The key is this: You must learn to put a priority on keeping your gambling ventures fun (and hopefully profitable) by not doing anything to hurt yourself. With your session bankroll firmly in place in your pocket or purse, always enter the casino with a positive mental attitude. It may not have any scientific or even practical basis, but it certainly isn't going to hurt you. A positive, upbeat attitude can only help. 

OK. You're in control of your bankroll and you have a winning outlook. Now it's time to set a goal. Barring the cruel possibility that you will lose, will you be happy with breaking even? Coming out a few bucks ahead? Doubling your money? Hitting the jackpot? 

if you desire to be a true recreational gambler who enjoys the games for the fun of them and the prospect of winning more often than not, you should resign yourself to striving to come out ahead even if only by a modest sum. If the big hit or a slot jackpot comes, so be it. But never expect it and never chase it. 

Turning a toothpick bankroll into a lumberyard of greenbacks is very hard to do. The much-publicized winners of megajackpots are few and far between. The tens of thousands of people who sat down to play the machines to pump up those megajackpots but went home broke don't get their pictures in the casinos' brochures or on the billboards. If you want to make a pleasant pastime out of casino gambling, going for the progressive jackpot every time you play will ultimately cost you your gambling bankroll. 

Let's put our strategy to work. Say you've brought along $100 with which to play. Your first goal should be to pull ahead by $50. If you do, take that money and immediately set it aside and forget about it. If the fortunes turn against you and your original $100 bankroll evaporates, you'll still have your $50 "nest egg" tucked away to assure that your session is not a total wipeout. 

Your next goal, after getting $50 locked up, should be to double your money. If that happy situation develops, be sure to put a lock on your original investment and play only with your winnings. Your continual goal, even with your winnings, is to be sure that you set a loss limit for yourself. For example: Say you've successfully doubled your money and then won another $30 surplus. Leave the table or the slot machine when (or if) that $30 is gone to preserve your winning session. Always be sure to capitalize on your success. Don't give it back. 

Once the money is in your pocket, it's your money.  Don't fall prey to the popular notion that whenever you win you are playing "with the casino's money," which can give you license to be more daring. Sure, there are times when such strategy can work in your favor. But in just as many cases it leads to recklessness and, ultimately, failure.

When the casino wins, do you think they regard it as "your money"? Of course not! It's theirs-to have, to hold and to increase their profit margin. Be a smart casino player, and more important, a thrifty one: Use winnings to increase your profit margin, not the casino's.

 An enjoyable evening out needn't cost a fortune ... and once you're in a casino, it's sometimes very tempting to spend more than you originally intended. So you'd be wise to determine how much you want to spend on an evening out. And to make sure not to bring more than that amount with you.

 And you needn't feel awkward about retiring from play when you're winning.

 Set modest goals for yourself and let the big hits come when they may. Be happy with small gains. They add up to big winnings over the course of a year, no matter what your level of play That's why it's important to keep accurate and documented records of your visits to the casino.

 Record-keeping serves two purposes: One, you'll be better prepared when tax time arrives if gambling winnings is taxable in your country and you have to report them, and two, you'll have a much better perspective on just where you stand on the win/loss ledger as the year progresses.

 My suggestion is to purchase a notebook or set up an accounting system in your home computer. Every time you go gambling, make an entry in your journal noting the date, the casino you went to, the time of day, the amount of money you gambled, the games you played and your net losses or gains. Make special note of anything unusual in the way of wins or losses, and be sure to keep in a special envelope any receipts from parking, dining, cash advances, etc. By knowing exactly how much money you're ahead, or how much money you're down, you'll be in a better position to budget your gambling dollars for future visits and, at the same time, get a handle on where you stand before things get out of hand and you start to wager beyond your means.