BlackKnight: Beginner Blackjack, what can I hope for $ wise?

[BlackKnight]

Hey,

Im a 23 yr old with no job and the only prospects are mcdonalds, shoprite, acme and anything else that pays under 8$ an hour. I stumbled into this world of Blackjack when I read an article by someone named Gene Palensar and found the entire life of BJ sorta interesting. I didn't go too deep into it, I just kept it in the back of my mind. As I was filling out the job applications for various places, something in my mind kept telling me there was "something better" out there than this crap ive gotten so used to. Honestly, im sick of $6.00 an hour and even sicker of people telling me to "wait until your college studies are over" to "get rich".

First off, I dont want to get rich. I am honestly looking for some way to make a bit over 7.50 and have some spending money in my pocket at the end of the day without having to work 50 freaking hours a week and getting screamed at by some moron boss. Im going back to community college soon hopefully, but its hard to work fulltime and do college anyhow, if I wasn't living at home having my parents help me, id have such a hard time doing anything at all.

I kept thinking about it might be possible to start with a very small bankroll and each day/twodays/session to hit the bj tables wherever and add a small amount over time. I am not looking to make big money because I know to make big money you have to start with big money. I am only looking for some alterntaive to the 7.50 an hour crap with a few less hours and maybe a bit more $$. I dont believe it is even possible for someone in my position to get rich gambling, I haven't even deluded myself into thinking that much. My question is Mr. Schlessinger, would it be possible for a 20 something student to make small amounts (300$) a week with a small starting bankroll? Im just looking for something besides flipping burgers. I am willing to read all the boooks out there, learn counting, methods of cover, whatever. Thanks.

-BlackKnight

[Don Schlesinger]

> My question is Mr. Schlessinger,
> would it be possible for a 20 something
> student to make small amounts (300$) a week
> with a small starting bankroll? Im just
> looking for something besides flipping
> burgers. I am willing to read all the boooks
> out there, learn counting, methods of cover,
> whatever. Thanks.

My best advice to you is to stay in school, get the best education you are capable of getting, and aspire to the best job that you are able to acquire.

The problem with trying to earn money playing blackjack is that the income, if there is any at all, is not steady, like the salary of a job. When bills come due, you cannot "demand" that the tables give you your "paycheck." You may have prolonged losing streaks, and yet, the bills still keep arriving.

I know this may not be the answer you were hoping to get, but it's the best advice I have to offer.

Best of luck.

Don

P.S. I understand that you are living at home. If you also attend school, you have to realize that your venues for playing would be very limited. On a small budget, you really can't afford to be traveling all over the country, looking for the best games. The expenses would wipe out any potential profits you would have.

[Parker]

I'm sorry, but I don't think blackjack is for you, at least not at this time in your life.

The problem is a little thing called variance. Your expectation my be $20 per hour, but this does not mean that you can play 40 hours and expect to earn $800. You may win $5,000 or, almost as likely, you may lose a similar amount. In the long run, you will earn your expectation, but the long run is a very long time.

So, in order to make any money at the game, you need a bankroll large enough to ride out the inevitable negative swings.

There is a sort of paradox in blackjack advantage play. If you have amassed the sort of bankroll needed for serious play, you have almost certainly found an easier way to make money.

In order to make enough money to live on while playing at an acceptable risk of ruin, you would need an absolute minimum of $20,000 for bankroll. More is, of course, better. Most of the full time pros that I know play to six figure bankrolls.

This is money set aside strictly for playing, not for living expenses. It is also money that you must be prepared to lose.

It requires a certain mindset to play this game. Do you have any idea what it feels like to lose $10,000 at the tables? It is a difficult feeling to describe, but I can assure you that it is not pleasant.

You refer to yourself as a student at one point in your post. Good. Stay in school - get a good education. It may be a cliche but it is a good one. Once you have a decent job and some disposable income, you can start playing around with blackjack and advantage play.

[HR]

I tried to get through school (made 2 seperate attempts). College is not for everyone. Now I have a $9/hr job and BJ is something that is very part-time. I'm 24, still living at home, and am still a beginner in the BJ world. My expenses are rather light, so I have enough to play nickels, but it will be a long time before I step up to quarters. I haven't been playing long enough to know if this situation is going to be very profitable or not. If you're going to school, then you're probably wasting your time at BJ. You need at least some form of income coming in, and unless your parents give you a hefty allowance you won't have enough to play.

Personally, I am using this time to familiarize myself with the game. I'm not trying to make lots of money right now, my goal is to know what I'm doing by the time I play for real cash.

[Sun Runner]

Believe me when I tell you, I'm a lot older than you, I've been around the block several times, been broke and been flush. Don't take this advice as if from your parent's; because it ain't.

Forget about playing BJ -now -as a job.
It's not a matter of luck. Luck is when preperation meets opportunity. You're not prepared. It's a matter of skill and you simply don't have any.

I don't know what your personal situation is, but it is better than many. You are 23, have an opportunity to get back on your feet (I suspect this the case) and you have parents that are willing to help.

Don't be stupid, sieze the opportunity. They may or may not be the best people in the world, but they are willing to provide you a start. Grab it.

Go to school and learn how to do SOMETHING that is marketable. I would suggest applying your energy and study to something you already like to do. That way you have applied yourself in life to something worthwhile; and if it only makes you a decent living atleast you have enjoyed the ride.

Change your attitude. Oops [ still listening? ] You can look at your $6.00 job one of two ways. Either it's crap, the people I work with are stupid, and the boss is a moron. Or, this job is going to get me where I want to go and I am fortunate to have it, and be thankful. Believe me your attitude is eveything; actually it's the only thing.

Learn how to play BJ. It takes time. You have to have skills to win. Buy a [good] book. Read it. Read it again. Read it yet again. Buy another. Download some practice software. Play a little -in your spare time -if you still like it.

You are no different than the rest of us. Watch the Travel Channel. See those big casinos and water fountains? They were built by people just like you that tried to play without any skills.

Don't give them the satisfaction of turning your money over to them. Because you will. Learn to play -it takes a while. Then, and only then, make them turn some of their money over to you.

Good luck, my friend.

SR

[the_friendly_dealer]

Guess what? I'm not the 'old pro' who's going to tell you to stay in school. I'm the one who was in exactly the same situation as you were just a few months ago. No job, no prospects, flunked out of college... wished I could play Blackjack for money... then I found out I could! Instead of playing at the tables at my local casino (southern Indiana), I applied for a job there. After 6 months of working a crappy job, you can apply for a transfer to become a dealer. That's what I'm doing now. I'm on the other side of the Blackjack table and it's a lot of fun. You'll learn alot about the game, what strategies work and what don't, how to deal with the loud, smoky environment and still keep your concentration, and make about $20/hour with no chance of losing it all. I still don't have the bankroll to play for money, but I do think I have a lot more knowledge about it than before and when I do have the roll I'll be more prepared than anyone else starting out.

And for all you skeptics, I'm not out to get you. I know what it's like to be a counter because I tried it a few times before I got this bright idea, and the last thing I want is to have all the staff gunning for me. So I'm liberal about making the "cheques play" calls, and I cut the deck deep. It's all fair in my eyes.

Think about this seriously, BlackKnight, because if you like playing Blackjack, you'll probably love this job as much as I do.

[BlackKnight]

> I tried to get through school (made 2
> seperate attempts). College is not for
> everyone. Now I have a $9/hr job and BJ is
> something that is very part-time. I'm 24,
> still living at home, and am still a
> beginner in the BJ world. My expenses are
> rather light, so I have enough to play
> nickels, but it will be a long time before I
> step up to quarters. I haven't been playing
> long enough to know if this situation is
> going to be very profitable or not. If
> you're going to school, then you're probably
> wasting your time at BJ. You need at least
> some form of income coming in, and unless
> your parents give you a hefty allowance you
> won't have enough to play.

> Personally, I am using this time to
> familiarize myself with the game. I'm not
> trying to make lots of money right now, my
> goal is to know what I'm doing by the time I
> play for real cash.

What counting system (if any) do you use? There are like BILLIONS and they all seem to have some "hook", the only one that looks interseting to me right now is the simple Hi-Lo, but people have told me that is only a beginners counting system. You use Basic Strat right? How do you know when you should deviate from it or not based on the count? I know next to nothing so thats why im asking dumb questions. Does the earnings you get each session fluctuate wildly or is there always a point in the night that you are ahead of the house somehow? Thanks. I am curious and ignorant haha.

[Hank]

I use the Hi-Lo. The first book I got was Blackjack Secrets by Stanford Wong. I also have Blackjack Attack 2nd ed. by Schlesinger, and Blackjack Wisdom by Arnold Snyder. I've read a few other books: Million Dollar Blackjack, and Take the money and run. Like I said, I'm still a beginner, so take my advice with a grain of salt.

You will definitely experience MAJOR ups and downs. It's basically impossible to walk away each night with exactly your expected winnings. I've been up a lot, and been down a lot. I've lost my entire session bankroll before. I've also more than doubled it.

Buy some books, and do LOTS of practice. That's my advice.

HR

[Parker]

> What counting system (if any) do you use?
> There are like BILLIONS and they all seem to
> have some "hook", the only one
> that looks interseting to me right now is
> the simple Hi-Lo, but people have told me
> that is only a beginners counting system.

You're talking to the wrong people. There are a dozen or so popular counting systems, and they all do essentially the same thing: tell you when the remaining deck(s) has an excess of 10 value cards and you have the edge.

Hi-lo is far and away the most popular counting system, and is used by many full time pros and high stakes blackjack teams. It is hardly a "beginners" system.

> You use Basic Strat right? How do you know
> when you should deviate from it or not based
> on the count? I know next to nothing so
> thats why im asking dumb questions.

I suggest that you proceed to our online catalog and order a book or two. To start with, you might consider Professional Blackjack by Stanford Wong, or Blackbelt in Blackjack by Arnold Snyder. I personally own over 30 books on blackjack, and am always looking for more.

> Does the
> earnings you get each session fluctuate
> wildly or is there always a point in the
> night that you are ahead of the house
> somehow? Thanks. I am curious and ignorant
> haha.

I wish. Earnings fluctuate wildly. Full time pros have losing days, weeks, and even months. I know of a few pros who have had losing years. I have personally went a couple of weeks (with near-daily play) without a winning session. This is why a large bankroll is needed.