Zone out and your money flows away; go with the flow and your money might stay

Non peer reviewe

Identifying risk and mitigating gambling-related harm in online poker

The present paper conducts a critical analysis of the potential for gambling-related harm in relation to online poker participation, and a theoretical evaluation of current responsible gambling strategies employed to mitigate harm in online gambling and applies the evaluation of these strategies specifically to online poker gambling. Theoretically, the primary risk for harm in online poker is the rapid and continuous nature of poker provisions online, and has been demonstrated to be associated with disordered gambling behaviour, including the chasing of monetary losses. The following responsible gambling features were deemed relevant for consideration: informed player choice, voluntary self-exclusion, employee intervention, pre-commitment, in-game feedback, behavioural tracking tools, and age restriction and verification. Although current responsible gambling features are evaluated as theoretically robust, there remains a fundamental need for experimental validation of their effectiveness. Furthermore, despite online poker gamblers perceiving the responsible gambling features as valuable tools, in reality very few players regularly use available responsible gambling features. Ultimately, for the online poker gambling industry to retain market credibility and avoid substantial top-down regulation, it is imperative to demonstrate effectiveness of responsible gambling approaches, and increase customer utilisation of available harm-mitigation features

Poker as a Domain of Expertise

Poker is a game of skill and chance involving economic decision-making under uncertainty. It is also a complex but well-defined real-world environment with a clear rule-structure. As such, poker has strong potential as a model system for studying high-stakes, high-risk expert performance. Poker has been increasingly used as a tool to study decision-making and learning, as well as emotion self-regulation. In this review, we discuss how these studies have begun to inform us about the interaction between emotions and technical skill, and how expertise develops and depends on these two factors. Expertise in poker critically requires both mastery of the technical aspects of the game, and proficiency in emotion regulation; poker thus offers a good environment for studying these skills in controlled experimental settings of high external validity.We conclude by suggesting ideas for future research on expertise, with new insights provided by poker.Peer reviewe

Healthy Individuals’ Decision Making in Online Poker : Perspectives on Emotional Stability and Wellbeing

In our previous studies it has been found that a phenomenon labeled tilting is a form of moral anger. When players are in tilt they make a series of bad decisions, chase their losses and express anger by cursing their opponents. In the context of tilting, the players also report episodes of memory loss. Additionally, we also developed a scale that measures the level of a player's poker experience, and we found evidence to suggest that poker experience is associated with mature self-reflection skills. We also found that the likelihood of a poker player making the correct decision in poker decision making tasks increased as a function of self-reflection and poker experience. In Study 1 I found evidence supporting the hypothesis that the regulation of emotions is an important part of the skill set of poker players. Specifically, if poker players have read a story about betrayal where they are asked to take the position of the victim before they make their decisions in poker decision making tasks, they make mathematically worse decisions than those participants who have only read a control story. The effect was moderated by the presence of a pair of moving eyes placed on the screen, which were used as proxy for the social environment. The results support the hypothesis that tilting is related to moral anger, or at least some form of anger that seems consistent with the events taking place in the social context. In Study 2, I assessed the associations between the HEXACO personality inventory -revised and poker experience. I obtained evidence supporting the notion that emotional stability is positively associated with accumulated poker experience. In Study 3 I showed that poker experience does not seem to be correlated with emotional intelligence, selfishness, self-control problems, social alienation or lowered levels of life satisfaction. I also note that these measures correlate with instruments measuring problem gambling. However, I observed either no correlations, or correlations hinting towards health benefits, between these instruments and poker experience. I concluded that problem gambling instruments need further development Taken together our results indicate that there are numerous benefits in approaching the field of gambling studies from a non-clinical angle.Väitöskirja koostuu kolmesta osatutkimuksesta, jotka laajentavat aikaisempia tutkimuksiamme. Aikaisemmissa tutkimuksissamme osoitettiin että tilttaamiseksi nimetty ilmiö on moraalisen raivon muoto. Tilttaaminen on ilmiö, jossa pelaajat tekevät sarjan huonoja päätöksiä ja jahtaavat häviöitään ja ilmaisevat suuttumusta mm. kiroten kanssapelaajiaan. Tilttaamisen yhteydessä pelaajat ovat raportoineet myös muisti-katkoksia. Lisäksi kehitimme pokerikokemusmittarin ja löysimme todistusaineistoa, joka vittasi pokerikokemuksen olevan yhteydessä kypsiin itsereflektiotaipumuksiin. Huomasimme myös kokeneiden pelaajien tekevän sitä todennäköisemmin matemaattisesti oikeita päätöksiä, mitä korkeampi itsereflektiotaipumus heillä on. Väitöskirjani enimmäisessä artikkeleissa tulokset puoltavat hypoteesia jonka mukaan emootioiden hallinta rationaalisten päätösten tekemi-seksi on tärkeä osa pokerinpelaajan taitopatteristoa. Mikäli pokerinpelaajat olivat luke-neet suuttumusta aiheuttavan tarinan, jossa heidän piti asettua petoksen kohteeksi joutuneen ihmisen asemaan, tekivät he matemaattisesti huonompia ratkaisuja ratio-naalista päätöksentekoa edellyttävissä pokeripäätöksentekotehtävissä. Kyseinen ilmiö oli riippuvainen siitä tekivätkö pelaajat päätöksiään silloin kun näytöllä oli liikkuva silmäpari. Silmäpari toimii vastineena pokeripelin sosiaaliselle ympäristölle. Tulokset tukevat hypoteesia että tilttaamisessa olisi kyse moraalisesta raivosta Toisessa artikkelissa arvioimme HEXACO-PI-R persoonallisuusmittarin ja pokerikokemuksen välisiä yhteyksiä. Tulosten mukaan emotionaalinen tasapainoisuus on yhteydessä pokerikokemuksen kehittymiseen. Kolmannessa artikkelissa toteamme ettei pokerikokemus näytä olevan yhteydessä alhaiseen tunneälyyn, itsekkyyteen, itsekontrolliongelmiin, syrjäytyneisyy-teen tai alentuneeseen elämäntyytyväisyyteen. Samassa artikkelissa edellä mainitut ongelmat korreloivat ongelmapelaamista mittaavien instrumenttien kanssa ja ongelma-pelaaminen näyttää korreloivan pokerikokemuksen kanssa (joka ei kuitenkaan korreloi negatiivisten hyvinvointivaikutusten kanssa). Toteamme, että ongelmapelaamismittarei-ta pitänee vielä kehittää lisää

The role of emotions mediating decision-making among successful poker players

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Boston UniversityThis study was designed to explore the role of emotions mediating the decision-making process in poker. The research questions included: (1) What emotions are reported by poker players? (2) What are the poker-related predictors of the reported emotions? (3) How do the reported emotions influence decision-making? A qualitative approach was chosen for the eight intermediate poker players in the study. Data analyzed according to content analysis derived from semi-structured retrospective interviews and a think aloud protocol offered evidence that emotions impacted the decision-making process of intermediate poker players. Six distinct emotions were found to influence the decision-making process in poker: Pride, excitement, happiness, anxiety, frustration, and anger. Findings confirmed prior research of the role of frustration and anger in influencing suboptimal decision-making. Three main findings deviated from previous research: Positive emotions of pride and excitement were found to impact suboptimal decision-making, the negative emotion of anxiety was found to impact optimal decision-making, and the role of experience facilitated a healthier interpretation of, and reaction to, multiple emotions. The findings in this study provide practical and academic applications for researchers, poker players, and poker consultants. A number of different directions for future research are suggested, including more observation of naturalistic poker play, using real money for naturalistic poker play, and comparing the emotional experience of different stratum of experts and intermediates. Poker players could improve profit margins through using more active, facilitative forms of coping for strong emotional reactions, while poker consultants could help clients in proactively entering emotional zones that facilitate optimal decision-making.2024-09-3

All In - and More! Gambling in the James Bond Films

Scholarly analysis of gambling in the James Bond films is rare, despite the multitude of topics in Bondology and the fictional agent’s global fame. The odd commentary in gambling scholarship criticizes the franchise from the perspective of harm prevention. This article counters both groups of scholars with a qualitative interpretation of Bond’s gambling habits and the role of gambling and risk taking in the film series. A basic toolkit of visual methodologies is applied to the 24 EON-produced Bond films released in 1962–2015. The examination shows the critical importance of gambling to character identity, power hierarchies and communication, atmosphere, and sense of risk and danger. The study shows that not only gamblers and gambling, but also individual games and settings have narrative agency in the films. The results expand understanding about gambling in cinema and ways of studying it, and the existing readings in Bondology of the 2006 prequel Casino Royale. The findings encourage open-minded inquiries into diverse audiences and their responses. The findings call for, and exemplify the value of, deeper interdisciplinary understanding of popular culture in gambling research

New perspectives on emotional processes and decision making in the game of poker : with special emphasis on the tilting phenomenon

Poker, especially on-line poker, is a game of skill and chance that requires constant and rapid decision making under varying levels of risk and uncertainty. Poker playing skill encompasses both technical and emotional elements. In poker, it is possible to acquire enough experience and skill to win money in the long run. Yet every poker player, regardless of his/her skill, occasionally loses. Poor, out-of-control poker decision making due to negative emotions typically elicited by monetary losses is commonly known as tilting and often results in superfluous losses. The aim of this thesis was to evaluate psychological and physiological emotional processes associated with poker decision making. Studies I III were based on Internet-questionnaire data. Study I (N=60) was qualitative, and Studies II (N=354) and III (N=417) were correlative. The emphasis here was on exploring the underpinnings of the tilting phenomenon and the differences in emotion regulation abilities between experienced and inexperienced poker players. In Study IV (N=29), psychophysiological reactivity (electrodermal activity; EDA) was measured in a laboratory setting while participants played the No Limit Texas Hold'em (NLHE) poker variant on a computer. Overall, the results suggest that tilting behavior is instigated by loss-induced feelings of injustice/unfairness (moral indignation). These feelings are also associated with chasing behavior, where players attempt irrationally to regain the money that they feel is rightfully theirs. The aftermath of tilting was characterized by reports of sleeping problems and rumination over lost resources (Study I). A higher tendency to experience loss-induced negative feelings was associated with a higher reported severity of tilting (Study III). Experienced players, when compared with inexperienced ones, exhibited a more mature/impassive disposition towards losing and tilting (Studies I III), engaged in less self-rumination and more self-reflection, and made normatively better poker decisions (Study II). However, surprisingly, experienced players also reported more severe tilting (Study III). The EDA elicited while participants played poker on a computer was associated with various poker decisions (actions): Pre-decision EDA levels increased in the order of folding, calling and betting/raising. Furthermore, actions taken with strong and weak poker hands elicited higher EDA compared with actions taken with poker hands of medium/uncertain strength (Study IV). The results from Studies I III shed light on the associations between poker experience, emotion regulation abilities ( mental skills ) and tilting behavior. The results from Study IV allow for situating the game of poker within the theoretical framework of economic and neuroscientific theories of emotions and decision making by demonstrating that the EDA associated with NLHE decision making conceivably indexes the anticipated utility of the decisions.Pokeri erityisesti nettipokeri on taitoon ja sattumaan perustuva peli, joka edellyttää jatkuvasti nopeaa ja riskialtista päätöksentekoa. Pelitaitoon liittyy pokerissa sekä teknisiä että emotionaalisia osa-alueita. Pokerissa pelitaitoja voi kehittää, ja pelaaja voi jäädä voitolle pitkällä aikavälillä. Jokainen pokerinpelaaja taidostaan riippumatta kuitenkin häviää ajoittain. Tilttaamisella viitataan hallitsemattomaan ja heikkoon päätöksentekoon, joka liittyy tyypillisesti tappioiden aiheuttamiin negatiivisiin emootioihin. Tämän väitöskirjatyön tavoitteena oli arvioida psykologisten ja fysiologisten emotionaalisten prosessien yhteyttä päätöksentekoon pokerissa. Tutkimukset I III perustuivat Internet-kyselytutkimusaineistoihin. Tutkimus I (N=60) oli kvalitatiivinen ja Tutkimukset II (N=354) ja III (N=417) olivat korrelatiivisia. Erityisesti tarkasteltiin tilttaamisen syntymekanismeja ja kokeneiden ja kokemattomien pelaajien välisiä eroja emootioiden säätelykyvyissä. Tutkimuksessa IV (N=29) psykofysiologista toiminnallisuutta (ihon sähkönjohtavuus; EDA; electrodermal response) mitattiin laboratorio-olosuhteissa koehenkilöiden pelatessa tietokoneella No Limit Texas Hold'em (NLHE) -pokerivarianttia. Tulosten perusteella tilttaaminen käynnistyy häviötilanteessa epäoikeudenmukaisuuden/epäreiluuden (moraalisen raivon) tunteiden johdosta. Nämä tunteet ilmenevät usein jahtaamisen yhteydessä, jolloin pelaajat yrittävät irrationaalisesti voittaa oikeudenmukaisuuden nimissä takaisin aiemmin häviämänsä rahan. Tilttaamisen jälkitilassa raportoitiin univaikeuksia ja menetettyjen resurssien märehtimistä (Tutkimus I). Mitä vahvempi taipumus pelaajilla oli kokea häviöiden aiheuttamia negatiivisia tunteita, sitä vakavammin he raportoivat tilttaavansa (Tutkimus III). Kokeneet pelaajat suhtautuivat kokemattomiin verrattuna emotionaalisesti kypsemmin rahan häviämiseen ja tilttaamiseen (Tutkimukset I III). Kokeneet pelaajat olivat lisäksi kokemattomiin verrattuna taipuvaisempia itsereflektioon, vähemmän taipuvaisia märehtimiseen ja normatiivisesti parempia pokeripäätöksenteossa (Tutkimus II). Kokeneet pelaajat myös yllättäen raportoivat tilttaavansa kokemattomia vakavammin (Tutkimus III). Tietokonepokeripelin aikana mitattu EDA liittyi ennakoidulla tavalla erityyppisiin pokeripäätöksiin. Päätöksentekoa edeltänyt EDAn taso kasvoi järjestyksessä kippaaminen (engl. folding), maksaminen (engl. calling), ja panostaminen/korottaminen (engl. betting/raising). Lisäksi havaittiin, että vahvoilla ja heikoilla pokerikäsillä tehdyt päätökset liittyivät korkeampaan EDAn tasoon kuin keskivahvoilla pokerikäsillä tehdyt päätökset (Tutkimus IV). Tutkimuksien I III tulokset valottavat tilttaamisen syntymekanismeja ja pokerikokemuksen ja emootioiden säätelyn välistä yhteyttä. Tutkimuksen IV tulokset osoittavat, että NLHE-pelin aikana mitattu EDA heijastaa mahdollisesti pokeripäätösten ennakoitua hyötyä, ja siten mahdollistavat pokeripelin tarkastelun neurotieteellisten ja taloustieteellisten teorioiden viitekehyksessä