Does anyone have a reasonable guess as to how many citizens of our great the country, USA, make a living playing blackjack?
What kind of living (Annual Average Earnings) do these people make?
I saw the History Channel MIT show, and have read many books on the subject.
With the heat from the pit, and negative runs, it seems like a loser's life, i.e. tough.
Yes, too bad we can't all be winners and spend 40 hours a week in an office cube farm.
a number greater than 200 would be a big surprise to me. There aren't enough bj tables. Even when 5 or 6 are active in a city at one time they find themselves bumping into each other all over the place.
Guys on teams like MIT are generally not professional bj players. Hyland's team, yes.
> Even when 5 or 6 are active in a
> city at one time they find themselves
> bumping into each other all over the place.
Ya I couldnt have said it better myself. SM
> Yes, too bad we can't all be winners and
> spend 40 hours a week in an office cube
> farm.
i do not think it is possible to live on black-jack in the usa; in ac i was identified rapidly and they kick me out; the same in las vegas where i was playing one hour in a casino and change place; in ac the method is as soon as you raise your bet they shuffle you; in lv they tell you you are not permitted to play; if you do not understand they will come whit three guys in black clothes so you have to go; i think you can visit once in a while but working regularly at the tables is not possible; think like that; at your table can you identify a counter the way he is playing the way he is raising his bets; so the pit boss and the eye in the sky are paid to do this job
> i do not think it is possible to live on
> black-jack in the usa; in ac i was
> identified rapidly and they kick me out; the
> same in las vegas where i was playing one
> hour in a casino and change place; in ac the
> method is as soon as you raise your bet they
> shuffle you; in lv they tell you you are not
> permitted to play; if you do not understand
> they will come whit three guys in black
> clothes so you have to go; i think you can
> visit once in a while but working regularly
> at the tables is not possible; think like
> that; at your table can you identify a
> counter the way he is playing the way he is
> raising his bets; so the pit boss and the
> eye in the sky are paid to do this job
You are correct as far as you went. It would be difficult indeed to make a good living (six figure income) playing blackjack in the USA if Las Vegas and Atlantic City were the only options. Fortunately, that is not the case. There are now casinos with playable blackjack all over the country.
It is certainly not easy money. Today's high-stakes pro must travel constantly. When he (or she - there are a small number of female pros) plays, it is not a question of if he will be backed off, but when. The people who are successful at this are resourseful, highly intelligent individuals who would probably succeed at anything they were to attempt.
BTW rick, the computer that you are posting with has a virus that attaches a link to a porn site to your post, which I deleted. Just thought you should know.
> i do not think it is possible to live on
> black-jack in the usa; in ac i was
> identified rapidly and they kick me out; the
> same in las vegas where i was playing one
> hour in a casino and change place; in ac the
> method is as soon as you raise your bet they
> shuffle you; in lv they tell you you are not
> permitted to play; if you do not understand
> they will come whit three guys in black
> clothes so you have to go; i think you can
> visit once in a while but working regularly
> at the tables is not possible; think like
> that; at your table can you identify a
> counter the way he is playing the way he is
> raising his bets; so the pit boss and the
> eye in the sky are paid to do this job
Have you ever considered that there might be something either in your table demeanor or your style of play that makes you easy to spot?
I'm not a full-time pro, but I do spend 50 - 200 hours a year in casinos playing for reasonably high stakes. I'll say it here in print: barrings and casino counter measures are extremely rare. (Ok, except at the B*rbary Co*st.)
If you're getting heat, it's very likely because you're doing something to draw it. Ploppies routinely bump their bets -- sometimes wildly. And they occasionally make brilliant plays. Why don't they draw heat? I'm convinced that bet and play variations alone will do little to draw heat.
The only people I've seen that have drawn attention over the years have been those that looked like counters. They don't talk, and they study the cards like they're taking a college entrance exam. In short, they look like machines -- not gamblers.
Casinos are not in the business of throwing out their customers. Give them ANY reason to suspect you're a loser, and they'll do whatever it takes to keep you in that seat.
It is not easy or particularty enjoyable. But, yes, there are people who make a living at BJ. I've done it for seven years. Yes, you get kicked out. That's what professional bj is all about. You burn out a town and move on to the next one. After a year or so you return to the casinos where you've been tossed and start a new account and do it again. If neccessary, you begin using disguises. I've been kicked out of most of the Vegas properties at least three times. It is actually not all that different that described in the book, "Uston on Blackjack".
Paul Newman is wrong in The Color Of Money.Money won IS NOT twice as sweet as money earned,it is a million times sweeter :-)
Posting Permissions
-*-
Bookmarks