Oh boy I can tell you, and the worst is when alcohol is involved

Have been to Vegas a couple of times, started out super disciplined, ended up wasted and completely broke for the night

Alcohol is a game changer in the most negative sense in gambling.
You can mention this again! Gambling already has a way to play with our psychology when we are sober,,, much less to say when our minds are all muddled up with a bit of tipsy drinking. But I really hate drunk gamblers the most, they are angry when they win and even angrier when they lose puff!
Chinese New Year family get togethers over mahjong. That is the worst;)
But is your family really playing mahjong for money? When I was a young child I played at the birthdays of my gradparents 4-in-a-row against their guests. I made quite a few bucks there. Maybe that was the reason why I tried out poker, but with much worse results.