Whether gambling alone or with my friends, that should have no big difference, at least in my own experience.

If you can't handle the loss that much, it's good to practice that behavior from now on without involving your friends. In gambling, a feeling like that is just a distraction since if you are being affected when losing, to the point, you feel much more comfortable if it's not just you lose but also your friends, might affect your ability to decide what's the best pick since you are a bit afraid or worried that you might not hit the right prediction.