More about Paddock’s video-poker playing
From the very beginning, when people starting saying that he must have “snapped” because he lost money gambling, I said I didn’t believe that he was a losing gambler.
Looks like I was right about that. All the evidence is that Paddock knew what he was doing, and he was playing with a very small disadvantage against the house but believed he was coming out ahead because of all the comps he got. So far, no one has turned up any evidence that he lost all of his money. (But I still think it sounds like a sad and boring life.)
Yes, Lion of the Blogosphere was right again! Why doesn’t anyone ever believe me?
(Why give him comps when he wasn’t that profitable for the casino? Because the casinos base comps on expected losses, which are based on how much the average person loses at video poker, rather than on what someone actually wins or loses. Only a tiny percentage of video-poker players play with a perfect strategy. The casinos put up with a small percentage of unprofitable comped video-poker players because the group as a whole is quite profitable.)
Lion of the Blogosphere 
When the media reported “poker”, I immediately thought he suffered a bad beat by some donk on a bad river card in Texas Hold em. But like you said, he would’ve shot him dead instead and maybe a few bystanders in the poker room.
Ronald McDonald
October 5, 2017 at 1:57 PM
Yes, Lion of the Blogosphere was right again! Why doesn’t anyone ever believe me?
Because you lose credibility when you promote stupid ideas like this attack being ISIS inspired.
Rifleman
October 5, 2017 at 5:33 PM
ISIS was the only credible logical motivation, but it fell apart upon lack of any follow-up evidence. Therefore, the conclusion is psychosis.
Lion of the Blogosphere
October 5, 2017 at 6:13 PM
ISIS was the only credible logical motivation
It was never likely. And you ruined your credibility promoting that type of theory.
It was from the start what people expected:
White trash scumbag decides to shoot a bunch of White people he never met for no reason because that’s what a lot of these guys do.
He was selfish, narcissistic, arrogant scum. And bad DNA as well.
Rifleman
October 5, 2017 at 9:11 PM
Paddock’s brother said he spent the last 20 years doing whatever he wanted to do all the time. If he woke up in the morning and wanted to fly to Japan for sushi, he’d fly to Japan for sushi. His brother also claimed that he had numerous relationships with women and remained on good terms with most them after they broke up. If you don’t want a wife and kids and you like to gamble, his life sounds like it was great.
Horace Pinker
October 5, 2017 at 2:04 PM
Until you become a lonely old man and realize your life is pointless and empty.
Rosenmops
October 5, 2017 at 4:16 PM
That’s one reason that I got married and had a kid, but I realize my preferences aren’t universal.
Horace Pinker
October 5, 2017 at 6:14 PM
Two months ago Paddock reserved rooms at a Chicago hotel overlooking the Lollapalooza festival but apparently never checked in.
Peter
ironrailsironweights
October 5, 2017 at 2:26 PM
Yes, sounds like he had this psychotic delusion for a few months.
Lion of the Blogosphere
October 5, 2017 at 2:52 PM
Yes, it sounds like he used the comps to fund part of his lifestyle – housing, travel, food, drinks, entertainment, etc. So the poker may not have been losses to him but rather the costs he was paying to fund his lifestyle.
Tom
October 5, 2017 at 2:35 PM
If a person wants a hotel room or drinks, why not just pay for them directly? The casinos aren’t in business for their health. They are not going to give you “free” stuff unless you are losing money more than winning it. I think the players use a card to play the video poker, so the casino would be able to collect data on individuals. If Paddock was really making money on video poker why would the casino give him free stuff to encourage him to stay? They would more likely try to discourage him. Unless maybe he was losing a lot of money playing other game.
Rosenmops
October 5, 2017 at 4:54 PM
I don’t think he was necessarily making money long term gambling. He probably had big swings down and up, which is part of the fun of gambling to gamblers. I think he enjoyed gambling, and gambling was part of the entertainment he was getting for his money in addition to the comps he was getting.
Tom
October 5, 2017 at 6:27 PM
From the very beginning, when people starting saying that he must have “snapped” because he lost money gambling, I said I didn’t believe that he was a losing gambler.
After suffering a job layoff in the ’01 recession, an acquaintance, secretively took up gambling, frequenting the Hard Rock casino most nights from about midnight to 4:00am. She got intoxicated with an early $60K win and kept expecting it to happen again. One night toward the end she advanced $20K on credit cards, lost it all w/i a couple of hours. After she was found with her brains blown out the next morning, her family discovered she had $100K debt in credit card cash advances all taken at the casino, another $100K in home equity re-fi debt, and liqidated $100K in IRAs – all w/i one year prior to her suicide. At the memorial service, friends, family, and former coworkers were stunned to hear about the gambling activity.
Smartest Woman on the Internet
October 5, 2017 at 6:14 PM
Expected losses and I wonder if they comp when the hotel is otherwise full? If they only comp during less-than-full periods they have little in the way of additional outlay per customer, might make money on the gambling, may make money on bar and restaurant and help keep up an active vibe that encourages other gamblers.
Curle
October 5, 2017 at 8:06 PM