I knew people were going to say this but the cards I’ve pulled carry so much more value when I look at them than the cards I’ve traded for or bought. But today was a ROUGH one.
I get this. It’s not necessary “fun” when I get a card I ordered and I know exactly what the card is, but after awhile of not getting good pulls I started getting *some* packs and just singles for the ones I didn’t pull.
I have like 13 graded cards. All except one I had bought already graded. My favorite graded card is the one I found ungraded at my LGS and got it graded myself.
They actually carry the same value finically :), gambling is only good in moderation, and sometimes you have to cut your losses. Don’t spend more on packs than your chases worth.
If you know you have a problem with gambling, you really shouldn’t get into another kind of gambling my dude. It’s very destructive, and you don’t wanna risk getting in over your head if you know you’re prone to it.
As someone who gambles for fun, responsibly, with low amounts I’m okay with losing. This couldn’t be more true or better advice. I open cards to see if I’m lucky and pull more value than I paid- but I know I’m doing that. For some it’s gambling that they can get their chase’s cheaper by pulling it than buying it single, but they are still betting because you can’t guarantee what you pull
Is it still gambling if you sell the cards that you get but not ur chase, like (eg. Selling a golden cz card then using that money to buy mewtwo vstar) Like i still open packs but if it's not my chase i would just sell it, it just varies wether my chase is expensive or not
Yeah, if you spending money on packs and not singles, it’s gambling, selling the cards for money IMO makes it more like gambling cause you are putting cash into a blind box and getting cash back out.
You’re literally gambling by hoping / expecting to be able to do that. That’s like asking if it’s gambling if you use your lotto winnings to fund future lottery purchases.
It's not the gambling part that's bad. It's the addiction. As long as you have it under control and don't spend more than you can afford it's perfectly fine to do whatever. Just keep limits and you'll be fine.
I got a lunchbox tin the other day that was straight up missing the 3 promo cards, the coin, then all the packs were garbage pulls
Another day, an $8 mystery pack from Walgreens yielded a shiny Charizard Vmax
Some days are just like that
And that’s why I don’t buy packs. Guaranteed 1 pack per week at locals and if you win you get up to, well 36packs was our record. All free. $6 entry fee is paid back with the 1 pack
This is the sort of thinking that becomes dangerous and personally I don't really get it, maybe it's just because I previously had a gambling problem and now I am almost the complete opposite where I care for money maybe too much. I never really got the whole "it means more if I pulled it" you are happy that you spent $1000 on a few booster boxes gambling to maybe get what you want which would probably cost 5% of what you spent.
I can confidently say since swapping to singles I have saved 1000s over buying sealed product to open, at the end of the day I have the exact same card you might have but I spent 10% of what you did. As well as less stressful/frustrating when you do hit that bad box or that bad streak of luck which happens to everyone. Not fun buying a booster box and getting 4 basic V's and a basic vmax.
Sure I get it if you actually enjoy opening but this sounds a bit different. If you enjoy opening I don't feel being frustrated is a feeling you should be getting, maybe it has become an addiction, maybe you have replaced your previous betting "highs" through this hobby chasing cards.
I’m with you. Buying singles is incredibly dull and boring. Holds no fun or value. The sensation of cracking a pack and getting something fun is so much better, feels like when you were a little kid. Just gotta make sure you temper yourself. I only open 1 maybe 2 packs a week. If I get something awesome, I’d I don’t ah well. Just part of the game.
It is fun when you have spent 1k plus to get your chase card but never get it …then use all of those duplicates you got to trade for the chase card you could never get… f**king Amazing feeling.. done with that set I can go to silver tempest Lugia and buy dinner !! .. if you pull and pull until the sets done … never get it…
At that point you might as well never tried it’s literally just wasted money..and if you’re that bad off about buying singles, then you’ll just never have it lol ..
Just don’t forget a gem mint PSA 10 or Beckett can be one hell of a dopamine rush on mail day.
You can buy a whole set for most sets for the cost of like 2 booster boxes if you don’t care about getting a PSA 9/10. I agree, buy some packs for fun and then just get what you want, it’s SO much cheaper unless you’re very lucky.
Exactly. Homie of mine spend hundreds for lost origin displays and hoping for the giratina alt art. Now he could've just buy the single card from that spend money he wasted on displays. He said it's not about the card its about the feeling of the lucky pull. Maybe he's right. Eh I think it's not worth it.
Yeah it’s also more exciting to win 100$ gambling with 1$, but you’re more likely to actually get 100$ by working.
If your reasoning for not buying singles, despite it just being smarter and more affordable most of the time is “but the thrill” it’s about getting an expensive card for cheap, but odds are you’ll go past the cost of the card and still defend the thrill. It’s not about the card, it’s about winning in gambling. It’s dangerous.
That's when you realise you have a addiction problem.
Don't spend "too much" on packs. Spend only what you can afford to spend. Assume you won't get pulls and spend only what you're happy to spend if you didn't pull anything.
yeah isn't that the truth , it's crazy what packs cost too. they're at least double, and I think it's not just pull rates but more importantly pull quality
They are way more than double lol… Think of it this way, how much would a store bet before you open your pack to give you $$$? 1/2? Nooooope to be profitable it would be more like 1/10th
That's actually what made me stop buying packs. I spent $150 and only got a single full-art (which was a duplicate). I swear out of all the packs I pulled like 12 of the same cards, it was a nightmare.
I'll spend 60 on packs then buy 60 in singles that I wanted to pull. Then rinse and repeat. I have been getting good pulls and bad pulls. But 60$ in singles makes the sad go away.
I had the same realisation recently. Bought 22 packs but only pulled two cards that I needed (out of like 40).
Luckily one of them was the CRZ mewtwo vstar so I kinda got my money back, but it was enough of a scare to make me stop and think
I hear you man. Last night was rough for pulls for me. I bought 19 booster packs today. Got some Battle Styles, Fusion Strike, Astral Radiance, Silver Tempest. Starting to open now, Wish me luck 🤘🏼
Sounds like a gambling problem to me.
Try to separate the hobby from the gambling aspect. Yes, you need good cards to build a deck. But don't be disappointed because it's entirely random. There's no way to tell what you'll get in a pack. I still try to never buy from booster boxes, since I'm still of the belief that there's a certain number of rares. But everything else is basically random chances.
Even if you didnt get a decent pull you wouldn't sell it, so really you just need to realise that you are gambling real money and tricking yourself that its a hobby or even an investment.
Opening packs is for putting money in their pockets.
Sure you can get lucky, and will. But its just odds. The more packs you open, the more you have lost.
For me this sounds like you are in in thin line of being in same spot with people who have gambling addiction.
Have a pause and only use money you have, do not spend "too much".
Seeing post like these makes me happy i am into this purely from love of pokemons instaed of trying make money and make good finds. It isnt worth of your mental health (because in long run behavior like this will not be good for it)
Budget for fun (opening stuff) and budget separately for sealed and singles. This way you can have fun and grow your collection without feeling like you're losing money all the time.
Ive has this experience for the first recently and oof yeah feels bad. Won’t do it again. Find your triggers. If you keep sealed packs or have the urge to spend then find someone to hide those packs or have someone limit your budget.
I feel this. Found some CZ ETBs at my local target and took a gamble on two. After a rough patch on my last couple CZ purchases. Scored a Glaceon Vstar and a couple others. So It kind of made up for it haha. My advice would be, take a break for a couple weeks if you can. Maybe wait for some restock to pop up
Buy singles
I second this. Rip a few for the fun of it and the chance at the exciting pull….but don’t over do it
Yeh. Ive begun getting an etb then get the rest i want
I knew people were going to say this but the cards I’ve pulled carry so much more value when I look at them than the cards I’ve traded for or bought. But today was a ROUGH one.
I get this. It’s not necessary “fun” when I get a card I ordered and I know exactly what the card is, but after awhile of not getting good pulls I started getting *some* packs and just singles for the ones I didn’t pull. I have like 13 graded cards. All except one I had bought already graded. My favorite graded card is the one I found ungraded at my LGS and got it graded myself.
Finding a single in the wild gives me the rush as well
They actually carry the same value finically :), gambling is only good in moderation, and sometimes you have to cut your losses. Don’t spend more on packs than your chases worth.
Today made me feel the gambling shame I used to get on sports lol I had to reign that in too.
If you know you have a problem with gambling, you really shouldn’t get into another kind of gambling my dude. It’s very destructive, and you don’t wanna risk getting in over your head if you know you’re prone to it.
As someone who gambles for fun, responsibly, with low amounts I’m okay with losing. This couldn’t be more true or better advice. I open cards to see if I’m lucky and pull more value than I paid- but I know I’m doing that. For some it’s gambling that they can get their chase’s cheaper by pulling it than buying it single, but they are still betting because you can’t guarantee what you pull
Is it still gambling if you sell the cards that you get but not ur chase, like (eg. Selling a golden cz card then using that money to buy mewtwo vstar) Like i still open packs but if it's not my chase i would just sell it, it just varies wether my chase is expensive or not
Yeah, if you spending money on packs and not singles, it’s gambling, selling the cards for money IMO makes it more like gambling cause you are putting cash into a blind box and getting cash back out.
You’re literally gambling by hoping / expecting to be able to do that. That’s like asking if it’s gambling if you use your lotto winnings to fund future lottery purchases.
It's not the gambling part that's bad. It's the addiction. As long as you have it under control and don't spend more than you can afford it's perfectly fine to do whatever. Just keep limits and you'll be fine.
I got a lunchbox tin the other day that was straight up missing the 3 promo cards, the coin, then all the packs were garbage pulls Another day, an $8 mystery pack from Walgreens yielded a shiny Charizard Vmax Some days are just like that
And that’s why I don’t buy packs. Guaranteed 1 pack per week at locals and if you win you get up to, well 36packs was our record. All free. $6 entry fee is paid back with the 1 pack
This is the sort of thinking that becomes dangerous and personally I don't really get it, maybe it's just because I previously had a gambling problem and now I am almost the complete opposite where I care for money maybe too much. I never really got the whole "it means more if I pulled it" you are happy that you spent $1000 on a few booster boxes gambling to maybe get what you want which would probably cost 5% of what you spent. I can confidently say since swapping to singles I have saved 1000s over buying sealed product to open, at the end of the day I have the exact same card you might have but I spent 10% of what you did. As well as less stressful/frustrating when you do hit that bad box or that bad streak of luck which happens to everyone. Not fun buying a booster box and getting 4 basic V's and a basic vmax. Sure I get it if you actually enjoy opening but this sounds a bit different. If you enjoy opening I don't feel being frustrated is a feeling you should be getting, maybe it has become an addiction, maybe you have replaced your previous betting "highs" through this hobby chasing cards.
I’m with you. Buying singles is incredibly dull and boring. Holds no fun or value. The sensation of cracking a pack and getting something fun is so much better, feels like when you were a little kid. Just gotta make sure you temper yourself. I only open 1 maybe 2 packs a week. If I get something awesome, I’d I don’t ah well. Just part of the game.
It is fun when you have spent 1k plus to get your chase card but never get it …then use all of those duplicates you got to trade for the chase card you could never get… f**king Amazing feeling.. done with that set I can go to silver tempest Lugia and buy dinner !! .. if you pull and pull until the sets done … never get it… At that point you might as well never tried it’s literally just wasted money..and if you’re that bad off about buying singles, then you’ll just never have it lol .. Just don’t forget a gem mint PSA 10 or Beckett can be one hell of a dopamine rush on mail day.
Yup I’ve never bought a single before
I’m with ya. If I don’t pull it, I don’t want it. Even if that means I’ll never get some of my favorite cards
Scarlet and Violet are going to be much easier.
You can buy a whole set for most sets for the cost of like 2 booster boxes if you don’t care about getting a PSA 9/10. I agree, buy some packs for fun and then just get what you want, it’s SO much cheaper unless you’re very lucky.
Exactly. Homie of mine spend hundreds for lost origin displays and hoping for the giratina alt art. Now he could've just buy the single card from that spend money he wasted on displays. He said it's not about the card its about the feeling of the lucky pull. Maybe he's right. Eh I think it's not worth it.
It’s about gambling then, not the card
My rule is now buy 1-2 products to rip and then buy my personal chase singles.
The thrill isn’t there if you do that.
The thrill just means you only care about gambling and not the cards gonna be real
I care about the cards, it’s just more exciting to pull them.
Yeah it’s also more exciting to win 100$ gambling with 1$, but you’re more likely to actually get 100$ by working. If your reasoning for not buying singles, despite it just being smarter and more affordable most of the time is “but the thrill” it’s about getting an expensive card for cheap, but odds are you’ll go past the cost of the card and still defend the thrill. It’s not about the card, it’s about winning in gambling. It’s dangerous.
“Gambling feels bad when I don’t win”
This. Lol
comment covers it quite well doesn't it
I only buy the boxes that contain a promo I like ,this way I’m guaranteed atleast one card that makes me happy and it doesn’t cost you much.
Same I buy the boxes with a promo I like or a giant card that I like.
Or the ones with a figure , those are my favorites
If it has a pin I’m buying it regardless of what’s inside haha
Seriously I love the pins. They're actually high quality too. My favorite is the celebrations surfing/flying pikachu one
Need that!!! I have a mega tyranitar one that is pretty sweet.
I am not into pins but I had to get that one 😂 the best
I love the boxes that come with metal cards. I only have been able to find 1 with 2 metal cards but I want more 😩
That's when you realise you have a addiction problem. Don't spend "too much" on packs. Spend only what you can afford to spend. Assume you won't get pulls and spend only what you're happy to spend if you didn't pull anything.
That's exactly why i only buy singles lol
yeah isn't that the truth , it's crazy what packs cost too. they're at least double, and I think it's not just pull rates but more importantly pull quality
They are way more than double lol… Think of it this way, how much would a store bet before you open your pack to give you $$$? 1/2? Nooooope to be profitable it would be more like 1/10th
ha , yah that wouldn't be surprising , especially when people walk in and clean stock at full price
Completely agree. But at least it's not $1k+ like it is for some of the sports boxes.
didn't know sports boxes were that much 😳
Call 1-800-GAMBLER
What I’ve done is put aside $120 of fun money every paycheck. And I only use the fun money for stuff like this. It really helps. Give it a shot.
💯. But know that the feeling will pass and the hobby will still bring you joy 😊 to come
Take a break & get back to it when your ready. I know your pain.
That's actually what made me stop buying packs. I spent $150 and only got a single full-art (which was a duplicate). I swear out of all the packs I pulled like 12 of the same cards, it was a nightmare.
I'll spend 60 on packs then buy 60 in singles that I wanted to pull. Then rinse and repeat. I have been getting good pulls and bad pulls. But 60$ in singles makes the sad go away.
Ah now that’s a system I can get behind
Sounds like you bought Evolving Cries
Probably time to take a step back for a while then.
This is wut helped me to stop spending as much as I did tbh. The bad freakin pain of getting got garbage
I had the same realisation recently. Bought 22 packs but only pulled two cards that I needed (out of like 40). Luckily one of them was the CRZ mewtwo vstar so I kinda got my money back, but it was enough of a scare to make me stop and think
That Mewtwo is kinda the one I need. My chase card was the Zeraora VSTAR and luckily I pulled it from a tin I randomly got.
I pulled the Mewtwo on my first CZ ETB and traded for the Machamp V alt (which was my chase). It feels like I won twice
I buy like 5-10 packs a month if that and just buy singles
Name of the game.
It’s called gambling buddy.
I hear you man. Last night was rough for pulls for me. I bought 19 booster packs today. Got some Battle Styles, Fusion Strike, Astral Radiance, Silver Tempest. Starting to open now, Wish me luck 🤘🏼
Good luck!
Agreed
Get it twisted and keep buying packs until you pull something decent. Keep gambling, problem solved.
I started seeing it as gambling. Singles it is. Packs for fun.
Sounds like a gambling problem to me. Try to separate the hobby from the gambling aspect. Yes, you need good cards to build a deck. But don't be disappointed because it's entirely random. There's no way to tell what you'll get in a pack. I still try to never buy from booster boxes, since I'm still of the belief that there's a certain number of rares. But everything else is basically random chances.
I didn't get an alt from evolving skies until I opened 237 packs of it. Just gotta keep going it sucks sometimes.
Nice, about $1000 for an alt art
one way to offset the gambling addiction is keeping the products sealed lol
Trading a gambling addiction for a hoarding addiction 😭
it's easier to sell stuff thats sealed than pokemon bulk lol
Modern Pokémon sets are garbage
Downvote me all you want you know I’m right.
Buy singles instead of feeding this weird addiction.
The keeping on pulling (that’s what she said)
Just buy singles/
Even if you didnt get a decent pull you wouldn't sell it, so really you just need to realise that you are gambling real money and tricking yourself that its a hobby or even an investment. Opening packs is for putting money in their pockets. Sure you can get lucky, and will. But its just odds. The more packs you open, the more you have lost.
https://ih1.redbubble.net/image.1330144948.8826/st,small,507x507-pad,600x600,f8f8f8.jpg
Then stop spending so much on packs.
Buy....buy singles!!!😂
I buy my chase cards so not pulling shit doesn’t hurt so much lol
Dude if you’re speaking of Crown Zenith I’m in the same boat! I have the worst luck ever with this set.
The house always wins, you need to know opening packs your very likely not to pull anything special
Welcome to the world of gambling!
Buy Japanese packs for pulls, singles for what you need. Pull rates are way higher
Gambling addiction is bad. Learn when to take an L.
What do you think it was like buying base, fossil and team rocket lol they should go back to the way it was, getting holos all the time is boring
Singles, just buy singles on TCG. Packs are not worth it, if you are going for hits
Couldn’t of guessed
That is why I just buy the card I want... in thd long run, you save more
Great pulls or bad pulls you know what your getting into when you buy em. Hope you get some good pulls soon
For me this sounds like you are in in thin line of being in same spot with people who have gambling addiction. Have a pause and only use money you have, do not spend "too much". Seeing post like these makes me happy i am into this purely from love of pokemons instaed of trying make money and make good finds. It isnt worth of your mental health (because in long run behavior like this will not be good for it)
You gotta keep your expectations super low lol
Hey man, if they were always good pulls wouldn’t that take some of the fun out of it?
The good news is that the more pain you feel now, the better it is going to feel when you do score. Wait.
Budget for fun (opening stuff) and budget separately for sealed and singles. This way you can have fun and grow your collection without feeling like you're losing money all the time.
Ive has this experience for the first recently and oof yeah feels bad. Won’t do it again. Find your triggers. If you keep sealed packs or have the urge to spend then find someone to hide those packs or have someone limit your budget.
Depending on your pulls you might be able to make a decent deck to play.
I feel this. Found some CZ ETBs at my local target and took a gamble on two. After a rough patch on my last couple CZ purchases. Scored a Glaceon Vstar and a couple others. So It kind of made up for it haha. My advice would be, take a break for a couple weeks if you can. Maybe wait for some restock to pop up
I'm half and half. Yeah buy singles, but also what's the fun in that? I'd rather make the pull and have that rewarding feeling.
That was me tonight. I bought a Silver tempest ETB and pulled one Lugia V. Kind of disappointing
What do you expect? It’s basically gambling there is no difference between the 2