income of BJ

i see numerous comments by people saying 100k/yr BJ is hard to come by, and 100+k/yr is common in other lines of work...

in australia, we dont get taxed playing BJ...i think you pay higher tax in the US, but here in aus, its 42% after 60k AU (about 35k US)

this lack of tax, really makes up for alot of income lost through tax...

a lawyer will quite often make 100-150k over here....after tax, that will go down considerably to about 70-90k after tax...

to make the same income, the pro gambler only has to make 70-90k AU....this translates to about 40-55k US...

if you also include the benefits of the AU$ vs the US$, it gets even better...earning money on trips in the US, earning US$s, and then converting them to AU$

maybe its different in the states, but here in AUS, a pro could with considerably less time, and arguably a better lifestyle (being a lawyer/docter etc is hard work too...very long days...) make a very comfortable living...

starting age/BR should also be taken into account...i am 19....with a decent BR (about 40k US, no parents)...

this is obviously favorable compared to a 45 yo white collar worker who just left his job, and has 10-20k to play with...

the fact that the younger player (me ;) ) has hardly any expenses (clubs, rent, motornike), and the older player is likely to be married, with kids and a morgage should also be important...

the fact is, the older you are, the larger the BR you really need...and having a large BR while in the baby years
will obviously be greatly beneficial...

it all really depends on the circumstances....

all ive got to say for now (expect for my question, underneath)

it is described all over the place that there are few players in the 100k+ league...

i also read about how most counters fail, and about 98% (seen this figure a few times) dont make much money from it...

does this mean that the wrong types of people are getting into it (ie, people looking for quick, easy money???)??????

is it they also very ill-prepared, (small BR, bet too big, not proficient in counting, BS etc)???

if someone has a large BR, can count very well, very disciplined etc, how is it possible not to succeed???

after all, you effectively turn the tables...

how do they fail???they have either researched through the web or books...the pros emphasise the importance of BR size, money management, BS and counting skills etc...

i am asking, because with the wealth of information out there, i find it pretty hard to believe so many people will be so foolish to not use it...

is the lack of higher $$ players due to loss of BR (either stupidity or overbetting), lack of players getting to that level, or the fact that it takes years to build up a BR to bring in that sort of money, and not enough time has passed to allow people to 'get up there'??

just always curious, im young and this is my full time occupation...
i have big dreams for lots of $$$

Mr. J,

I love BJ and have played it, usually successfully, for decades, but doing it every day, week in, week out, would be a drag. It's lonely work, unless you can find a friend to team up with, and even then the stresses involved with money issues could easily (probably would) break up the team eventually.

If I do blackjack for eight or ten hours a day for three days in a row, I'm beat and....read carefully....bored. You can make a living, maybe, playing professional blackjack, but it's not really a life. I look at it as a break from real life, but not a reasonable basis of existence in itself.

Anyhow, before you embark on a life of total devotion to the game, read "Las Vegas Blackjack Diary," by Stuart Perry, copyright 1995. It follows a would-be pro...and obviously good player...through two solid months of BJ. He won some money, sure, but on the final day he states, "I felt very wrung out," and in his conclusion he admits that "I underestimated how much playing blackjack can be MENTALLY wearing."

Finally, the ups and downs are horrific. Perry was up $2161.50 after his first day of play. After big wins and big losses, 5 weeks later, his trip total was +$201. In other words, he's lost $1960 since that first day. At the end of two gruelling months he was up $2,303.50 ..... less than $200 net gain beyond what Lady Luck had granted him in his first few hours of play!

Could you take that?

My suggestion would be to start part time, maybe 15 to 20 hours a week. After a few months if you still feel you should turn pro, go for it.

well ive been playing for a year....first few months on and off (about 2 week play everyday, 2 weeks off)

ever since its been pretty much 5 times a week every week, with a week off every now and then...

yes it is long, can be a real drag...but so are most other jobs...

BJ does have its moments, but i do try to keep my hours as short as possible....it does get very fustrating, and the way the BR fluctuates can be irritating....

HOWEVER....i have become pretty unemtotional about it now, especially after the rollercoaster ride in the beginnings, where you cant afford to lose...

i have done quick 15min hitn run sessions, and quite a few 12hr (with a break every now and then) sessions...

i realize the risk involved, and the uncertainty of getting money at the end of the day...

im pretty sure i have what it takes, i just have to make sure i use these qualities to continue my success...

i have been up 12k AU for a session, and have lost 4k...

instead of these numbers effecting me mentally as a big win or loss, these are now just numbers i add at the end of the day to see where im at...

i know it can be a lonely life....

alot of time to kill....

i also get stereotyped as a drug dealer by everyone who sees me, or a problem gambler by relatives/family friends...

however, so far it has also let me live a life of being able to afford many things otherwise not possible, and lead a life most people my age only dream about...

i go out everynight, meet more girls than a male hairdresser, have no studies, no seemingly 'real' work, do what i want whenever i want...

i know the pros and cons, i weigh them up and i see a good future...

all i have to do is make it...

Here's your expert advice in the post below you titled "i'm a pro-gressionest"

"they are very useful.....

first used martingale with shorterm succes, when that failed moved to d'alembert (which i figured out on my own from martingale)

then got interested in positive progressions, (tired of hitn runs....sometimes its nice to just play for a few houres, instead of a quick few hundred/go in 10-15mins)

developed my own progression which seems to condradict itself..."

You then ramble on:

"i hit 6 figures without having to count a card.."

Is that right, maybe $127,000 bucks in your first year of blackjack,or something like that? You and Ace need to form a progression team. You two seem to think alike.

More rambling:

"trust me this was not luck....its because i pay more attention to managing my money than anything else..."

Sorry Mr. J, with your kind of logic and card counting skill(?) be prepared to go broke rather quickly. I'm not sure if you are even serious about the questions you ask, if you are, my suggestion is first learn the basic fundamentals of card counting and get some experience at the $2 tables. Heck, it's a start isn't it?

happy progessions,
TG

no $2 tables where i am...very few in australia...i do count, but find that i do better using progressions....

you seem to think i am convinced progressions work...

if you read my reply to the post after the 'pro progressionist', youll find that i know mathematically they dont work....

my logic isnt flawed...i dont have any blind illusions about progressions leading to riches...

i just happen to have been successful with them...

as to ACE, he seems to have been successful with them, but appears to know they dont produces positive expectations like counting does...

my counting skills are fine thank you very much, i just dont use them as much as i would like to...

the fact is, is that money management is the name of the game, counter or progressionist...

that is why i have succeeded so far...

i am a pro-progressionst, and will be while i continue to be successful...

HOWEVER, i also DO count, just not much at my home casino...i have made this point many times...

WHEN i do count, i use Hi-lo and wong, and use a progression during positive counts, leading to a positive expectation...

if you leave when the count goes bad, and the progression is at a good point, then you make a killing...

my BR is 45k the rest is mostly saved/invested and some spent...

these are $AU...

by using progressions i might appear to be a fool, however at the end of the day i am the one with the money, while many counting only players are broke...

if i think something will prove useful at any point in the game, i will use it whether its progressions, shuffle tracking, counting, wonging etc...

telling me that i am a 'pro-gressionist' seems a bit silly, as i have already stated that...

no-one ever said a progressionist cant be a counter...

What will you do when you get barred from the places you currently play, or the games become so bad you no longer have an advantage? It is very important to have a backup plan. Good luck to you!

and make sure i dont get barred???

itd be nice to have more than one casino/state capital....