Question for Seasoned Pro's

Is blackjack worth pursuing a career in?

Now consider all of the following are true. I am extremely willing to put forth any level of effort it takes to succeed. I know that I have the ability to count cards professionally, I have spent the last year preparing and if I decide to choose blackjack as a living I plan on spending another full year preparing and saving money. I have the patience and emotional stamina it takes for bad swings. I have zero doubts about myself.

What I am not certain of however is the direction blackjack is taking? Blackjack seems as though it may not be as lucrative anymore. A lot of the casinos are beginning to offer bad games, is this something that is going to spread or will there always be enough good games that it doesn�t matter? It also seems that if I were amazing at counting I would still probably get barred, how big of a problem does this really pose to a professional? Also I still worry about the old time guys that used to run the casino�s, is getting roughed up for counting still an issue? I fully understand there is still much I need to learn, however I am asking for a little guidance before I continue to invest so much of my time.

Here is my bottom line question, is it still possible/worth it to become a professional blackjack player? Thank you very much any positive advice you can offer, it is much appreciated.

What are you doing now? Are you making good money at it? I would say don't do it. If you are making at least $30,000 a year, stay at the job you got.

Yes, getting barred is a big issue. Here is what happened to me in the last 2 weeks. I got trespassed at one place. I almost got trespassed at another but was on my way to the door. I got backed off at 2 other places. They don't rough you up but they tell you that you can't play anymore. Some places try to embarrass you or play games with you but most will just say that you are too good for us. You can still make money at it, though. You can still make very good money. You have your days when you lose big, though, too. It is hard to keep perspective sometimes and you have to be careful of pitfalls. Tipping too much, etc. You need a good bankroll. The better the bankroll the easier it is for you. What country do you live in? I assume you live in the USA ?

Here is another option. Learn poker.

I've been having the time of my life the past few years. The first year I turned pro I made five times what I made in my usual job. But if you ever have any questions about whether or not you should quit your job, don't quit. If you should go pro it will be obvious to you.

Math Boy

to get a good start, it definitely beats working 60 hours a week for 30K a year. The hotel/comp lifestyle is fantastic. I only work maybe 50 hours a month and make between $50K and $100K every year.

Be prepared to travel. A lot. Also realize when you're on the road your life isn't really your own 24 hours a day until you return home. Plan on playing lots of 6 deck games if you want to survive more than 6 months.

Im about to be graduating college soon and I will probably get a job that makes me about $30,000 a year. What I was planning on doing if i do decide to play professionally is spend the next year saving up all my money for a bank roll. I also planned on practicing and reading an average of 10-15 hrs a week for that year. I realize that after one year of saving my bankroll will at the very most only be $15,000, but I figure that is enough to get a foot in the door and hopefully I will be able to increase that bankroll every year. Once I begin playing professionally I also planned on trying to keep my job part time and play BJ with the rest of my time. I love to travel, that is actually what first turned me on to BJ. Please let me know if this is a bad plan. Thanks a lot for all the helpful comments.

Is this amount to ensure that I will be able handle any fluactions that occur, or is it to so that I can increase my betting size and make more money? Or is it what I am assuming is both.

I realize that after one year of saving my bankroll will at the very most only be $15,000, but I figure that is enough to get a foot in the door and hopefully I will be able to increase that

When I first started playing full-time about six years ago, my bankroll was similarly small. It took a lot of coupon grinding, promotion-milking, scrimping, and saving to build it up to a reasonable amount. My spouse contributed financially during the build-up phase, too. Without that contribution, playing full-time with such a small bankroll would not have been feasible.

At the levels you'll be able to play at initially with only a $15K bank, the comps will not cover all your expenses, particularly airfare. If you live in or close to a large casino city, that is less of a problem, as you can play at low stakes for many hours if you rotate the stores and shifts. If you have to fly and rent a car every time you play, the cost will eat up a large chunk of your EV.

If you live in a large casino city, my advice would be to keep the job for longer than the year. Grind coupons and play promotions to build your bankroll.

Once I begin playing professionally I also planned on trying to keep my job part time and play BJ with the rest of my time.

The ability to work at your "day job" part-time gives you much more flexibility than most beginning full-timers have.

I love to travel, that is actually what first turned me on to BJ.

You will certainly do some travelling.

Good luck.

The average working stiff works about 176 hours a month. Mr. bigplayer stated his average working time is only about 50 hours per month. When you factor in the reduced hours, the hourly return is quite impressive, indeed.

kelvis, your profile says "up and coming player." You will find that as your betting level increases, there will be fewer places at which to ply your trade. Having said that, I have no doubt that Mr. bigplayer could double his income or more, if he wanted to work harder (more hours) and put up with more hassles. He doesn't need to, so he doesn't.

working 9 years since my MBA degree. I became a pro because I lost heavily at stock market for lacking patience. I some times think I should work as a CC immediately after my MBA as CC is good training for portfolio manager. I worked as a full time CC for 11 years and am making good money now. I have writen 5 BJ books (not in English so I am not advertising here) and am working on 3 more plus a novel... playing BJ is not necessisary even 8 hours a day or 40 hours a week. I write whenever I feel don't like working (on BJ). I can't answer whether you can be a profitable CC at USA, Math Boy etc. can answer better. I have been doing Ok abroad USA because US casinos are more experienced in dealing with CCs. To survive and prosper at foreign(vs. US) casinos take different skills though which you can't read from most US Bj books (I didn't write at my books either...) I will say this: there are many successful CCs internationally. I can't say whether you can be successful (obviously you are quite sure of yourself) or not as it really depends. I had a good start, built up my skills at casinos' mistakes (on junket program), you may not be able to duplicate my experience. I then travelled extensively to 40 countries, I am also a good observer and learner. I read Snyder's shuffle tracking serials then observe casino shuffles carefully. I have a large bankroll but I really don't need it as most foreign casinos are smaller and with better rules which means I can make money with small bankroll. But I am more skillful than you. Conclusion:
It is possible, doing it at young is good, nobody will teach you though (why anybody will teach you?)... : )

I shouldn't say nobody will teach you. Many international CC will happily exchange information with you... saving everybody's time. For example, I was barred from X country, you have been to Y country which I haven't been to and have no idea about( such as Kongo, Togo or Tahiti...), then I am willing to trade with you. You may think I am selfish, afterall that info is no longer valuable for myself. True. But there are info that sharing with others will shorten the profitable life for myself... If you like to start, I will teach you at least one good country to begin with and we can discuss which country I am interested but not having time going. When you go to an exotic country, even if it is not playable for CC, it is still valuable information for some people as we don't have to go. You can e-mail me at gtzlsyh@yahoo.com of you like.

No foul or put-down was intended.

I apologize if my comments sounded rude, it wasn't intended. Mr. bigplayer doesn't need me or anyone else to speak for him. I just meant to point out somnething that I thought maybe you overlooked.

Remember the casino industry is the enemy, not each other.

Agreed.

You stated that you �work� 50 hours a month. How do you define that.
A lot of people think that college professors have a high hourly rate, because they only look at time spend in the classroom. They don�t consider the time spent preparing class, grading paper, meeting with students, plus the time spent in committee meetings, etc. etc.

If you look at the hourly rate for BJ, it looks high if you just consider time at the table. But there is also record keeping, trip planning, traveling, etc.

To get back to the answer about �turning pro�, it depends on a lot of other factors. A big one is, how do you like your day job? What kind of possibilities are there for advancement there?

Also, keep in mind benefits. With many day jobs, you get some health care coverage, contribution to retirements plans, and the employer pays part of your FICA tax. Some people have spouses who can cover their health insurance; however, sometimes the spouses resent all the time away form home traveling.

scouting games. I don't count time traveling (which is substantial but could be cut considerably if I wanted) as I am still welcome virtually everywhere due to my style of play and act.

"I don't count time traveling (which is substantial but could be cut considerably if I wanted) as I am still welcome virtually everywhere due to my style of play and act."

You`re one up on me, and I was a silver-chipper...

Life can be so cruel.

Best,
Syph