Can I Make A Living Thru Gambling?

Quote: kewlj

So how did you 'snag' a younger girl? Big penis?

Wouldn't you like to know.

All you gays are the same (-;

I haven't had any it's to small complaints.
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I have never been middle aged and fat. Nor will I ever be. I certainly don't resemble my true age. I'm usually popular at places I hang out or places I have worked.

I guess I have always been outgoing and well rounded. I'v never had a problem dating out of my league, both older and younger women. I dated a lot until about 2002, some seriously, some not.
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My GF was 18 when I meet her.

I can just ask her why

She said, I was confident but nice as to why she agreed to give me her number.
She said she continued to date me because she thought I was interesting and smart, I could hold a conversation, talk about anything and have fun. She said, I had a sense of humor but knew when to be serious. She liked that I wasn't a push over or shy, but not an arrogant D-bag.

Personality I guess, because I'm certainly not tall dark and hansom.

She says she still sees me as if I'm 29

Quote: AxelWolf

I'm certainly not tall dark and hansom.

At least you can spell!

Quote: AxelWolf

Wouldn't you like to know.

All you gays are the same (-;

I haven't had any it's to small complaints.
-----------------------------------------
I have never been middle aged and fat. Nor will I ever be. I certainly don't resemble my true age. I'm usually popular at places I hang out or places I have worked.

I guess I have always been outgoing and well rounded. I'v never had a problem dating out of my league, both older and younger women. I dated a lot until about 2002, some seriously, some not.
--------------------------------------------
My GF was 18 when I meet her.

I can just ask her why

She said, I was confident but nice as to why she agreed to give me her number.
She said she continued to date me because she thought I was interesting and smart, I could hold a conversation, talk about anything and have fun. She said, I had a sense of humor but knew when to be serious. She liked that I wasn't a push over or shy, but not an arrogant D-bag.

Personality I guess, because I'm certainly not tall dark and hansom.

She says she still sees me as if I'm 29

Are hansoms allowed on the Strip?

Quote: 1BB

Are hansoms allowed on the Strip?

That one of these things?

Quote: teddys

If we keep winning money with you at craps, we would enjoy continuing to talk to you :).

Speaking of which, are we doing a WoVCon fall meetup at a casino around WV/OH/PA/MD/VA/NC? I haven't played in a while -- I'm due for a big roll.

It's me that is the lucky charm? I was thinking it was you LOL.

I hope we can do a meet-up. Will anyone take charge? We ought to get smart this time and do it soon enough to avoid bad weather. I'm game to head in either direction.

Quote: odiousgambit

That one of these things?

That's an older model. I was thinking of the horse drawn hansom cabs in NYC.

Go to 5Dimes. There is a BJ game there that has an rtp of 100.25.....I've been making a living off of it (well not really, but I'm up a lot!).

I'm assuming making a living through Gambling is highly risky. Didn't another member on here say after a good day at the Casino, he contemplated quitting his job to be a professional gambler and then realized he didn't make too much money on subsequent trips?

Quote: Kentry

I'm assuming making a living through Gambling is highly risky. Didn't another member on here say after a good day at the Casino, he contemplated quitting his job to be a professional gambler and then realized he didn't make too much money on subsequent trips?

There are easier ways. But I feel like the popularized ways of card counting or Poker is BS in today's age!

Some play progressives jackpots (which are funded by other players and not casinos) and play at about 20-30 different casinos and they reduce their monthly losses by hustling their affiliate (where they signed up) for a partial refund of commission, or hustle/partner with the online casino itself.

Though probably sports arbitrage is the most common/popular now with all the software out there.

There are portals out there that cater to Apers, but most don't (I don't think Wizard of Vegas does either). I think the OP would've been better posting elsewhere.

I have researched DI extensively and I have yet to meet someone who has proven to me that it is possible.

I do have an official position on the subject: I think it's more effort than it's worth.

I will never attempt to be a professional DI because I would rather make games than to exploit them myself.

But I am always open to anyone who wants to prove me wrong. Generally speaking the only folks I have met who might actually be a DI don't post on here and they do keep a low profile. And it's still just a "might" because they have regular full time jobs.

Apologize for not reading the whole thread, but I can't not get involved when things are being thrown around about the possibility of DI.

Very unlikely.

Steve Wynn pulled back down to double odds recently and I expect other places to do the same if enough places do this, that's the best evidence of DI that I know of. But even in the Wynn case, unless they did something to the high limit tables, they are just keeping more eyes on the folks that have the potential to bet enough odds to pull it off.

So who knows?

You also have to factor in Health and Dental Insurance if you do become a Professional Gambler. Let's say one extremely lucky hand at Poker gave you $5000. You were smart enough to only play $1000 of it which in turn gave you $5000 more and you keep getting good hands with only the money you won and end up leaving with $50,000. You are smart and put $45,000 in the bank but end up falling suddenly. You are screwed since being a Professional Gambler and not having another type of job does not give you Health and Dental Insurance.

Quote: Ahigh

Steve Wynn pulled back down to double odds recently and I expect other places to do the same if enough places do this, that's the best evidence of DI that I know of.

Why would you think that?

Double odds don't affect the place bettors.

Quote: Kentry

You also have to factor in Health and Dental Insurance if you do become a Professional Gambler.

Yep, being a professional gambler means you are self-employed. You need to pay health insurance. You don't get paid when you get sick. There is no paid vacation. You need to factor this in just like any other self employed person. A lot of 'professional gamblers' don't take these things into consideration, especially the younger guys and guys still in the process of building their bankrolls. They figure all they have to do is pay their rent. :(

I'll share this incident from 4 years ago that was a real eye-opener for me. Summer of 2011, I went through one of those negative runs that are all too common in card counting advantage play. Several bad months that I lost about 30 grand. And then all of the sudden I got sick...very sick. Within days I had open heart surgery (still in my late 20's). Recovery period was almost a full 3 months which included a minor setback during recovery.

I had health insurance...thank god, but being young and seemingly healthy, I opted for a plan with pretty high deductibles to cut costs. So when I should have been focused solely on recovery, all I could see was months of no money coming in, only money going out, mortgage payments, and all my regular bills, plus then the medical bills started rolling in. And worst of all is that this 'down time' came at the worse possible time, after a substantial losing period or hit to my bankroll. Laid up for 3 months I had way to much time to dwell on what seemed like hemorrhaging money.

So yes, a professional gambler needs to prepare for situations just like someone who is self employed does. It's not JUST about paying the rent.

Quote: odiousgambit

It's me that is the lucky charm? I was thinking it was you LOL.

I hope we can do a meet-up. Will anyone take charge? We ought to get smart this time and do it soon enough to avoid bad weather. I'm game to head in either direction.

How often do members meet up?

Quote: kewlj

And worst of all is that this 'down time' came at the worse possible time, after a substantial losing period or hit to my bankroll. Laid up for 3 months I had way to much time to dwell on what seemed like hemorrhaging money.

That you went thru all of that at such a
young age, and came out of it still a pro
gambler, is always amazing to me. You
must be a very focused person, good
for you. Bad for the casinos.

Quote: kewlj

Yep, being a professional gambler means you are self-employed. You need to pay health insurance. You don't get paid when you get sick. There is no paid vacation. You need to factor this in just like any other self employed person. A lot of 'professional gamblers' don't take these things into consideration, especially the younger guys and guys still in the process of building their bankrolls. They figure all they have to do is pay their rent. :(

I'll share this incident from 4 years ago that was a real eye-opener for me. Summer of 2011, I went through one of those negative runs that are all too common in card counting advantage play. Several bad months that I lost about 30 grand. And then all of the sudden I got sick...very sick. Within days I had open heart surgery (still in my late 20's). Recovery period was almost a full 3 months which included a minor setback during recovery.

I had health insurance...thank god, but being young and seemingly healthy, I opted for a plan with pretty high deductibles to cut costs. So when I should have been focused solely on recovery, all I could see was months of no money coming in, only money going out, mortgage payments, and all my regular bills, plus then the medical bills started rolling in. And worst of all is that this 'down time' came at the worse possible time, after a substantial losing period or hit to my bankroll. Laid up for 3 months I had way to much time to dwell on what seemed like hemorrhaging money.

So yes, a professional gambler needs to prepare for situations just like someone who is self employed does. It's not JUST about paying the rent.

Wow. Three month down streak. I had a losing year, but i didnt play much.

Not to mention that you can lose quite a bit of confidence of your skills after losing for such period of time.

Quote: jjjoooggg

How often do members meet up?

For our 'cell' * operating in roughly PA/VA/NC we were trying to meet twice a year, succeeding with about once a year, but it's not looking good for anytime soon from what I can tell.

*yes I am trying to make it sound like a terrorist operation. Certainly we are known to strike fear into the hearts of casinos around here. NOT. LOL

Quote: EvenBob

That you went thru all of that at such a
young age, and came out of it still a pro
gambler, is always amazing to me. You
must be a very focused person, good
for you. Bad for the casinos.

I am pretty focused, I guess. And I think I am very resilient. I put things in the rear view mirror pretty quickly and look and move forward in most cases. The exception would be really long down swings lasting months and months. That kind of prolonged losing still gets to me, wears my out, but having gone through four different 4-6 month losing periods in recent years I think, and hope I am getting better at that.

I'll tell you one thing, the year I have had this year, fast out of the gate, and nice steady, slow winning, with only minor steps backwards beats the hell out of the years with extended losing periods. :)

I know people look down on it, but this is my dream career. I still love the game of blackjack (most days...lol). And I love that I can support myself primarily from playing a game, I love. It isn't about the money. I would probably do this if my earnings were 30k/year and really that's kind of what I figured when I started....maybe 30-50k. The fact that I have averaged 3x that 35k amount over the last 4 years is just beyond my wildest dreams. I live pretty modestly and that kind of money seems like a really good living to me. It's probably easier to be focused if you are doing something you really enjoy and having some success at it. Staying focused when you are struggling is the real test.

Impressive that you are flying under the radar.

Quote: jjjoooggg

Impressive that you are flying under the radar.

I'm sure he's well known and they know what he's doing.

Quote: jjjoooggg

Impressive that you are flying under the radar.

I like to think that I am "flying under the radar", but in reality I don't think I am as much as I think. In this day and age, I don't think any player, playing anything more than low limits, can play unnoticed if they play the same casinos over and over.

What I have managed to do, at least so far, is identify and play within tolerance levels. You figure out just what betting levels and win thresholds different stores will tolerate and you play short sessions (which helps avoid massive wins). I think you can only do this in a situation where you have a reasonably big rotation of regular casinos, like I have, or are willing to travel a lot.

Playing this way, I don't think it is as much as playing unnoticed as it is not wearing out your welcome and being a problem that must be addressed. That's not to say that you don't occasionally run into a pit guy, even one that was more tolerant in the past, that on this day wants to hassle you or send a signal.

If you want to quickly become a professional gambler, then just take up hole carding, and head to Indiana. Even though every pro spook team in the nation is already there, you should be able to operate without ever having to leave the state.

Kewlj

Agreed. Someone else said that too. That I can't overstay my welcome.

Quote: Keyser

If you want to quickly become a professional gambler, then just take up hole carding, and head to Indiana. Even though every pro spook team in the nation is already there, you should be able to operate without ever having to leave the state.

Ya know, I think......sometimes...well occasionally. Wait where was I going with this?

Oh yeah. I can't speak from a hole-carding perspective, but with card counters, there is also some of this, solo players shadowing teams, whether intentional or just coincidentally showing up at the same place, especially in regards to a "candy store" type situations. This can have very negative consequences for the solo player as often he is linked to and 'databased' right with known high profile team players that he has no association with. If longevity ranks anywhere on your priority list, this can have a very negative effect.

Kewlj
It has been suggested that you might be better off putting your talents to use in the corporate world. And that you would be successful there as well. No disrespect, but I seriously doubt that. I do not think your personality will benefit you there. You love what you are doing, and at some time you may have to seek a more stable source of income. But until that day arrives, enjoy the hell out of your current self employed occupation.
Two esteemed members of this forum went to work in the corporate world. One at a premier casino, another at a quality game distributor. I am only guessing, but I believe the former still is unsure of exactly why he was terminated. And the latter never mastered the art of firing an arrow into the wall and then drawing a bulls-eye around it.
Enjoy it while you can. Not jealous, just a little envious.

Normally, I'd question why someone would quit something they enjoy doing and make sufficient money at. But unlike a lot of jobs, you could actually start up again if you quit to pursue something else.

It's not really a matter of if somebody else would enjoy it enough to keep doing it or even understand why you would enjoy it. There's plenty of jobs I wouldn't want at 2 or 3 times the actual pay.