Variable ratio reinforcement may sound like a fancy psychology term, but what it means is simple - you never know when you're going to win in gambling, making the payoffs unpredictable. Of course, the possibility of winning can be very appealing. Knowing that every play gives you another chance to win can sometimes make it hard to quit. Many gamblers get caught in a pattern of telling themselves, again and again, "Only five more minutes," but are still not able to leave. One of the best ways to avoid this trap is to set spending and time limits before starting, and leave any extra money and bank cards at home.

Short term results in gambling are always going to be unpredictable. The best way to introduce some predictability is to set spending and time limits before you start, then stick to them.

• How gambling really works
  • Randomness
  • Independence of events
  • Why gambling will cost you money
  • What is house advantage
  • House advantage and randomness: how they work together
  • What is your cost of play
  • Win in gambling is not long term
  • Return to player and hit frequency
  • Does skill work
• What's your cost of play
• Psychology of gambling
  • Optimism in gambling: good or bad
  • Systems in gambling: trying to make sense of randomness
  • 20/20 hindsight in gambling: useful or misleading
  • Near miss beliefs: close doesn't count
  • Hot and cold machines: there's no such thing
  • Selective attention and selective recall
  • Unpredictable payoffs
  • Entrapment
  • Don't get caught chasing
  • Illusion of control
  • Magical thinking
  • Superstitions and rituals
  • The appeal of gambling: what gambling means to different people
  • Gambling and keeping It real
• Responsible gambling tips
• Problem gambling
  • Range of gambling behaviours
  • Risk factors for problem gambling
  • How problem gambling can affect the individual
  • Dealing with problem gambling
  • Gambling and the family
  • Helping the gambler
  • Helping yourself
  • Why problem gambling is hard to deal with