Haha

I post a comment with the "money" as the subject and look at all the responses I get, haha. No but seriously I appreciate all of the feedback, it has given me a new perspective about this game.

And you did get some great advise from some truely knowledgable people who know of what they speak. There are a couple points of disagreement I would like to address.

First is that many in the BJ community feel it their duty to dissuade aspiring young people away from this journey. It's perfectly fine to point out that like most things, there is a negative side as well as positive and it's not all as easy and glorious as tv and the movies portray it to be, but after reading the feedback, one would think what a horrible existence playing BJ for a living is. Maybe it's because I've only been at this for six years, but I absolutely LOVE supporting myself off of blackjack. Everybody here was drawn to advantage play at one time and has had some success at what ever level they play or they wouldn't continue to pursue the game. So while it's ok to present the facts both negative and positive so that young "brooklyn" or others like him can proceed as informed as possible, lets not paint a house of horrors picture to send him screaming into the night in an attemp to save hime from himself.

The second point I have trouble with, is that people seem to want to tie success to some dollar figure, most notably in the six figure range. I see comment saying a solo counter can at best make low six figures. What's wrong with that??? The average salary in the US is $42,038. (based on 2005 figures, which is latest I could find) When I left my last job six years ago, I was making $23K a year. This year my income from BJ is on a pace to triple that. What is wrong with that? Not going to be Donald Trump nor retire by age 30, but its a decent existance for a young person in their mid twenties who has the freedom to set their own hours. And some of us don't find sleeping in hotels and eating in restuarants horrid. I count traveling and seeing places I would otherwise not as one of the benefits of this profession.

My point is, lets not look at just the down side and paint a gloomy picture in an effort to dissuade someone as if we have some moral obligation to do so. Let's present the facts and allow them to decide their own destiny.

I liked your post and you are correct. There is another side to the matter. I would like to address the low six figure quote, which was from me. There is nothing wrong with making that amount or less, and it may well be as much as an individual can expect to make in a "straight" job. But it isn't getting rich and I believe the common folklore is that people can get rich from the game. It isn't impossible, but highly unlikely. Every "rich" person I know who plays blackjack has another source of income, either from a straight job or other forms of advantage play. Some, like Stanford Wong, have managed to parlay a blackjack career into something else that may be gambling related. However, Stanford would be the first to tell you that he probably would have made a lot more money if he had gone into another field.

And there lies the rub. If you are talented enough and have the drive to be a successful full-time blackjack player, the odds are pretty good that you could make more money doing something else, although today's economy might put the lie to my belief for the moment.

The less pros in a profession, the more profitable for those left-alone few. If you make millions $ from a profession, why advertise it attracting more competitors?
1. Do what you believe is right.
2. Hint: Color of money are the same among all countries and games... go read BYC.

...by Frank Perdue. Here is the recipe for Blackjack Chicken Chile from the book:

No-Fat Black Jack Chicken Chili

1 (16-ounce) package dried black beans, picked over and rinsed
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 large red onion, finely chopped
1 bunch cilantro, finely chopped (leaves only)
2 fresh serrano chiles, stemmed and finely chopped (see note)
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
4 fresh boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup low-salt chicken broth
1 teaspoon crushed dried oregano, crumbled
1 lime, cut into wedges

Beans: Place beans in a heavy, large saucepan and cover with water by 3 inches. Bring to a boil, uncovered, over medium-high heat. Boil 2 minutes. Cover and turn off heat. Let beans soak 1 hour, then cook, covered, over low heat for 1 hour or until tender. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, onion, cilantro, chiles, garlic, chili powder, cumin and salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 1 hour.

Chicken: Meanwhile, prepare chicken. Cut into bite-size pieces. In a medium skillet, heat broth over medium heat until it begins to simmer. Add chicken pieces and oregano. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until chicken is no longer pink, 3 to 4 minutes*. Turn off heat and leave chicken in the broth.

Assemble: Thirty minutes before serving, add chicken with the broth to the chili. Simmer chili 30 minutes; serve hot with lime wedges.
Makes 8 servings.

Note: Working with jalape�os or other chiles: Capsaicin is the ingredient in chiles that causes the burning sensation associated with fresh peppers. It's a good idea to use rubber gloves when handling fresh chiles. (Disposable surgical gloves, available at most drugstores, work best for this.) If you choose not to use gloves, be extremely careful not to touch any part of your body, especially your eyes. After you've finished handling the chiles, wash your knife and cutting board with hot soapy water to ensure that there is no carry-over to other foods that may come in contact with the peppers