Chasing after three or four dead buys in a row is where most of the real damage happens, because the temptation to step up a tier or double the stake is strong at that moment. The games are built to make that feel logical. Someone on here linked the responsible play section at https://thebonusbuyslots.com a while back, and its suggestion of deciding the number of buys before opening the game has stuck with me. A hard stop written down beforehand beats any amount of willpower in the moment.