full time blackjack

[counter1234]

first post, been reading for months, can shine some light, and am certainly interested in this, i've been a high stakes poker player for some years now and understand OP

OP, recognize they are giving you advice and not being rude, also realize that it is like poker in the sense that if you are ahead of the curve it is silly to let others in on it as you in return make less money, they are not trying to be mean here

From grinding mid/highstakes poker online for 5 years. Still doing good, but thought I could make a lot more money splitting my time between the two. If I can't make a lot with blackjack then its not worth the travel and giving up time I could be playing poker. Although I'm frustrated I understand what tis must look like. I'm not elaborating more to keep private and to be modest

we can make more playing poker, but sometimes it is tough dealing with the same thing daily and taking a pay cut to try and tackle another venue is something that intrigues me, my BR is well into the mid 6 figs and I have just been learning for months playing as a greeny, I feel the swings more with live poker as well as blackjack and even feel strange losing a lot playing blackjack even though my poker swings are in the 5 figure area about 5-10 times a month.

What do you estimate your hourly EV and variance of poker are? Just to compare it to blackjack.

like anything else, the variance is increasing the lower your skill level, about 95-99% of people who have studied poker and tried to play full time for the past bunch of years still breakeven. People think they can wong in and just beat it within a year, that is just almost always not the case. It took me a long time to get to where I am at. The 2 games are somewhat similar and that draws me to blackjack. With this all being said, poker is similar to how blackjack evolved in the fact that over time more material comes out and the games dry up, such as the floors being more advanced and more book publications. Due to this, the playing field levels some and the money is not as strong. I can make nowhere near what I made in 2009 in poker again most likely just because all the regulars have evolved and thus my overall winrate has suffered, also creating heavier swings. I have also burnt out some and am looking for a new venue to try for a little to challenge myself and take a slight break from poker

sidenote, have really learned a lot as a lurker here, thanks for all the posts, will try to contribute more as I become a stronger player.

 

[counter1234]

also, since I am learning from you guys so far, i'd also be willing to do a question/answer for those uninformed or wanting to learn more about poker and the lifestyle it entails

 

[moo321]

also, since I am learning from you guys so far, i'd also be willing to do a question/answer for those uninformed or wanting to learn more about poker and the lifestyle it entails

Where are the good mid to high stakes games?

Do you have to follow the fish around, i.e. following the WPT or something?

The games around here have dried up a bit as of late...

 

[counter1234]

Where are the good mid to high stakes games?

Do you have to follow the fish around, i.e. following the WPT or something?

The games around here have dried up a bit as of late...

all the good games are online, while my winrate is higher in live games due to weaker competition, I am getting in way more hands online making up for it. I look at my bets in terms of big bets(BB). I have won over 1MM hands at slightly 3BB/100 which is considered expert in my game. In live poker, I can make about 5-6BB/100 but am getting in about 30 hands an hour tops, whereas online I am getting in about 300 hands an hour in my games. So online I am making more with the convenience of making my own hours, etc., and being able to leave games when I want also.

Game selection, as is the case with blackjack, I am always on the prowl for the next profitable venture, I do believe learning pot limit omaha is where the money is right now so I am currently learning that game. I do follow the fish around, playing in a game with 5 tough regulars means the house wins, or with 1 fish and 4 tough regulars the house is taking almost all of the potential profit due to rake. Many egos get in the way, so it is important to maximize hourly here, many fall in to the trap of the ego and go broke. For the very few that make what I make in the game, most go broke due to being degenerate gamblers.

The correlations between bankrolls/risk of ruin/variance are similar to blackjack, however with my edge the long losing stretches are typically not as possible. In all of my time playing, I now have had 37 consecutive winning months since switching to the game I play now. The games are much much much worse now, where I was able to game select and beat up higher stakes for a while, the regulars have progressed as is the case when more material comes out on a subject. Consequently, fish do not make it to the high limits to donate anymore since the lower limit players are too tough to get through unlike in the past. I can still make much more from poker than blackjack this year, but poker is only good at certain times of day. By working around this when living near casinos if I take that route, I will try to maximize my overall winnings by working around this. As is the case with blackjack also, if you slack and don't progress, the casinos and other counters will and you will be behind the curve and make less. This has been the case over the past few months with me and I am committing more time to studying my game and analyzing it harder than I have in the past.

Also, I do not play the live circuit, it is virtually impossible to not be broke on it. The best players in the world may have a 20% ROI in these, but that money longterm is negated by traveling expenses and the tournament rake percentages. Those guys who are sponsored are fine though as they make a lot from the sites. Anyone else who tells you they are consistently up a ton over years has either ran well and doesn't understand variance well, or is just flat lying. Almost all the tournament players are broke and get backers. This is a massive variance fest and a headache. It's interesting that I don't feel too comfortable with higher limits live for blackjack, but I am new and so I am practicing my trade first which I need to do before I put it in to the higher limits.

 

[matt21]

counter1234, thanks for sharing some of your poker experiences here. Very insightful.

I totally agree with you with always needing to improve and progress. The motto of a BJ player that I personally respect a lot (Pro21) is in fact “The games have changed and so must you. Adapt or die”. I think he puts it very well.

I am thinking with your decent size bankroll and the poker experience that you bring with you, you should do very well in BJ. Playing BJ, advanced techniques aside for now, is a lot simpler to approach and model than modelling a poker game, since there are fewer variables and fixed house rules, without introducing the human element of choice in the opponent.

Good luck to you.

 

[Bojack1]

I have a lot of respect for those that can make a legitimate living playing poker. IMO there are more nuances to the game than there is in blackjack. For me I have only the house to beat with no real human adversary element to overcome. All playing decisions for the most part are made for me before I step into the casino. Of course practical play will bring its deviations at times, but even those are most times mapped out beforehand. Some may feel the need for elaborate acts while playing blackjack, which may make their game full of intangible human element. I have never felt the need for such "cover" playing as such, so it really simplifies my task at hand. I believe anytime you are playing a game where outcomes can be determined by human decisions made by your opponent whether rational or otherwise, as much as the math, you have chosen a tough game to be a professional at. Kudos to those that are out there doing it.

 

[counter1234]

counter1234, thanks for sharing some of your poker experiences here. Very insightful.

I totally agree with you with always needing to improve and progress. The motto of a BJ player that I personally respect a lot (Pro21) is in fact “The games have changed and so must you. Adapt or die”. I think he puts it very well.

I am thinking with your decent size bankroll and the poker experience that you bring with you, you should do very well in BJ. Playing BJ, advanced techniques aside for now, is a lot simpler to approach and model than modelling a poker game, since there are fewer variables and fixed house rules, without introducing the human element of choice in the opponent.

Good luck to you.

thanks a bunch, yeah there is a lot more math work behind the scenes than in blackjack and many more scenarios, I really find trying to beat the house intriguing, thanks for the wishes

I have a lot of respect for those that can make a legitimate living playing poker. IMO there are more nuances to the game than there is in blackjack. For me I have only the house to beat with no real human adversary element to overcome. All playing decisions for the most part are made for me before I step into the casino. Of course practical play will bring its deviations at times, but even those are most times mapped out beforehand. Some may feel the need for elaborate acts while playing blackjack, which may make their game full of intangible human element. I have never felt the need for such "cover" playing as such, so it really simplifies my task at hand. I believe anytime you are playing a game where outcomes can be determined by human decisions made by your opponent whether rational or otherwise, as much as the math, you have chosen a tough game to be a professional at. Kudos to those that are out there doing it.

appreciate it, you make some great points, so far the biggest thing that has helped me from my poker background has been getting really good reads on what the floor is thinking at most times allowing me to adapt on the fly to playing time allowed and what I can/cannot get away with