Professional Gambler

Just curious because you hear rumors all the time.....Does anybody personally know anybody that strictly makes a living gambling? And if are any of them wealthy from it? Ruling out card counting and poker!

Quote: pingclassic

Just curious because you hear rumors all the time.....Does anybody personally know anybody that strictly makes a living gambling? And if are any of them wealthy from it? Ruling out card counting and poker!

Yes, and there are successful pro gamblers on the forum that do nothing but gamble. I don't personally know anybody that is wealthy from just their gambling activity. There are definitely some people that are wealthy from playing poker and sports betting but it is very rare.

I have not done anything work wise for the last 5 years except ap- and have managed to add to savings and live at the level of like to.

Thats awesome! You have a game of choice?

Anything that I can find or create and edge on-

Nice....i am studying so hard to do the same! I love everything about vegas , there is something about that place that makes me feell at home when I'm there. I'm just a craps fanatic at the moment thats had some big wins and big losses but i believe if i had the bankroll mindset and patience i could grind out a income.

Craps is one of the few games I don't even bother with

Quote: pingclassic

Nice....i am studying so hard to do the same! I love everything about vegas , there is something about that place that makes me feell at home when I'm there. I'm just a craps fanatic at the moment thats had some big wins and big losses but i believe if i had the bankroll mindset and patience i could grind out a income.

I am a dreamer as well. :-)

Quote: Wizardofnothing

I have not done anything work wise for the last 5 years except ap- and have managed to add to savings and live at the level of like to.

How many different casinos do you need to visit on a regular basis to make this happen?

Not sure what you consider regular but with just looking at my notes for the year I have been at 107 different casinos ytd

Quote: Wizardofnothing

Not sure what you consider regular but with just looking at my notes for the year I have been at 107 different casinos ytd

Like more than once a month. I figured traveling between a large amount of casinos is pretty much necessary to make it work.

I would say I have a rotation but I definitely visit 15 casinos off the top of my head more then once a month

Everyone has their own methods. I hit one casino almost exclusively for two years straight. This year, 2016, I will only be AP'ing out of three casinos.

It seems risky to me personally because you would have to provide your own insurance for everything. I also think literally playing for every day for say 8 hours would get boring really quickly unless you are the kind of person who can make $20,000 in one day and take it easy for a long while($20,000 is many people's yearly wages!), vacationing, spending time with the family, going out to eat, buying clothes, etc, and then coming back months later and win the $20,000 again(So, you are really only working about 4 times in the entire year) There are many people who hit $20,000 on just say $10(Talking about the Video Poker Royal handpays)

Quote: darkoz

Everyone has their own methods. I hit one casino almost exclusively for two years straight. This year, 2016, I will only be AP'ing out of three casinos.

Full time income?

I can't speak for dark but I do not think he is going to share his full time income

Quote: Wizardofnothing

I can't speak for dark but I do not think he is going to share his full time income

noo I didn't want an exact number, I was just wondering if AP was his full time income

For me it's provided me more then working a convential job and provided icons to cover health insurance and retirement savings

Why rule out card counting and poker? If you have a losing expectation without even a theoretical edge, you'd be foolish to try and make a living at it. Card counting, either you can do it or not; it's not complicated. Poker is at many levels, not as simple. Theoretical edges would be cases where you think you have the best of it, but long term profits and short term correlation are your evidence of an edge. Shuffle tracking may fall into this category, dice control may be as well.

So, I wouldn't rule out card counting and poker. Pool may be in this category, idk where big money is in it (Golf is a popular hustle.) I know 1 guy who is a wealthy gambler, he can win or lose $40,000 in a good night of poker; he also is a great golfer and gambled there too. He made his money as a penny stock broker (when that was a real thing) and later promoting penny stocks (which a fax blast got him a 2 year stay at the country club.) He'd sell a 10c penny stock that he could buy for 6c and make the difference, that's not how it works anymore and most brokers can't even show a penny stock to clients. High margins, limited quantity; sounds like hole carding. I know people who are rich losers who claim to have made all their money gambling (one a combination of gambling and pimping, for an elderly gentleman cowboy, I was a bit surprised) but these people generally lose and have it to lose.

My Great great grandfather was a very rich man who liked to gamble, his company was taken by the board and the bank because he was making the company look insensitive to the depression; he was an okay gambler but that's not where he made his money. If not for this, I'd be a billionaire heir as the company is still one of the biggest in the UK. My grandfather was a history professor but a general winner in blackjack and poker, he taught me well. Too bad he taught me draw poker, anyone know where to find a game.

Quote: billionaireben

Why rule out card counting and poker?

As far as poker goes, the skill ceiling is much higher than any other game and there are a lot of unknown variables. I think AP's like a guaranteed edge that they can calculate.

I ruled out poker and counting because i already know that people do that for a living. Was just curious about other games such as baccarat, craps exc..

Why would you rule out games people have already proven can be beaten to concentrate on games the sharpest minds ignore?

Quote: billryan

Why would you rule outages

outages?

Quote:

people have already proven can be beaten

they are?

to concentrate on games the sharpest minds ignore?

dull minds pay attention to beatable games, but sharp minds no?

what are you talking about? I asked if anybody was making a living gambling other then poker, and counting, because i already know people are counting and living off of poker?

What's so tough to understand? He already knows BJ & Poker are beatable (or can make a living doing it), and was asking if people can/do make a living playing other games.

Answer: Yes.

Quote: pingclassic

Was just curious about other games such as baccarat, craps exc..

They don't on games such as baccarat, craps unless they are doing something fishy.

Axel are you saying you can't ap baccarat or did I read that wrong?

Quote: Wizardofnothing

Axel are you saying you can't ap baccarat or did I read that wrong?

Not how he's probably thinking. ANYTHING can be AP'ed given the right circumstances.

Quote: pingclassic

Just curious because you hear rumors all the time.....Does anybody personally know anybody that strictly makes a living gambling? And if are any of them wealthy from it? Ruling out card counting and poker!

How about poker and UTH? I sometimes play with UTH at the Beau Rivage in Biloxi with a guy who usually (but not always -- variance, y'know) wins reasonable sums.

A few months ago I played (and busted early) in a poker tmt, then went to UTH. After a few hours, my acquaintance joined at the seat beside me. Shortly after, the guy who busted me in the tmt joined the game. I commented to my acquaintance how "that was the guy who busted me in the tmt." My acquaintance replied, "He's good. Finished 6th." (The guy who busted me nodded in recognition of us.)

So, I asked my acquaintance how he did in the tmt. "Chopped First & Second for almost $6K." Later he commented that he made a pretty good living playing poker and UTH at the Beau (because they tolerated his larger-then-average bets). He was pissed off because Beau had just announced a poker tmt he would want to play in, but had already booked passage for his lady and himself on a gambling cruise that conflicted with the dates.

I cannot vouch for the accuracy of what he told me. So, take it with a grain of salt if you choose. I can only vouch for his winning that one poker tmt and for winning regularly at UTH.

Quote: pingclassic

Just curious because you hear rumors all the time.....Does anybody personally know anybody that strictly makes a living gambling? And if are any of them wealthy from it? Ruling out card counting and poker!

RUN "pingclassic" RUN !!!

LOL...... I wish I could get it out of my mind but its just not gana happen!

Quote: gamerfreak

noo I didn't want an exact number, I was just wondering if AP was his full time income

Yes, it is. I haven't worked a day in any other job capacity since I started AP'ing four years ago. It pays enough for me to have an apartment, nice home theater, trips to Disney World.

It has it's ups and downs. I've lost large sums of money too. But lifetime, I am way way ahead.

Quote: darkoz

Yes, it is. I haven't worked a day in any other job capacity since I started AP'ing four years ago. It pays enough for me to have an apartment, nice home theater, trips to Disney World.

It has it's ups and downs. I've lost large sums of money too. But lifetime, I am way way ahead.

It's something I'd like to do, but I'd never be able to convince the people around me that I'm not a gambling addict. Or convince myself for that matter when I'm on a downswing.

I know a guy who makes a seriously good living hustling at golf. He knows how to be just good enough to win while not looking that good. I'm not sure if that's what you meant, he doesn't really consider it "gambling" as much as he considers it "betting".

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