Are any of you making a profit?

TimeKeeper

TimeKeeper

Well-Known Member
It seems that I never see anyone making any posts that he is winning more than he is losing. I don't ever see the guys who have been on this forum a long time who are very knowledgable and experienced making any claims of winning regulary. Yes, I know how you can have multiple sessions of losing, and vice versa.

But if you are doing everything right, playing enough hands, and playing how the books teach you... you should be coming out with a profit. Now I'm not saying there aren't any of you that aren't. If you do, you sure don't post about it.

It would be interesting to hear what your total profit or total loss is for 2006. I respect your privacy, and don't expect everyone to jump in and answer that. Maybe that's why no one says it? Due to privacy concerns? It just seems weird that I NEVER see anyone saying how well they're doing at the game.
 
KenSmith

KenSmith

Administrator
Staff member
I think you've hit the nail on the head. Those who are playing successfully don't have any motivation to post.
 
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Cass

Well-Known Member
TimeKeeper said:
It seems that I never see anyone making any posts that he is winning more than he is losing. I don't ever see the guys who have been on this forum a long time who are very knowledgable and experienced making any claims of winning regulary. Yes, I know how you can have multiple sessions of losing, and vice versa.

But if you are doing everything right, playing enough hands, and playing how the books teach you... you should be coming out with a profit. Now I'm not saying there aren't any of you that aren't. If you do, you sure don't post about it.

It would be interesting to hear what your total profit or total loss is for 2006. I respect your privacy, and don't expect everyone to jump in and answer that. Maybe that's why no one says it? Due to privacy concerns? It just seems weird that I NEVER see anyone saying how well they're doing at the game.
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I started counting Jan1st 06'. At this exact moment im up about 14k. I was up over 20k but have had a lot of negative flux the last month including a -5k session.
 
Sonny

Sonny

Well-Known Member
I've been counting for almost 7 years. I was in the red for the first year but managed to dig myself out pretty quickly. I have been in the black ever since. My BJ career has been very successful. Unfortunately, half of my bankroll seems to end up in my wife's hands...or, more precisely, on her hands (she loves diamonds :rolleyes:).

-Sonny-
 
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Canceler

Well-Known Member
Another survey few will participate in!

Down $830 so far in 2006. If not for the Table of Doom I'd be up $450.
 
R

rdorange

Well-Known Member
Since someone asked

I have been gambling for about three years now. I retired in 2003 and gambled for the first time on a cruise. Haven't been able to stop since. Entire year of 2003 was only recreational. Included two cruise trips with casinos, one trip to Vegas and several trips to Biloxi. My BR started at $200 and was sufficient. I won on each cruise playing BJ and Three Card Poker. At the end of 2003 I was up about $500. My wife plays off my bankroll (I fund her in the casino), need I say more? I had to add to my bankroll before each trip to "CARRY" her, if you know what I mean.
2004 and 2005 were similar with a lot more trips to Biloxi. I began to see what this gambling journey was all about. Each year saw me down by about $1K. This included all expenses and my wife's play. I may have been even or won a little, but couldn't tell for sure.
Just before Katrina, I determined it would be in my best interest to stop the bleeding and turn the tide in my favor, or try anyway. This is when I started keeping track of my trips and keeping notes. I also decided to learn counting. During the down time immediately after Katrina, I learned the most. It is a totally different game now. And the BR has taken a noticeable change, in the right direction.
In 2006, since the casinos started to open (seven months), I have been to Biloxi and Vegas a total of 12 times. I have increased (with winnings) my total BR to $1K for each trip. Any thing over that I put away for my wife's BR, or for future BR shortages, which there haven't been any! My wife has lost on every trip and I still have her bankroll up to $500. But it is not always as easy as this sounds. The last three trips I won $1600 and my wife lost $1500. Hard to handle those kinds of swings.
Just a final note, The comps are worth half the wins. I could lose a little bit and it would still be worth the trips. I can stay in Biloxi for the days cheaper than I can stay at home, go figure!:D
 
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Bojack1

Well-Known Member
I've been on a blackjack team since 94'. Been playing fulltime since 96'. Have made a profit every single year on top of living expenses. It has taken a lot of traveling and more than the how to count books (although they don't hurt)nothing beats real play and picking up a few of the more advanced techniques like shuffletracking, cut card placement and some sequencing along the way. Those techniques may be opportunistic, but when combined with counting they can turn garbage into gold.
 
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PokerJunky

Well-Known Member
Bojack1 said:
I've been on a blackjack team since 94'. Been playing fulltime since 96'. Have made a profit every single year on top of living expenses. It has taken a lot of traveling and more than the how to count books (although they don't hurt)nothing beats real play and picking up a few of the more advanced techniques like shuffletracking, cut card placement and some sequencing along the way. Those techniques may be opportunistic, but when combined with counting they can turn garbage into gold.
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Making a profit or a GOOD profit? Most gamblers I know have money, but walk around in the same shorts four days straight and live the proverbial "paycheck to paycheck".

I need to learn the finer techniques like shuffle tracking, cut card placement and sequencing. I feel these elements will start to make my play much more profitable.

I wish continued success to all the FT players!!
 
C

Cass

Well-Known Member
PokerJunky said:
Making a profit or a GOOD profit? Most gamblers I know have money, but walk around in the same shorts four days straight and live the proverbial "paycheck to paycheck".

I need to learn the finer techniques like shuffle tracking, cut card placement and sequencing. I feel these elements will start to make my play much more profitable.

I wish continued success to all the FT players!!
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Bojack has probably made 10x as much as anyone else on this board.
 
sagefr0g

sagefr0g

Well-Known Member
TimeKeeper said:
It seems that I never see anyone making any posts that he is winning more than he is losing. I don't ever see the guys who have been on this forum a long time who are very knowledgable and experienced making any claims of winning regulary. Yes, I know how you can have multiple sessions of losing, and vice versa.
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actually with out luck even AP's aren't going to win reguarly. they tend to win more dough over time than they lose.

TimeKeeper said:
But if you are doing everything right, playing enough hands, and playing how the books teach you... you should be coming out with a profit. Now I'm not saying there aren't any of you that aren't. If you do, you sure don't post about it.
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actually we do post stories like that we jus don't post in the proper forums:joker: just like zen always points out.... see link below:
http://www.blackjackinfo.com/bb/showthread.php?t=2689

TimeKeeper said:
It would be interesting to hear what your total profit or total loss is for 2006. I respect your privacy, and don't expect everyone to jump in and answer that. Maybe that's why no one says it? Due to privacy concerns? It just seems weird that I NEVER see anyone saying how well they're doing at the game.
Click to expand...
i'm a recreational player mainly red chip unless wonging in. been playing blackjack for a year and three months now. been applying counting techniques since i started. i started with only $300. only gained true counting proficiency as of Oct 2005. have never had more than two losing sessions in a row and have had up to 37 winning sessions in a row. have now banked six and a half grand from that original $300. for 2006 it's been three grand. when i say recreation player its for me fun to play blackjack but the more fun is all about the benjamins baby :cool2:

best regards,
mr fr0g :D
 
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BBjoe

Active Member
Cass said:
I started counting Jan1st 06'. At this exact moment im up about 14k. I was up over 20k but have had a lot of negative flux the last month including a -5k session.
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How often do you play? What type of bankroll did you start with?
 
C

Cass

Well-Known Member
BBjoe said:
How often do you play? What type of bankroll did you start with?
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I started with 10k replenishable, I avg 50hrs a months of play or so. Most the money I made was In my trip to vegas when i won over 10k.
 
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Bojack1

Well-Known Member
Although my profits have been quite good over the years there has been times when we didn't show a profit for 6 months, only to go on a tear and rebound nicely to show a sizeable year end profit. Its tough to mention monetary amounts without sounding like a pompous ass, but to date this year we are in the black almost 12,000 units. Whats also good about this is we used to pay ourselves our hourly E.V. rate and put the rest into our bankroll, but over the past few years our bankroll has stayed the same and we have taken more profits for ourselves. This has allowed us to make other investments and business ventures so that not only do we have supplemental incomes we have retirement options. Unless forced to I don't think I'll ever stop playing blackjack, but soon I'll be doing it at my leisure instead of making it my office.
 
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dacium

Well-Known Member
If you wong enough its next to impossible not to make a profit playing blackjack as a AP. If you fully wong then the variance almost dissappears completely. I have never had a loosing session where I have played only advantage hands, the odds are just so far against it, 1% over a few hundred hands is massive.
 
Automatic Monkey

Automatic Monkey

Banned
dacium said:
If you wong enough its next to impossible not to make a profit playing blackjack as a AP. If you fully wong then the variance almost dissappears completely. I have never had a loosing session where I have played only advantage hands, the odds are just so far against it, 1% over a few hundred hands is massive.
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Whoa now wait let's not get so exuberant! Wonging doesn't get rid of variance, no, even playing only positive counts you will still lose more hands than you win. In terms of dollars per hour it definitely increases the swings, due to all the big bets you are placing. But you're right that Wonging makes it a lot easier to make a profit in BJ.

Think of it this way: 1% is a nice advantage to have, but the house only has a 1% advantage over craps players. And plenty of them walk away winners on any night. So your chances of having a losing session are comparable to those of a craps player (who doesn't play the sucker bets) having a winning session, which are not bad at all.
 
C

Cass

Well-Known Member
dacium said:
If you wong enough its next to impossible not to make a profit playing blackjack as a AP. If you fully wong then the variance almost dissappears completely. I have never had a loosing session where I have played only advantage hands, the odds are just so far against it, 1% over a few hundred hands is massive.
Click to expand...

Wonging has just as much variance as a counter who plays at all counts. I have had plenty of sessions when i have won a lot of money in the negative counts, but Have lost a $hitload betting the max in positive counts.
 
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