Sometimes the odds are too long for you to overcome and if you don’t play it right, you could get in trouble which you’ll find it increasingly difficult to get out of. When money is involved, and it always is, people are not forgiving.

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