Junior liberal studies major Scott White has a full class load, a part time-job and a gambling habit that keeps paying off.

Walking around the casino floor, White searches for the perfect slot machine. White waits and watches other gamblers to see what their streaks are like.

If the gambler wins a little bit of money, but then starts to go on a losing streak, White waits & and waits & and waits … until the frustrated loser gives up and walks away from the machine.

That&s when White hops into the cold losing seat eagerly dumping cash into the machine.

This strategy often works for White who has had many winning experiences when it comes to gambling.

White said that he has hit two $1,200 jackpots in the past and even made nearly $5,000 in one week, simply by watching for rhythms of winning and losing on the slot machines.

White considers most of his slot machine winnings to be based on luck, but when he&s playing cards, he always relies on skill.

Blackjack and Texas Hold &Em are two of White&s favorite card games to play.

&The original cards that you are dealt are basically the luck of the draw; but after that, it takes skill if you want to win,& White said.

White also said that knowing maneuvers like how and when to double down or split in blackjack will also give him an advantage.

When White first began making rounds to the local Indian gaming casino near Santa Barbara, he restricted himself to only bringing $60 and leaving all credit and ATM cards at home.

&The money lasted several times, but the luck ran out after a while,& White said.

Most recently, White does not restrict himself and sometimes will bring his ATM card to the casino. He said if he&s losing money but still feels lucky he will gamble and take some money out of the bank.

Even if White is unsuccessful in the casino, he will usually recoup his money outside the casino.

White makes most of his money betting on college and professional football online.

He succeeds at football betting by paying close attention to the games, researching information on players and closely watching sports shows on television to decide which teams to bet on.

&When my uncle was in college, he paid his rent by placing bets on football games,& White said. &I always call my uncle to discuss betting strategy and decide who we think has the better odds.&

White said that he prefers to gamble in Las Vegas, and has been there three times in the past month and a half.

&I know I have extra money to do it, so I know it can&t hurt me too much,& White said. &It always helps if I win, but if I don&t, it&s not that big of a deal.&

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Curtis Grima can be reached at [email protected]