The adjective ‘degenerate’ has a special place in the heart of gambling enthusiasts everywhere – But what’s a degenerate, exactly?
From being considered a serious character-flaw, to a term used in jest by gamblers themselves, anyone who’s spent time at the poker table, sportsbook, or real money online casinos has likely heard the term. But how do we define degenerate?
Let’s take a look at what a degenerate is, degenerate meaning, and 10 signs you might be one.
1) Bankroll Management Is Non-Existent
Huh? What’s bankroll management?
If you head into sportsbooks or casinos without a solid idea of your budget, how much you’re willing to lose sports betting (or, if losing isn’t an option) you might want to reassess your betting hobby.
Or, if you’ve ever placed a bet and hope to win, so you can pay off another bet? You just might be a degenerate.
2) Superstitions Rule Strategy More Than Well, An Actual Strategy
Feel compelled to rub your lucky rabbit’s foot before playing a hand in poker, refuse to play without your signature card protector, or only wear that pub crawl t-shirt you wore in ’07 when you won your first micro-tournament?
Do you have a lucky jersey and insist on wearing it during every game you bet on? Only bet on red in roulette because you think red is luckier?
Answer yes to any of these? You might be a slave to gambling or poker superstitions, and yes, a degenerate.
3) Drunk Bets > Drunk Texts
If you have more of an issue placing wild bets while drunk than sending a misspelled, ill-timed text message, you just might be a degenerate.
4) You Claim To Have A ‘Foolproof’ Betting System.
Do not pass go. And most certainly don’t collect $100 — any betting system that touts itself as ‘foolproof’ has probably also lost a few G’s.
5) When October Hits, Halloween barely Registers—It’s All About The MLB, NCAA, NBA, And NFL Seasons For You.
Happy Halloween? More like happy baseball-college basketball-hockey-football-basketball-betting week.
Regular table tennis bettor? You know what that means…
6) You Bet On Table Tennis — Before The COVID-19 Pandemic Hit.
We don’t blame you if you turned to table tennis when COVID-19 hit (thank goodness for a sport that’s meant to be played 6-feet apart, am I right?) but if you were trying to parlay your table tennis bets before the pandemic hit, this is a pretty good indication you might be a degenerate.
NCAA games and major league sports aren’t enough?!
7) You Can Make Anything Into A Betting Event.
Who will break the bigger half of the wishbone at Thanksgiving? Who will fall asleep first during a movie?
Sure, life can definitely be more fun when you bet on it, but if you regularly seek to make everything about staking & winning money, you just might be a degenerate.
8) The Athletes You Admire Are Pete Rose, John Daly, and/or Charles Barkley.
If you look up to any of these athletes (we’ll also accept Michael Jordan), for their gambling prowess as much as their athletic ability, this is a pretty good sign you’re a degenerate.
9) You Don’t Just Play Poker, You Bet On It.
We’re the first ones to pull up a chair to the proverbial online poker table — but, if you’re making bets on poker games outcomes in addition to playing, you might want to control that bankroll.
10) You’re Not A Degenerate, Your Friends Are.
We hate to use a cliché, but if it quacks like a duck, looks like a duck, and lives in a pond… If you bet on & watch sports with your friends, they have terrible bankroll management, but you think they’re the only ones with a problem? Do we have to spell it out?
We’re not scientists, but we’d say there’s a high correlation between you being a degenerate gambler if your friends are.
Please Note: This article is written satirically — If you have a problem gambling, click here for more information & resources to help. Remember to always gamble responsibly, and only if you’re 18+.
