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Originally Posted by
Jimmy the Saint
Bear in mind that I only have a high-school education, no specialist skills and will probably never make big money. Scratching out a living at card counting is on par with the salary I can expect to bring in working the kind of jobs that are available to me. I have other reasons for wanting to move to the US, also.
Your situation is not unlike my own. I started out 9 years ago, very underfunded with a bankroll of less than $5,000, playing very low limit games. I have supported myself from that meager bankroll since day 1 and have now grown that bankroll to well over a 6 figure bankroll, that hopefully will allow me to continue to do so for quite a while.
Now, that said, I now know, the odds of doing something like that are extreme. I would estimate them in the winning the lottery (the big one) neighborhood. You really need a reasonable bankroll to be able to play a small enough fraction of kelly to be able to withstand the major swings that are a part of this occupation, and there are two parts to being able to withstand such swings. One is financially, the second mentally. For example, suppose it would not be uncommon to endure a $40,000 short-term downturn. Then how much bankroll would be necessary to withstand such a swing? $50,000? $60,000? Financially yes, but would you really feel comfortable continuing betting your $60,000 bankroll if you were down $40,000? Few would. This is the most difficult aspect of the game to learn and learn to deal with. The bigger the bankroll, the more comfortable such a downswing would be. So I think, the goal needs to be a $100,000 plus bankroll. This will allow you to play at a level where you can make some money, while still keeping ROR minimal.
Now, you don't have to have that bankroll immediately upon starting. You can work towards it, but you have to try to get there as quickly as possible, within a year or two. Not some 5+ year plan, hoping you don't hit that major downswing during that time. Live frugal and keep expenses at a minimum until you are there. Building your bankroll has to be your main focus and a priority at all times.
Now what is the minimum amount that you can start with and still have a reasonable chance of getting to where you want to be pretty quickly. I honestly don't know. Each amount is going to have a different amount of risk involved. I would say for a single, person with minimal expenses that is really willing to live minimally for a while maybe the amount you are talking would suffice. $25,000 bankroll plus a years living expenses. Working a part-time job while starting out or being willing to take a job for a while if that initial risk does get the best of you, are considerations that will improve your chances.
I can't really offer much insight on this concept of really living off and at the casinos full-time, bouncing around from one comped room to the next, but keep in mind that blackjack play alone does not earn you much comps at most locations. I did spend 2-3 comped nights a week early in my career, but I always had a place to call home to retreat to. Unlike many players, that aspect of casino living, didn't really appeal to me and I wanted out of that part as quickly as possible. So I opted for re-locating close to the games I play rather than spending many nights in a hotel room or suite. I like to spend nights in my own bed in my own home. For me this meant relocating to Las Vegas, but with games in so many places, there are more options now. Las Vegas is a special place though and the big advantage of Las Vegas is quantity of games, not quality. In other words there are many places that offer better games, but few places that offer such a quantity pf playable games in close proximity, which means minimal expenses. Of course there are challenges to living in such a place but I will save that for a later discussion.
The bottom line is you have to really have a passion for this life and these goals, because you will make some sacrifices to get where you want to be. If it is just a means to making some money, such an extreme path as picking up and moving across the world, isn't going to work out.
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