Ronald Dale Harris was a programmer who seeks the hole in the online gambling while working for Nevada State Gambling. He took advantage of his skills and stole thousands of dollars from the Las Vegas casinos through slot machines. Casinos were oblivious to his scams and he had his fortune. He shifted his intelligence to the probability game Keno. Video Poker Hustling. Video poker machines are not popular with most casino players, but. Many professional gamblers use card counting to play with an edge when they gamble. You can learn how to count cards and start using your new skill in the casino in a short time. If you work hard at it, you can learn how to count well enough to play in the casino in less than a week.
So, you’re looking for a career change? If you’re wondering what it takes or if you have what it takes to become a professional gambler, you’re in the right spot. Before I get started, though, I want to be clear on what you should NOT expect from this post. Do not expect me to give you a sugarcoated, rainbows-and-unicorns look at what it takes to become a professional gambler. Instead, I’m going to give you a gritty and in your face breakdown that does include some harsh realities.
Why am I opting for the more intense approach? I’m doing this because I assume a lot of you that are here are seriously considering what to do with your time or your future. I think it would be a gross disservice not to give you the raw information. If you only get the good side of something, you can’t ever be prepared for the realities that come along with it.
Why should you listen to me? Well, without going into too much detail, I was a professional poker player for 12+ years. It wasn’t just something that I did on the side of my real job; it was my job. Poker was my sole source of income. Because of that and the time I spent in casinos, I was able to meet a lot of people that made their money from the gambling industry (not just poker). Today, I want to share some of that insight with you, hopefully give you the information you need to decide if this is the road for you, and then tell you how to get there.
Skill Games versus Games of Chance
If you take nothing else from this article, please take the information I am about to give you. You CANNOT be a professional gambler at a game of chance (with one exception). This means, if the casino has a statistical advantage in a game, there is no way that you can ever beat that game in the long run. No matter what “system” you think you have, you are not Houdini, and you cannot defy math.
Many people have tried, and all of them have failed miserably. I’ve personally met people that claimed to play games like craps or roulette for a living thanks to their systems. Here’s a spoiler. They were all poor and broke. I asked them why they weren’t rolling in the dough (yes, I am forward), and they informed me that they were just on a bad run. Ummm, hello!!! That is what gambling is. You can potentially win in the short run, but in the long run, the house is always going to come out on top.
The only way you can beat the casino in a game of chance, in the long run, is by cheating, or by doing something that will get you kicked out and banned from the casino.
What is the one exception I mentioned? Blackjack. Blackjack will have tournaments that you can enter that allow you to do those things that would get you kicked out of the casino on a normal day. They let you count cards, and that allows you to gain a statistical edge over the house and your opponents. The only reason they allow this is that you aren’t playing against the casino. You have paid an entry fee to compete in the tournament, and all you can win is the entry fees from other players. This scene was pretty big and growing for a while but in recent years has leveled off in popularity and prize pool sizes.
Skill games, on the other hand, are games where the better players will win in the long run. How can you spot a skill game? If you are not competing against the house but against other players and patrons, you are most likely playing a game of skill. If you are competing against the house, with the exception of sports betting, you are playing a game of chance. If you truly understand sports betting, you’ll see that you’re actually competing against other patrons as well even though your bet is with the house. That’s a discussion we can save for another day, though.
So, what does this mean? This means that step one in the process of becoming a professional gambler is to choose a game of skill. Make sure you are playing a game where it is possible for you to make a long-term and sustained living. To help you out, I’m going to list off a few of the popular games you could choose from that people do make a living at.
The Gambling Games You Should Choose From
As a quick note, while most of the world will refer to these games as gambling, they really aren’t gambling at all. Gambling is when you make a wager on a game of chance. Since you are in control of the outcome of these games, they are no longer games of chance. Therefore, they aren’t gambling. Yes, some of these games will have a luck factor involved, but in the long run, skill is going to prevail over the variance caused by that luck factor.
Blackjack
I figured I would lead off with the exception to “get it out of the way.” If you’re looking to make a living at Blackjack, the only way that you’re going to pull that off is by getting involved in the tournament scene. The problem, though, is that the scene is shrinking and the people that are currently in it are very good at what they do.
Warning:If you’re considering becoming a professional blackjack player by counting cards, good luck. I am definitely advising you against it.
The casinos know every trick in the book, and you’re just going to end up getting caught and banned from every property on the planet. My best advice is to pick a different game on this list if you are looking to play for a living.
Poker
One of the best options on this list of games to play professionally is poker. Am I a little biased because it’s what I did? Probably. However, if you take an objective look at all of the facts, it is the clear winner. It’s a game where there is a lot of money to win, several different formats you can try, and a constant influx of new and bad players to win money from.
Out of everything on this list, I would say that it’s the easiest to get to a professional level. No, I am not saying that it is easy, but I am saying it is feasible for you to do. There are a lot of varying levels of success that you can hit as well so it’s not a make it or break it kind of game. If you’re serious about getting into a “gambling” profession, this may be a great place for you to look if you want something that has some longevity to it.
Chess, Backgammon, Tonk, and Spades
Believe it or not, a lot of the games that you may have played as a kid or teenager are games that you can play professionally for a living. Now, at first you might not have thought to include these in the same category as games like poker and Blackjack, but in reality, they fit. Again, these are games of skill with lots of options for playing for a living.
Years ago, your only option for these games was to find a major tournament at a brick-and-mortar location and play against the best in the world. Today, though, you can find these games offered online at casinos. You have the option of playing against thousands of players of all skill levels from around the world for real money. The best part is that the stakes start low so you can work your way up the game ladder, and you don’t have to pony up a ton of money to get started.
Sports Betting
I mentioned earlier that when you’re betting against the house, you can’t sustain a long-term profit. The only exception to that is sports betting because even though you are betting against the house, you are really betting against other patrons. The house does their best to get even bets on both sides of a game so that no matter who wins or loses they make a profit. This means that the line shifts will happen because of what the rest of the betting public does.
Note:You’re ideally looking for value opportunities of bad lines thanks to the ignorance of the betting public.
I could go deeper into that, but we’d end up in a full-on discussion of how sports betting works, and I’d like to try my best to stay on topic today. Sports betting is a form of “gambling” that is certainly beatable. It’s probably one of the more challenging forms of gambling to do for a living and requires a strong heart that can take a lot of pressure and anxiety.
I do know some friends that do it for a living and have done quite nicely at it, but it comes at the expense of their sanity. That being said, it is beatable in the long term which means that it is a form of “gambling” that you could do for a living.
Esports
Wait, you can play video games professionally? Welcome to 2018! If you’re a rock star at a video game, chances are that you can play that game professionally. Tournaments are exploding all over the world with millions of dollars in prize money available for those individuals and teams that win. On top of that, there are millions of dollars in sponsorships available for these teams from the game creators and other companies interested in having an influence in the industry.
Your Next Steps to Become a Professional Gambler
Alright, so you’ve picked out which form of “gambling” you want to go professional at. Now what? To help you on your quest, I’ve outlined some actionable steps for you to take to get started. Remember this, though. None of this is going to be easy and most people that try end up failing. It takes a lot of hard work, dedication, and the ability to deal with some failures to make it as a professional gambler. Even after all of that, some people just don’t have the skill set to make it happen.
I don’t say any of that to deter you from trying, though. Don’t ever let anyone tell you that you can’t do anything. If you work hard enough and smart enough, you can achieve anything you want to. I will climb off my motivational speaker soapbox now and get to those steps.
1. Research Like a Crazy Person
The first thing that you need to do is learn absolutely everything you can about playing your game for a living. Look up other professionals, how they make money, and any other information you can on the topic. Try and identify if there is a smooth road to the top or if it’s something that requires a leap of faith (avoid these situations).
What you’re really trying to do here is a get an idea of what it’s going to take for your game specifically to make it to the top. You’re also trying to identify whether or not there is enough opportunity for you to make a living playing that game feasibly.
2. Formulate a Plan of Attack
The next step is to take all of your research and come up with a plan for you to go from schmo to pro. Make sure that your plan is detailed and gives you actionable steps that you can take to achieve your goal. This should mainly be based around how you’re going to learn the game, how you’re going to master it, how you’re going to test your skills without risking an arm and a leg, and ultimately how you’re going to turn it from a hobby into a career.
Your plan also needs to have some contingencies built in for the times that things don’t go according to plan. If you think that everything is going to go according to plan, you have another thing coming. Be realistic and make a plan that you can stick to.
3. Understand the Risks
You HAVE to understand that what you are attempting to do here is not easy. If it were easy, everyone and their brother would be a professional gambler. The risks are real, and when you lose money, you don’t just get it back with a do-over. There is no reset button on a lot of this.
The good news is that the nature of the industry now allows you to start these games for very low stakes and minimal risk. Take advantage of this. Online casinos don’t have to pay additional dealers or setup costs to facilitate more games which means they can offer things at super low stakes.
Note:Make Sure That You Have an Exit Strategy or a Stop Loss in Place.
Don’t let yourself get out of hand chasing your dream. Yes, you shouldn’t let anything stand in your way, but losing all your money trying to achieve this dream is not noble. It’s stupid and the sign of someone who would never survive gambling professionally.
4. Start Learning
The only way that you’re going to make it to the pro level with any of these games is by immersing yourself completely in the learning process. You have to soak up every bit of information out there and ultimately know more than your opponents.
Here’s the most important part, though. Make sure that the information you are learning is good information. I feel like my track record affords me the right to speak as a voice of reason on poker and I can confidently tell you that most poker knowledge out there that people pass off as pro knowledge is garbage. Make sure that you’re learning from a reputable source and that the information is current and quality. This might mean you have to pay for some of it. Do your research (Step 1).
5. Start Small and Continually Adapt
Take. Your. Time. This is not something that is going to happen overnight. This is not something that is going to happen in a few weeks. It very well could take years for you to be able to reach the skill level necessary even to take a shot at playing professionally for a living. Even if you’re good enough, you still might not make it. You might not have access to the right opportunities, or you may have issues getting your mental game or bankroll management in line.
Warning:Again, none of this is to deter you from giving it a shot. It’s just a warning to take your time.
The learning process is going to be long and challenging and probably frustrating at times.
The Wrap Up
If you’ve made it this far in the post, you’ve got hope! Look, I seriously am not trying to deter any of you from giving this a shot. I loved my years playing as a professional and wouldn’t trade them for anything. That being said, I wish I would have known how challenging things would be before I jumped in. Would it have deterred me? Probably not, but a heads up would have been pleasant.
If you’re serious about doing this, I wish you the best of luck and hope you follow some of the advice that I gave you. Good luck!
Few careers sound more interesting than “professional casino gambler.”
When your actual job is something that most people do for a recreational activity, it’s hard to imagine life sitting at a desk. I have to imagine people often wonder, “What do I have to do to become a pro gambler myself?”
While luck is involved, it’s hard to think that luck on its own separates the pros from the amateurs. In fact, there is much more involved.
Pro Gamblers
In this article, I’ll lay out some insights from professional gamblers about their time in the industry.
1 – Forget Everything You Know
Gambling books and movies have captivated audiences with their high-rolling, exciting methods and million-dollar wins. Unfortunately, the reality is not even close to as glamourous as what’s portrayed on the silver screen.
For starters, advantage play is not quite as straightforward as it might seem.
At its most basic form, advantage play involves card counting. Although this might seem like a fool-proof way to win, the reality is that there are plenty of ups and downs.
Even the best players go on losing streaks, and one pro gambler even mentioned that professionals begin to question their skill when these occur.
2 – It’s About Game Scouting
Some professional gamblers stick to one game like real money blackjack or poker, but others take a good deal of time and effort to find the games they think can be beat.
Known as “game-scouting,” this process is necessary, but time-consuming. When in this stage, a player will choose a game, study the ways they believe they can gain an advantage, and the next step is to test their theory on a computer simulation over and over. In many cases, one professional gambler said, the players must actually write and develop the computer program for themselves to see if their strategy will work.
What exactly do they look for? “We look for value in our betting, a solid mathematics strategy, and hope for the best. A good advantage player has a vast tool belt because we know a good game can go away overnight,” said a pro gambler I’ll refer to as Nick.
3 – There Are No Typical Days
For the vast majority of people, the phrase “typical day” involves driving to work, sitting at a desk, and driving home. Pro gamblers, however, have a much different experience…as you might expect.
The gambler who was quoted above said that there are absolutely no typical days. Because they switch up games frequently, some outings differ significantly from others. Sometimes they don’t even play the games and just scout dealers, such as for the chance for hole carding a 3 card poker game.
Believe it or not, the dealers are more than happy to comply with the professional gamblers requests for their schedules. He said that dealers are typically provide the daily players, meaning the pros, with their work schedules so that they can plan accordingly. Big winners often means big tips, so if a pro gambler gets paid, they do as well.
4 – They Were Pros at Something Else First
Coming out of school, “professional gambler” probably isn’t going to be the job that pays the bills. Unsurprisingly, it’s important to have some type of financial footing established before entering the world of gambling.
“Nick” was an attorney for more than 30 years before trying his hand (pun intended) at making a living gambling. He says that people are surprised to hear this, as gambling is often compared to stock trading and not the law. However, his perspective does make a case (yes, pun intended again) that lawyers have much in common with gamblers.
While investors are undoubtedly one of the most prominent previous professions of gamblers, lawyers are up there as well due to one crucial trait of each job: finding loopholes.
Because of their ability to find weak spots in any system that’s designed to minimize them, Nick said that casinos are not big fans of lawyers-turned-gamblers. With that being said, that doesn’t mean he’s stopping any time soon.
5 – They Gamble Using Online Casinos
Online casinos are great for the average person, but do they really present any opportunities for those who consider gaming a profession? The answer is a resounding yes.
Nick states that being a high-level gambler requires taking advantage of any opportunity that presents itself. It turns out online platforms are a perfect place for several reasons.
First, he mentions the online bonuses that are offered by gaming sites are too attractive to ignore. If you’re serious about making money and don’t utilize what essentially amounts to free money, you’re missing out on some big potential winnings.
Another reason he likes using online gaming platforms so frequently is because they can be played on-the-go. Many pro gamblers are frequently traveling and have plenty of downtime. What better way to make use of this time than by winning extra money?
The third and final reason Nick provided for why he likes online gaming platforms is because they provide a place to practice. Now, there are some differences between gambling in real life and gambling online, but the strategies remain essentially the same.
The next time someone tells you that online gambling isn’t a good way to make money, let them know that even those who do it for a living would disagree.
6 – It’s Getting More Difficult
One change that Nick has noticed over the previous decade is that it’s becoming much harder for most professional gamblers to win consistently enough to do it full-time.
For starters, he mentions that card counting, in the traditional way at least, is nearly impossible. The reason is because live games of blackjack now have continuous shuffling machines, as well as eight decks of cards.
It isn’t all bad news, though.
Due to the recent increase in the total number of games available to players, new opportunities pop up from time to time. Each time a new game shows up, it’s a race between the gamblers who are trying to find the weak spots, and the house which is trying to identify and prevent those weak spots from being exploited.
He also noted that casinos are providing fewer comps than ever before, which definitely hurts the bottom line of people who are gambling on a regular basis.
Although he said that it’s still possible to make a living from gambling, it requires much more skill and quick-thinking than it did 20-plus years ago.
7 – It Really Is Hard Work
You might think that gambling for a living sounds like the ideal life, but there are plenty of reasons why the average person might not be cut out for the job.
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What Constitutes A Professional Gambler
Whereas at a typical job you get a regular paycheck and can budget your money accordingly, pro gamblers have no such luxury. Days, weeks, or months can pass by without any significant income, but they’ll just tell you it comes with the territory.
Also unlike a 9 to 5, you can’t just show up and mail it in for the day. It requires laser focus at all times and can be mentally draining. It’s a requirement to always be studying and learning new techniques and it also forces players to memorize a huge number of statistical models and probabilities.
On top of all the difficulties laid out above, being a professional gambler requires a significant amount of risk tolerance that most people just don’t possess. The highs and lows are extremely stressful, and anxiety runs rampant in the pro gambling community.
Obviously there are challenges in all professions, but professional gambling is nothing to scoff at.
Conclusion
Professional Casino Gambler Game
If they’re able to make a living doing it, it’s hard to tell any professional gamblers to return to a regular day job. With that being said, it’s crucial to recognize that it’s really not for everyone.
If you aren’t ready to put hours and hours into learning how to win, perhaps the desk might be better than the blackjack table.