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The Professional Gambler: Advice From The Games Table

Many people think that the life of professional gamblers is a bed of rose petals. They only see cash being won, whilst surrounded by glamorous women and a cheering crowd. Reality is much duller. It's a never ending hard slog, where you need to put in the hours and look after your money as carefully as possible. It's a job, plain and simple.

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Advice from a Professional Gambler

If you were to ask many people about their idea of a dream profession, you’ll receive answers like, professional footballer, fisherman and even professional gambler. On the whole, they tend to have a false idea about what these jobs really involve. They tend to focus on the glamour of the results, not on the sheer hard work needed to get there.

As for the professional gambler, the journey from being an average gambler at the casino games table, to becoming a person that can make a decent living from playing cards, is a long and arduous one. So, you’ll have to ask, how on earth did they do it? Well, we’re here to answer that question.

Luck Is Overrated

Yes, luck does have a small part to play. But many a professional gambler will point out that luck is really a tiny part of the story. As you probably already know, there are only a couple of casino games where you can play well enough to beat the house and come away from the games table with a healthy profit. You need to keep in mind, that the professional gambler has a completely different mind set than your average afternoon player. For one thing, the man who has to make a living from these games is always thinking long term. If you strike lucky one day, then you can be sure that you’ll have a dry day or a bad beat the next.

One phrase that always brings up is, “regressing to the mean”. This means, that over the long term, things will naturally go back to their statistical likelihood. And this is the sure-fire approach that all professional gamblers take. In their view luck has virtually nothing to do with winning. Only long term averages.

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Bankroll Management Is Crucial

If you’re running a regular business, then understanding your cash flow is of optimal importance. You need to be well aware of all the numbers in order to make strategic decisions about the business. Well, gambling is no different. You’ll be needed to save in order to have the substantial bankroll necessary to get started at the casino. Essentially, this bankroll is the pool of cash from which you draw down your bets. As a professional gambler, this is money you’ve set aside, solely for the purposes of gambling. It’s not money that should be spent on living expenses like food and rent. If you’re going to gamble, then it’s essential that you understand that your bankroll is money that you can afford to lose.

Now once you’ve determined exactly how much you’re going to have in your bankroll, then the next step is to figure out your percentage bets. For example, many players recommend that you put no more than between 2% – 5% down on any one bet. If you go less than this, it’s really not worth the punt, and if you go over these figures, then we would class that as risky. Of course, at the end of the day, it’s entirely up to you. Just keep in mind that in gambling, there no sure thing. Have a look through these best casino jackpot reviews to find your perfect casino. Read more about bankroll management.

Don’t Look for Sure Things

Which brings us onto this. If you go looking for a sure thing in gambling, then you’ll be faced with a couple of scenarios. One is that with such odds, the payout will be rubbish, and the other is that, conversely, it may require big risk. it seems like easy money, especially with sportsbook betting. You simply bet on the money line favorites and take small wins. After so many of these, you would have built up some profit. The real problem with this form of gambling is that the gains are so small, that just one loss can completely wipe out any gains. An example would be betting $600 to win $100 on a team at -600 (ie “a sure thing”). But if they lose, then you will now have to win 6 x bets, and in the process risk $3,600, just to win your money back.

The professional gambler understands that in gambling you’re going to win some and lose some. But if you deviate away from a decent average bet, then you’re going to get burnt at some point.

Setting Goals Helps Keep You on Track

It’s not just about setting goals, but more about setting realistic ones. Of course, these goals can’t be too safe or you’ll never end up pushing yourself to achieve better results. On the whole, a professional gambler is going to be sticking to monthly, quarterly, and annual goals. Anything shorter will not be helpful in giving an accurate picture of progress. As a professional gambler the fine line between financial stability and serious hurt is very, very thin. Making and then looking at your goals periodically can help combat serious spikes and help you stay on track. Especially at the beginning of your gambler’s journey, when you’ll need all the help you can muster in order to keep your head above water.

The Professional Gambler: Be Realistic

Managing your expectation is also a very important part of being a professional gambler. Though it’s certainly an unusual way of making a living, in reality, the ins and outs are no different from any other professional job. Things take time to get going. If you expect to leave the casino a multi-millionaire within a month of going pro, then we know someone who has a bridge to sell you. That’s why we suggest that you start off slowly. Keep the risk down to a bare minimum. Just take those small wins to start with. And remember that you’re gambling, which means that you’re going to be losing almost as much as you’re winning.

Diversify Your Options

Scratch any professional gambler who’s a blackjack player, and you’ll find a poker player underneath the skin. This is simply being practical. Though all pros will have one game they excel in, they all have a backup game or two. That means that if one game isn’t working, they can always switch up to another game. Sometimes a gambler will have a really bad run with a long losing streak. This can put huge financial pressure on everything. At this point, it’s probably a good idea to switch to another game. And once you get your mojo back, you can return. We’re not suggesting that you become an expert in other forms of casino games, just that being able to take a break and pay something else will come in handy sometimes.

As an added aside, playing another game can allow you to take advantage of any casino bonuses or promotions on offer for just those games players.

Study the Industry

It’s super important that you are absolutely up to date on all aspects of casino culture. Keep in mind that the difference between a professional gambler and your average weekend punter is around 3 – 4% in the success rate. That’s a pretty slim margin. To maintain it you’re going to be needing all the help you can get. So don’t skimp on research. Seek out the casinos with the best payouts and promotions. Look for new websites with the best welcome bonuses. Heck, out every players club for new offers and comps. As a professional, your livelihood depends on it.

At the end of the day, it’s about the commitment you’re willing to sink into yourself. Again, you’ll find that your average professional gambler is much more driven than the average player. And this brings us to one of the main ingredients needed to turn pro.

Discipline Is Vital

As for the professional gambler, you’re going to be working for yourself. There’ll be no boss there shouting at you, or a coach egging you onwards. Self-discipline is the number one factor that separates the wheat from the chaff. Keep in mind that you’re involved in a game situation that can turn to something completely self-destructive over the course of just a few hands. Consider how level headed you are when things go south. Under pressure, it’s very easy to make the wrong decision and before you know it, you’re chasing losses. To have the cool ability to check yourself as you’re playing is another factor that separates the professional gambler from the amateur. If you are disciplined in your own day to day life, then all the better for your gaming skills. If you’re not, then there’s a lot of work to be done.

Conclusion: The Professional Gambler

Before you say it, no we’re not trying to convince anyone from NOT becoming a professional gambler playing at casino games. In truth, there will be very few who have the time, the resources and the shear get-go needed to go professional. But what we are trying to say is that a professional player will need to have a completely different mindset than your average weekend gambler. If you’re prepared to treat it as a job, then there’s a good chance of you making some cash. Get together all your jackpot winning strategies. And remember you’ll need to put in both the work and the hours.