Good news! The answer is “yes.” The bad news is that it takes many hours of practice to perfect the skills needed to win at the casinos. Just think if you wanted to become a professional pianist – something more than an amateur piano player. You would have to put in years of training. You would have to dedicate yourself to your chosen profession and allow time for little else in your life. Most important, you would have to spend eight or more hours a day practicing. Are you willing to devote all that time and effort to becoming a successful gambler?
Take a look at what you are facing. Casinos are in business to make money, and they certainly wouldn’t stay in business if everyone walked away a winner every time. Even an occasional gambler can be a winner in the short term with a run of luck, but in the long run, if you’re not properly prepared, you’re going to be a loser. To become a professional gambler (and they do exist) and if you are willing to put in some sweat equity, read on. You’ll discover two ways to make a living at the casinos.
Recently the movie, 21, was released. It was based on the book, Bringing Down the House, which details the true story of a team of MIT students who worked the casinos in Las Vegas and won millions of dollars. Their game was blackjack, and the amount of practice they put in to master their system was enormous. They used a card counting system, which is perfectly legal. It’s not impossible for non-geniuses to learn to count cards, but it does take hours of practice to do it successfully.
Poker is another casino game where you stand a chance of long-term success. One of the advantages of playing poker is that you are not playing against the casino; you are playing against the others at your table. There are many kinds of poker. The 1998 movie, Rounders, which starred Matt Damon as a hotshot poker player sparked the current high level of interest in Texas Hold’em poker.
Realize that there are two kinds of Texas Hold’em at the casinos. First is the common ring game. Here up to ten players sit around a table and play against other gamblers. Second is tournament Texas Hold’em, which requires a completely different set of skills. At tournaments players are gradually eliminated when they lose all their chips. The last one left is the winner.
