Post #1, "Snake Eyes"

This past Wednesday, the Criminal Minds show that aired was called "Snake Eyes". In this particular episode, it involves a man who gambles excessively and associates killing with his winning streak. It is clear that this man, Curtis, is addicted to gambling. He began going to the casino after he lost his job for punching his boss. Once he began to win big he was unable to stop and would continue to gamble until he lost everything. Curtis snaps after his wife tells him she wants a divorce and he begins his killing streak. He feels compelled to kill because he believes he will win big afterwords. Curtis also carries with him an eight-ball whenever he gambles. The profile that the Behavioral Analysis Unit gives police helps them to understand that gamblers are associated with being superstitious and this particular gambler is focused on the number eight. In the end, Curtis holds his wife and sister-in-law hostage but the police convince him to let them go. After releasing them, Curtis repeatedly looks at the clock. When the hand strikes eight o'clock he says, "The house always wins", and kills himself.

When researching gambling characteristics, I found that there is a common factor in those that are obsessed with it. There is an action called 'chasing', where if one gambles and loses they are unable to quit: thinking they can win their losses back but essentially end up in deeper debt than before. Serious gamblers, like Curtis in the show, have a variety of irrational beliefs. Most believe that persistence will lead to winning more. An additional mental factor that hindered Curtis was created because of his relationship with his father. In the show, his father was an excessive gambler and a drunk as well. His father ending up leaving and it was apparent that it had a profound effect on his life.

I really enjoyed this particular show. It was interesting to see how serious and tragic gambling can be if one has an unstable mind. I definitely encourage others to watch Criminal Minds.