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Professional Gambling Tips
Gambling is not an easy way to make a living. It is hard work just like anything else and must be approached from a professional stand point. Just like any other professional must work hard to learn the IN's and OUT’s of his occupation and develop skills, know how, and good judgment in making job related decisions, the same is just as true of the professional gambler. There simply is no EASY WAY to be successful long term. The methods I provide for my clients provide a good foundation and are viable vehicles for success. But ultimately a player’s success will depend upon how hard he is willing to work.
I had a successful blackjack career (before I was asked not to play any more), but it took me many years to develop the skills, self discipline and mind set I needed to finally make it over the top so to speak. And after being barred from the blackjack tables, I had to learn a new game, craps. But at least I had already developed some of the personal tools I needed. But even then, I lost a lot more than I won for almost 2 years before I finally got on top of that game. It was something I had to figure out for myself when all was said and done. Thankfully, I did cross paths with 2 or 3 pros who helped me quite a bit and pointed me in the right direction, but they couldn't play for me and they couldn't control my greed and they couldn't make me be patient. They couldn't magically instill me with the CHARACTER I needed to be successful.
When playing professionally, you will learn a lot about yourself that perhaps you didn't know. And you will also learn a lot about life in general if you are open to it. Gambling in a live casino is like being in a pressure cooker of life experiences. Everything is intensified many fold. In a short length of time you may run the gamut of emotions and frustrations and exhilaration's that under normal circumstances would take days or even weeks to experience. There are many spiritual aspects in play (that most people don't realize) as well as physical, soulful, mechanical and psychological.
I hope you are open to the spiritual aspects, because faith plays a big part as well as having a positive mental attitude and just having fun and enjoying what you are doing.
But you will find that you will learn a lot about yourself, especially in the areas of how you deal with winning and losing. When I first began having good success with blackjack, I knew I had finally arrived. I knew I could beat this game. I experienced some long winning streaks at first which ultimately may not have been so good because I became over confident and probably a little cocky and later paid a big price for it. I assumed that I had it made and money was just going to roll in hand over fist from then on. In my mind I had already bought my dream house and luxury cars and the whole 9 yards. But pride and cockiness comes before a fall. During those days, when I would have a big win (which was most days) I would go out and spend money like crazy. I bought gold watches, 2 brand new cars, bought nice gifts for my parents, was supporting my girl friend and her 3 kids, was taking care of my daughter and her husband and helping my sister in Florida. But one day the percentages began to catch up with me and despite my skill and good system, I began to lose. Instead of putting the money I was making into the bank and continuing to live a modest life realizing that there were going to be bankroll fluctuations and down times and days when nothing would go right no matter how good I was or my system was, I was spending it as fast as I made it and not building my bankroll responsibly. Well, as I said, I hit some serious skids and began to experience what I now understand to be normal deviations and fluctuations, but at the time I simply hadn't prepared for this. I was financially living every day to the hilt. Well, just as I started to catch up and have a couple of good sessions, that is when I got barred from playing blackjack. Man, talk about your world falling down around your ears. But that’s a long story that will have to wait.
Another thing you have to learn to deal with as a professional is losing. Everyone is going to lose sooner or later. Bad days when you can't seem to win a bet if your life depended upon it come to everyone. How will you react to these days and the inevitable losing streaks? No one hates to lose any more than I do, but over the years, I've also found it to be an absolute necessity to learn to develop methods for dealing with losses as well as staying on an even keel when I win consistently. Some people get discouraged and give up when they experience their first losing streak. I'm sure this has stopped more would be professional players than anything else. You have got to have, or at least develop, a mind set that takes losing in stride and relegates it to the stand point of, "It was just another day at the office where a few things went wrong, but it will get better and tomorrow is another day." Not that you are expecting to lose, not in the least. But just be aware that the occasional bad days and losing streaks are part of what you sign up for when you join the professional ranks.
Personally, I have found the best way to stop a losing streak is to stop playing. Take a day or two off if you lose a couple of sessions in a row or if you have a particularly bad session for some reason. Do something else you enjoy doing. See a movie or pursue other interests, but forget about the casino for a day or perhaps two if it takes that. Make sure you are completely relaxed and have a positive attitude and are confident you are going to be successful before you go back to play again. Even to this day, after doing this for 9 years now, I still will go back and practice and try and learn from my mistakes before going back to play again. Usually a losing streak is not entirely the fault of just getting bad cards or bad rolls of the dice or bad spins of the roulette wheel. It is usually a lot your fault because you lost your self discipline, your patience or concentration.
Also something that I have to watch out for closely is not to play when I'm mentally tired, especially playing a sophisticated professional level system. It is easy to make mistakes, and seems like every time you screw up and make a mistake it will be a bet you would have won had you played correctly. That adds to your frustration. The constant assault on your senses, the noise and all that is going on in a casino tires you more quickly than you realize. It beats you down mentally and you are more prone to making mistakes, add to that the factor of other people trying to talk to you and waitresses coming up to you and diverting your attention, it just becomes very easy to make a mistake no matter how well you know the system or how much skill you've developed at your game. Bottom line is that now I’ve learned to limit my sessions to two and a half to three hours. After playing for that length of time your powers of concentration begin to wane, even though you may not realize it. For most players, after three hours it’s time to take a break. Go to the buffet (my favorite thing about a casino) or go outside for a walk. I’ve even been known to go to my car and lean back and take a 30 or 40 minute nap. Just break your sessions up and relax your mind for awhile. Also, I don’t generally play more than a couple of sessions in one day. Six or seven hours of gambling in a casino atmosphere is about all anyone can take and still be on top of their game. Remember, the casino already has the upper hand, don’t increase their edge by playing when you are mentally tired.
It goes without saying that you shouldn’t drink alcohol when you are playing. I’ll go one step further than that….if you are a serious professionally minded player who is determined to succeed long term, don’t drink alcohol at a casino period. A casino is not a good place to have your senses dulled and your judgment impaired. It’s asking for trouble in more ways than one. Besides, you wouldn’t drink on any other job would you?
Need I even mention bankroll? You should have a more than adequate bankroll to play your system of choice and not only that, if you are playing full time professionally, have enough money in the bank (especially when you first start out) to pay all your expenses for 3 months whether you make a cent in the casinos or not. This will help alleviate the pressure when you play, also the fear. It is amazing and hard to realize until you actually experience it, but there is a very big difference in sitting down to a baccarat table or to the roulette wheel when you are playing for fun as opposed to when you are playing for your sustenance. When you look down at your bet and realize, "Hey, that would buy a week's worth of groceries and I'm betting it on one turn of the cards," it really does put everything in a different perspective. There is no pay check coming on the first and the fifteenth. You don't know whether you are going to go home with money in your pocket or flat broke.
How important are the physical things in your life? All attachments and concerns about physical things or what will happen to yourself and your family (if you are married) all serve to inject an element of fear. And fear will attract that which you fear, count on it. So, having an adequate bankroll, to the point that there is no fear of losing involved whatsoever, is very important.
Also, while on the subject of bankroll, a professional player should have 2 full bankrolls for whatever game he is playing. If your system requires 100 units of lifetime bankroll, then you should have 200 units on hand. Why? Because just like a mechanic always has back up tools in case a tool gets lost or broken, a gambler’s bankroll is his most important tool. His bankroll, along with his knowledge and experience, is what he uses to make his living. It would be foolish not to have a backup. Well, you are probably thinking that a lifetime bankroll is just that, all you should need for the rest of your life. That’s true, and it may very well be all you will need for the rest of your life. Hopefully, if your method requires a 100 unit lifetime bankroll, you will never lose it. However, you are a professional gambler now and instead of exposing yourself to occasional risk, you are doing it day in and day out for several hours a day. And one thing I’ve learned about gambling is that given enough time, there is no telling what you may see happen. Even the most unlikely events can sometimes occur. And in the most unlikely event that you should hit a very bad string of shoes or craps or roulette sessions that wipe out your lifetime bankroll, it is a wise pro that has a spare one in reserve.
Another reason for having an extra bankroll is the added confidence and security when you play. If you should hit a bad run and get behind or dip well into your lifetime bankroll, having a backup bankroll will help prevent your hesitating to make bets or becoming overly conservative (which could cost you some big wins needed to recover if you are behind). You won’t be tempted to alter your playing style or to start messing with your system which usually results in getting you totally screwed up and, once again, missing big win opportunities that would have aided in your recovery. I had a professional client who fell into this trap. He had great success for the first month of play and quadrupled his betting unit from that with which he began play. Then all of a sudden he hit a bad run of baccarat shoes and lost over half of his lifetime bankroll. He began to panic and play too conservatively. As a result, he could never catch up. He just continued to break even for several weeks until we got together and I realized what he was doing. He was forced to cut back the size of his playing unit and also begin to build a 2nd bankroll while he resumed normal play and worked his way back. He expanded his betting unit too fast and got beyond his comfort level for play much too quickly and it almost did him in.
So, this is another reason for having two bankrolls. Also, you should build each bankroll at the same rate. In other words, if your system calls for a 100 unit lifetime bankroll and you use a 100 unit bankroll of $10 units for example, you should not increase your playing level above $10 units until you have built two bankrolls of 100 units to a level that would enable you to play for $15 units. To put it another way, assume you have two 100 unit bankrolls of $1000 each to start with. You must now win enough to build each bankroll to $1500 each before advancing to a $15 playing unit. See what I mean?
Here is another reason for this. Suppose you start out playing for $10 units and build your bankrolls to $2500 each and are now playing for $25 units. Good for you. But what if the unthinkable should happen and you should lose a whole 100 unit bankroll? Well, guess what, since you still have another $2500 bankroll in reserve, you can continue right on at the $25 level without missing a beat because you built both bankrolls simultaneously. It doesn’t take nearly as long to replace a $2500 bankroll if you are already playing for $25 units. You could do it in a week’s time or maybe less. But if you had to go back and once again start with a $1000 bankroll and bet at the $10 level, it could take a lot longer and you have to pay your bills in the process. So, it just makes good sense for a full time professional player to have a 2nd bankroll which is always equal to the first.
All of the above reasons for an extra bankroll are valid but one thing that happened to me and also to one of my clients (as well as many other gamblers) is losing money in other ways besides at the tables. I lost $2000 once and to this day I’m not sure where it went. I left home with it but when I got to the tables at the casino to buy in, my pocket was empty. And as I said, one of my clients had his pocket picked while standing at a craps table in Las Vegas. Hopefully nothing like this will ever happen to you, but lose a big chunk of bankroll that way and you will be very thankful for the 2nd bankroll.
One more quick word of advice before leaving the subject of bankroll; it is assumed that a professional player has the self discipline to quit playing if he is having a bad day and losing. Most pros do. But some people have a very difficult time accepting a loss. I must admit that this is one character flaw I didn’t realize would be a problem for me when I first began playing professionally. I hate to lose almost more than anything. That is both an asset (because it drives me to succeed) and a liability (because I’m tempted to keep playing as long as I’ve got money in my pocket in order to avoid taking a loss). So, after losing much more than I ever should have on a few occasions early in my career because I went to the ATM machine or got a credit card advance, I learned that I must leave all credit cards and ATM cards at home. Also, I never take any more money to the casino than I need to play 2 sessions. Therefore, if I need 20 units of bankroll for a session, then I will never take more than 40 with me. Even if you don’t think you share this character flaw, I’d be willing to bet that in time you will find this to be very good advice.
And one more point before I close. Winning and a positive attitude tends to reinforce and birth more winning, but losing begets losing. That is why it is important to stop a losing streak and get your head clear. (Remember the best way to stop a losing streak is to just quit playing for a day or two or even three if that’s what it takes to get it out of your mind and get your confidence back.)
There are a few pro players, but precious few. And the reason there aren't more is because gambling professionally is a much more difficult undertaking than people imagine. Certainly it has its perks (self employed, work your own hours, etc.), but it isn't all sweetness and light and it certainly isn't easy. You are not only fighting the house edge in a negative expectancy game, but you have to deal with casino conditions that are designed to distract you and affect your powers of concentration. In addition, there are Pit Bosses and Dealers whose job it is to see that you leave your money at their tables (in spite of how they present themselves, in the casino they are not your friends).
In summation it boils down to this: Professional gambling, as much as any other profession, takes much determination and dedication in order to succeed.