BJ for a Living

Just how possible is it to make a living playing Black Jack.

I have played a lot over past 18 months and have done well and keep
thinking that if one were to set a goal of winning 500.00 a day playing 5 days a week that would be over 100k per year.

Now, it has not been that difficult to go in and pick up $500.00

So...can it be done on an ongoing basis?

I know there are folks who make a living gambling.

It seems to me to be a "if it's too good to be true it probably is not " deals....

Any commentary or advice will be appreciated

I would like to pose the question, how possible is it to play blackjack for vacations?

I live on the East Coast and enjoy Vegas as a vacation spot as well as having family there.

If, for example I could make say 20 trips there of 5 or 6 days duration each trip,for an average cost of $200 to $300 per trip (not including airfare) after accounting for BJ winnings and Comps, I would be pleased. I would not expect to be staying at the Bellagio or Venetian, but a reasonably nice property nevertheless.

I enjoy playing BJ recreationally, I count, and I don't care to be a sucker for a Casino.

Any advice or comments on attaining the above objectives would
would be appreciated. I would think that others may be interested as well.

The guy who averages $500 more likely will win or lose about $10,000 per session. Hopefully he will win 11 times out of 20. That's how one averages $500 per session. Several losing sessions in a row is, of course, not unusual. The guy who averages 100K per year might make 150K one year and 50K the next. He may win 200K one year and nothing the next. Periods of several months with a net loss are not just unusual bad luck. They happen all the time. And these fluctuations are not even what I am talking about in my previous posts in this thread. The swings are just part of what needs to be second nature.

It is quite easy for a greenchipper to confuse variance with winning. He may think that because he is usually ahead by some amount at some time during a session that all he has to do is make sure he quits at that point every day. Not so. Such thinking belongs on the progression page. Even if you play exceptionally good games, like DI of 10, your hourly standard deviation will be 10X your win rate.

It is possible to average $500 per day sure given the right conditions and enough money up front to make that kind of money. You will not see it in the short term nor can you depend on making a steady $500 per day. Needless to say your question is way to vague because there is bankroll considerations that must be dealt with to determine the feasibility of making $500 a day.

Personally my EV might be $500 per day but that is rare for a red chipper. Honestly I don't make $500 a day though, at least my short term statistics this year tell me it is closer to $200 per day. However my bet schedule is a $50 and hour game and playing 10 hours is not inconcievable for me. Other peoples results may very. A typical counter with a conservative spread and one that doesn't overbet small positive counts like I do (one that is concerned more with risk than I) might have a 2 unit an hour expected wage in the long run meaning about $10 an hour.

It is questionable whether anyone can sustain this type of play without getting kicked out of everywhere. Casinos usually don't care about red chippers and even high count bets of $100 gets no heat at many places. With no experience it is likely you will lose for a period of time before winning due to many of factors. There is no such thing as beginners luck so don't believe such a foolish notion. Blackjack is about understanding and experience and being comfortable in situations that beginners might find uncomfortable (shelling out hundreds to keep betting the count after losing your ass on 2 shitty double downs, to keep playing and keep the pit boss from going to that phone at the podium). Even a red chipper has to watch his own A@@.

Cutter

May I suggest you read Blackjack Attack by Don Schlesinger. First of all it's one of the greatest BJ books ever written, but most important is that he addresses in it what you are referring to. If you want to address the question, get an opinion from the best around, and that is Schlesinger. Trust me you'll be taken aback. You can order it through www.rge21.com. If you like to play it will become your bible. Let me put it to you this way. I own 3 copies so that I always have one in different locations I spend time in. I never know when I need to refer to it. Good luck.

on whats so great about Bj attack. Personally I think million Dollar Bj is my bible, even though it is REALLY outdated.

Can you give me some really 'verses' that make you need 3 copies hollywood? Is it because it is very recent and updated that makes it so useful?

Your question is - can it be done on an on-going basis?

The answer is YES!

Now the careful part:

I AVERAGE about $300/day and have been doing so for the past five years playing low level stakes - $10 and $25 tables. (I've never experienced the "heat" problems some on this site discuss.) I play 2 to 4 days/week and I used to play 4 to 5 days/week. (I really enjoy playing the game.) Like the guy who taught me to play, I started with a small bankroll at the the old $2 tables and have never had to look back. I admit there was a certain degree of "good luck" involved.

The caveats:

Listen to the folks on this site who stress BANKROLL. I play fearlessly because I have an on-going source of income. If I lost every dime tomorrow (not that I would let that happen) I know there's more money coming in. One of the problems with regular players is being afraid to make the bets.

The Wong and Schlesinger books are invaluable in learning the basics of the game, but you'll soon learn there's more to becoming a really good player than is found in "The Books".

How many decks are you playing - and by what rules? I guess my primary question would be - if you've REALLY been averaging $500/day - why ask the the question on this website?

I've said this before, but Schlesingers in your face writing style is entertaining. The man believes wholeheartedly in what he writes and he is on a mission to rid the world of blackjack nonesense.

Now, I don't agree 100% with Schlesingers point of view but this is definately a book that every aspiring counter should have in his collection. There is literally a mountain of information in there. The publishers must have had to shoehorn it all in. Well worth the selling price.

SD Player.

What count is used in the book?

... that this hypothetical guy has no other advantage techniques beyond counting?

I'm just an amateur, but I gotta have at least one other angle, or I'm not in that game. I think counting is basic, but I suspect if I became a pro, it would become secondary.

ETF

At least I submitted a subject worthy of a lot of response from the group...

I am going to reply to many of the questions posed to me and again I thank you for your feedback.

My replies are in no particular order but are responses to various
questions posed by many of you.

#1 If I am reguarly winning, why do I ask?

Well, that's why I ask. I sit there and think I would much rather

do this for a living than go to work every day.

#2 Currently I play 2 - 3 times a month spreading green 1-6, maybe

8.

#3 I usually go to the same place and being id there is not a problem

because they know me on a first name basis...so if I am going to

do this for a living I will obviously have to visit other places.

#4 Being barred....I have taken 10k, 5k, 2k, out of above casino

several times during a 2-3 day trip. I have lost as much as

4k but I have won consideralbly more than I have lost. I have

never experienced "heat". On a couple occasions I have had

pit bosses come up and try talking to me in middle of hands..

which I assume is to distract me. But the bottom line is

they pay my airfare, my room, my food, gift shop trinkets,

tickets to show..etc... And I have never had a tap on the

shoulder...

#5 I play SD and some DD if conditions are right.

#6 I make over 100,000.00 per year in my "real" job.

#7 Why do I ask if it can done? Because it seems to me that it

can be done and I felt that this forum could point out the

pitfalls, hazards, etc.

#8 Yes, I know playing can be very stressfull, and tiring, and

it would be a job

And finally...I didnt say I was definately going to try it..but as it turns out I may be losing my "day job" by end of year and was contemplating doing something I love to do, ie playing BJ, rather than searching for another job.

Schlesinger does not present a count in this book. Instead, he discusses more advanced aspects of the game such as team play, risk of ruin, betting techniques, and camouflage. In addition, Schlesinger presents "The World's Greatest Blackjack Simulation" (which gives vital insight into the tremendous effect the rules of the game have on EV) as well as his article on SCORE's. This book is a must have for anyone who wants to take his or her game to the next level.

There are any number of good books that explain the basics of blackjack, present basic strategy, detail how and why card counting works, and present a counting system or two. Examples include Professional Blackjack, Blackbelt in Blackjack, Blackjack for Blood, Knockout Blackjack, The World's Greatest Blackjack Book, Million Dollar Blackjack, etc.

Blackjack Attack picks up where these books leave off. Schlesinger assumes that the reader already has a knowledge of blackjack and knows how to count cards.

Wonging shoe games is discussed in great detail in several chapters. There is an entire chapter devoted to the optimum time to leave a shoe.

The SCORE system of rating games and counting systems is introduced and explained. The question of "Which counting system is the best?" is definitively answered.

The classic chapter on the "Illustrious 18," the 18 most important strategy variations, is included.

There is a lot of advanced math in this book. Fortunately for those of us who are math-impaired (such as myself), Schlesinger always provides a clear summary of what he is doing with the math, written in clear concise language.

I carry on all my bags when I travel by air, so I can't carry much. NOnetheless, Blackjack Attack is one of the four publications that goes with me everywhere.

Did you play 4/5 days a week at the same casino? You must have been weel know there if that was the case. You didn't get any heat at all? I don't like pit personal recognizing my face, how do you deal with this when you play as often as you do?

Thanks

When you play very often you need to mix it up. But even if a casino sees you once every 7 or 10 days, after a while they get to know your face. You can hit different shifts. Play at a place several hours one time and maybe a short stay another time. Some days you do short shifts, but switch casinos 2 or 3 times in the same day. Sometimes you can play the same place several days in a row then avoid it for a little while. And a lot of other little cute tricks I can't mention.

Primarily you need to fit in and try to look like an average gambler. In AC there are many players who play often. After a while it's hard to walk into a place without recognizing faces and having other players saying hello.

Be nice to the dealers and pit people. If you do it right, you can even get frequent comps before you take their money home. It's kind of like being In Hiding in plain site. :-)

Good Fortune.

"I carry on all my bags when I travel by air, so I can't carry much. NOnetheless, Blackjack Attack is one of the four publications that goes with me everywhere."

And the other 3?

JB

My "American Express" library:

(I "don't leave home without it!")

The aforementioned Blackjack Attack.

The Unbalanced Zen II, by George C. The basic reference for the count system I use. Obviously, if I used a different count it would be a different book. When I used KO it was Knockout Blackjack, by Vancura & Fuchs.

Current Blackjack News, the latest issue, of course. It may not be perfect, but it is the most accurate listing of casino conditions available.

American Casino Guide, by Steve Bourie. This is a great companion piece to CBJN. It's quite useful to have the addresses, phone numbers, etc., of all the casinos in one place.

And of course, I always carry a modem-equipped laptop computer, along with a bunch of extension cords, phone cords, interfaces and adapters, so I can get online almost anywhere.