Exactly. It's important to remember that, while in theory you might win a particular game on average, that game does not exist in a vacuum. Suppose you're pla

Exactly. It's important to remember that, while in theory you might win a particular game on average, that game does not exist in a vacuum. Suppose you're playing a game wherein the gambling is only a component, and you also have some other use for the currency (say, it's the metric that causes you to win). The player in the lead should typically not bet all his money on any gamble, no matter how good the expected payoff. edit: Of course, there are exceptions to that last rule of thumb. It's just a common case.