Imagine a life where you’re your own boss, you get to set your own hours, and you get to work from anywhere you want, all while earning great money.
Sounds like a dream, right?
Well, if you have a knack for gambling, or even just a knack for numbers, this dream could actually be a reality for you.
Yes, it is possible to make a living as a professional gambler. However, it’s not easy.
There’s no point in beating around the bush, making a living gambling is hard work.
If your idea of a professional gambler is someone who saunters up to the craps table with some beautiful women and then walks away with thousands in an effortless fashion, think again.
The life of a professional gambler can be incredibly stressful as well as unpredictable.
In order to live this life of freedom, you’ll need to be extremely level-headed, disciplined, hardworking, and of course, knowledgeable about you craft.
So, before you bust down the doors of your office to announce your resignation, read this article to learn how to make a living just gambling. By the end, you should know whether or not you have the chops to make it in this $240 billion industry.
Steps on How to Make a Living Just Gambling
Step 1: Start With the Basics
Before you dive headfirst into the lucrative world of gambling, it’s important to understand where you are right now.
Basically, you need to do a self-assessment to determine your gambling level. Do you have:
- No knowledge about betting and gambling
- The basics down pat and a little experience
- Experience gambling, but trouble earning profits
- Experience gambling and winning, but only part-time
Being honest with yourself about your skill level will help you understand what type of preparation you need before you go all in.
Step 2: Find Your Niche
How many doctors have you met that specialize in performing open heart surgery and delivering babies?
Probably none, right?
Well, just like doctors, professional gamblers also have an area of expertise.
So, in order to make a living as a professional gambler, you’ll want to figure out which area of gambling you excel in.
Let’s take a look at the some of the most popular options:
1. Sports Betting
For the nomadic souls out there, sports betting might be your best option.
With sports betting, you can truly work from anywhere, as long as you have access to a computer.
If you love sports or at least have a thorough understanding of the game (usually these go hand in hand) and don’t mind solitude, then sports betting may be the right decision for you.
2. Blackjack
Blackjack is considered to be one of the best casino games for getting an edge over the house (aka the casino).
To be able to make a living as a professional gambler who specialises in blackjack, you must be good at either counting cards or shuffle tracking.
Counting cards is all about keeping track of the cards already in the game to figure out the probability of the cards to be played.
While difficult to master, one man made an estimated $5 million using this strategy.
Shuffle tracking can be used along with card counting, and it involves keeping track of cards through a series of shuffles.
There is plenty of literature and resources available for learning and mastering these gambling strategies, but keep in mind you can be banned for them and professional dealers and software programs are in place to detect them.
3. Poker Player
If you’ve been told you are a keen observer, then poker might be your calling.
More than being good at math, you have to be good at reading people, as poker is all about figuring out whether or not you can beat your opponent’s hand.
4. Dice Control
If you think you work better with your hands, dice control may be your calling.
This method of gambling makes dice throwing a science. It involves players tossing in an exact way so it lands just how you want.
Step 3: Make a Plan of Action
Once you know your calling as a gambler, it’s time to get down to the nitty-gritty of it.
First, you’ll want to conduct a tremendous amount of research on your gambling niche. Read books, join online forums, talk with local experts. Do absolutely everything you can to get a full understanding of your gambling craft.
Next, since this is going to be your new job, you’ll want to treat it like such.
You should first set a goal for how much money you want/need to make. And “as much as I can” isn’t an answer.
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Set a realistic goal and a time frame to meet that goal in for each month. If you keep falling short of your monthly goals, then this might not be the profession for you.
Once you have a goal defined, you’ll want to allocate some of your bankroll. It’s good to start small, and then allocate more as you grow more confident in your skills.
You’ll also want to set a percentage of how much you’ll want to stake each time you gamble. And, most importantly, stick to this percentage.
It’s good to start with a cautious percentage, as in less than one percent of your bankroll.
Lastly, you’ll want to set a schedule for when you will gamble. And yes, while flexibility is a major perk of this profession, a schedule will help keep you disciplined and focused.
Another great source of info is Casino Room’s post on making a living gambling. Check it out!
Step 4: Keep the Disadvantages in Mind
Hopefully, reading this article has got you excited for your journey as a professional gambler.
However, there are some major disadvantages to this lifestyle that you’ll want to keep in mind.
Here are some of the main ones:
- No guaranteed income
- Can be tough to get credit/mortgage
- Lifestyle is one of solitude and can be lonely
- Others frown upon it/view it as unethical
- Likely to get betting accounts limited or closed
If these disadvantages don’t scare you off one bit, and you think you have the skills to make it, then professional gambling might be for you.
But, before you go all in with this lifestyle, it might be wisest to start out only part-time. If you keep hitting your goals as a part-timer, then you very well may be ready for the big leagues.