Counting cards for a living

[ycming]

You should be commended for your honesty and per serverance. You've chosen a tough Profession to be self employed in. I wish you only the best.

Now if you were my kid, after four years of college, and earning only 40k after five years of field experience.... I'd be over there kicking your ass until you couldn't sit in that semi circle you love to be in.

Of course you didn't add the free food and entertainment.... nor did you say anything about where your expenses come from.

BJC

Lol mate, i done all the so called university route and a master too. also had a office job as an Data analyst.

I am much more impressed that someone could make a living from playing blackjack than some kid that went to uni. At the end of the day, there are loads of graduate but only so many card counters that could make a living like kewljason.

Ming

 

[BillytheBJkid]

First started out? My first 2 years, I made less than 20K per year, playing with a $10 unit. Last year, my fifth year, I made just under $40K, playing with a $15-$25 unit. This year, my first full year with $25 unit, I am up just over 40K at the moment (down from 48K three months ago) so have no idea where I will end up.

I share these numbers with you, just to emphasize how difficult it is to make any real money counting. Admittedly, I am probably the lowest stakes counter making a living solely by blackjack. Of course with a larger betting unit supported by larger bankroll, earings can be significantly higher.

If you are playing a $25 table and making your spreads right, shouldn't you be making more?? Playing blackjack as a business says you should make 2-3 units per hour. Wouldn't that be $50 to $75 an hour?\\If you played fulltime, 40 hours a week that would be $100, 000 to $150,000 a year wouldn't it?

How many hours a week do you play? do you have a job also?

 

[Machinist]

Jeeze

If you are playing a $25 table and making your spreads right, shouldn't you be making more?? Playing blackjack as a business says you should make 2-3 units per hour. Wouldn't that be $50 to $75 an hour?\\If you played fulltime, 40 hours a week that would be $100, 000 to $150,000 a year wouldn't it?

How many hours a week do you play? do you have a job also?

Hey i'm a new guy on this site.
I think you need to read some of these seasoned members post that have been wrote.
Do ya get it. I've been reading all the post for the last few days. I assure you you are not going to get no where's with this line of questioning. You were even given a second chance did you catch that post.???
This isn't a get rich quick scheme. Now i've never played live BJ for a living. But i am adding it to my resume now. I have played millions of hands on BJ machines and VP with a dang good edge. Made some nice money, so i understand the fluctuations, and all the variables that are present. I think that is what you are missing, numbers are nice. But real life situations are way different. Soooo very many variables out there.
Drive time, expenses, just finding good games with no heat, wives, friends, getting sick, being asked to leave, mentally beat down, taking breaks to gather thing together for another session, the list goes on and on.
A polite " thanks for everybodys input' will get you along ways on forums. These people don't know you and you don't know them.
Just a little respect is all that is asked. You don't have to kiss any aZZ just be polite.
Just my 1 cent worth.
You take care now

Machinist

 

[SystemsTrader]

If you are playing a $25 table and making your spreads right, shouldn't you be making more?? Playing blackjack as a business says you should make 2-3 units per hour. Wouldn't that be $50 to $75 an hour?\\If you played fulltime, 40 hours a week that would be $100, 000 to $150,000 a year wouldn't it?

How many hours a week do you play? do you have a job also?

The amount of units you make per hour really depend on a number of factors like pen, rules, speed of play. Playing fulltime is also extremely difficult as no casino is going to let you clock in at 9:00 am and go home at 5:00 after spreading all day from 1-20. Doing play-all on a $25 table would require at least a 6 figure bankroll.

 

[bjcount]

You were even given a second chance did you catch that post.???

Machinist

The way this thread has been going it definitely went over his head.

BJC

 

[Lonesome Gambler]

max betting by TC of +3

Out of curiosity, do you use any sims? It seems like this would be overbetting, but I could be wrong. I have to reboot into Windows to run CVCX, so I'm not sure, but this made me curious. Since this is your only source of income, do you prefer to play with a very low RoR?

 

[moo321]

Play in tournaments. While counting may only be marginally useful in a tournament, the buy-ins are usually pretty cheap and the payoff if you win is pretty good. Also, comp hustle!

Comp hustling is a massively important if you're going to go full time. You'll probably save more money hustling comps than you will make in cash playing blackjack.

 

[kewljason]

If you are playing a $25 table and making your spreads right, shouldn't you be making more?? Playing blackjack as a business says you should make 2-3 units per hour. Wouldn't that be $50 to $75 an hour?\\If you played fulltime, 40 hours a week that would be $100, 000 to $150,000 a year wouldn't it?

How many hours a week do you play? do you have a job also?

I play roughly 30 hours per week and no I don't have a job also. Blackjack is my sole source of income. Playing full time does not necessarily mean playing 40 hours per week. I think few people do that. Some pro's only play a handful of hours per month. It certainly doesn't mean playing 9-5. You have to be prepared to play at different times of the day spreading your play among different shift.

How many units per hour depends on many things, one being number of hands played per hour. This varies a great deal depending on the speed of the dealer and number of players at the table. A full table such as you are most likely encounting at the $5 and $10 tables will only produce 6-70 hands per hour, whereas if you can play heads up with a reasonable dealer you can play several hundred hands per hour.

Again Billy, PBJaaB was written for single deck games of the time. The expected win rate of 2-3 units per hour is somewhat unrealistic for 8 deck games. My average over the last 2 years and 2500 hours is closer to 1.5 units per hour. Part of this low units per hour number is due to the fact that I move around alot, bailing early on negative counts. This keeps my hands per hour relatively low.

 

[kewljason]

Out of curiosity, do you use any sims? It seems like this would be overbetting, but I could be wrong. I have to reboot into Windows to run CVCX, so I'm not sure, but this made me curious. Since this is your only source of income, do you prefer to play with a very low RoR?

I do use sims, LG. I am not sure how you could come to the conclusion that I am overbetting, without the knowledge of what my bankroll is?

 

[Automatic Monkey]

I play roughly 30 hours per week and no I don't have a job also. Blackjack is my sole source of income. Playing full time does not necessarily mean playing 40 hours per week. I think few people do that. Some pro's only play a handful of hours per month. It certainly doesn't mean playing 9-5. You have to be prepared to play at different times of the day spreading your play among different shift.

How many units per hour depends on many things, one being number of hands played per hour. This varies a great deal depending on the speed of the dealer and number of players at the table. A full table such as you are most likely encounting at the $5 and $10 tables will only produce 6-70 hands per hour, whereas if you can play heads up with a reasonable dealer you can play several hundred hands per hour.

Again Billy, PBJaaB was written for single deck games of the time. The expected win rate of 2-3 units per hour is somewhat unrealistic for 8 deck games. My average over the last 2 years and 2500 hours is closer to 1.5 units per hour.

I think a better way to put it is in terms of big bets per hour or per 100 hands (BB/100). The reason is in places like AC our "unit" is usually defined as the table minimum and our max bet is what really determines our win rate and RoR. A game has to be able to yield 0.25 BB/100 before I get too interested in playing it. "Per hour" is a different story and you won't always know that until you are at the table playing.

 

[kewljason]

I think a better way to put it is in terms of big bets per hour or per 100 hands (BB/100). The reason is in places like AC our "unit" is usually defined as the table minimum and our max bet is what really determines our win rate and RoR. A game has to be able to yield 0.25 BB/100 before I get too interested in playing it. "Per hour" is a different story and you won't always know that until you are at the table playing.

I agree AM, and I actually keep my records based on per 100 hands, which doesn't translate well into hours. Playing heads up can get 100 hands in 20 minutes, while tablehopping playing 8-10 hands here and there can take 2 hours for a 100 hands. I probably spend as much time scouting and searching for games as playing in an hour.