Many recreational gamblers dream about the lifestyle of an advantage gambler. That’s primarily because they can’t see the dedication and hard work it takes to sustain profitability.
Being a successful advantage gambler is as much about sacrifice as jet-setting around the globe. Yes, there are tremendous rewards for your success, but the drawbacks may be significant enough to keep you at your day job.
Let’s suspend reality for a moment and imagine you have the skillset to make a career change as a professional gambler. Your daily life will almost certainly become far more complicated.
Here are the top 9 drawbacks of advantage gambling. Advantage gamblers face these roadblocks on a consistent basis. Do you have what it takes to succeed in the face of constant adverse and evolving conditions?
The Relentless Grind
Many gamblers don’t realize that the advantage represented as a percentage is relatively small. That means an advantage gambler isn’t going to walk into a casino, make $1 million counting cards in a week and spend the rest of the year playing golf and enjoying the local fare in Cabo.
The vast majority of advantage gamblers grind out small wins over long sessions. Because they rely on their winnings to support them, they must repeat the hustle day after day.
When gambling becomes your full-time endeavor, you may not enjoy the work. I’ve watched many people turn their passions into a profession with mixed results.
It seems that not everyone is cut out to have their hobby become a job. Make no mistake that advantage gambling is hard work.
You face a constant grind to squeak out any measurable profits.
You’re Constantly Playing a Game of Hide and Seek
In case you’re unfamiliar with the world of casinos and advantage gamblers, I’ll let you in on a not so well-kept secret. Casinos are not in love with the notion of having a group of players that have discovered a way to turn the edge on the house.
Casinos make money by having a slight edge in the games. They slowly siphon money from players over time, and the players battle to net any wins possible.
When advantage gamblers strike a casino, the house no longer holds the edge. If left unchecked, players would bleed the casinos dry.
So, casinos place emphasis on discouraging advantage gambling. The dealers, pit bosses, and security are all trained and working to identify anything out of the norm.
A casino will back off an advantage gambler whenever possible. The result could be a player being banned from playing in a casino.
That creates a constant cat and mouse game with the casinos on the hunt and players avoiding detection.
Poker players are also forced to hide in plain sight. Once the other players begin to recognize you as an advantage player, they’ll be less likely to play pots where you’re involved in the poker room.
You’ll be able to steal plenty of blinds but won’t see the giant pots that make poker so lucrative.
Traveling from Casino to Casino Takes a Toll
Many gamblers never account for the ability to find profitable games when looking at advantage gambling. If you’re not playing in the games with the best opportunities to make a profit, you’re wasting your time.
That makes for a lot of travel. Advantage gamblers are constantly traveling around the country playing in different casinos across the USA.
If your mental edge begins slipping, the entire endeavor becomes a waste of resources. Even under the best conditions, travel is challenging.
When you account for the high travel, meals, and lodging costs, the amount of money required to constitute a profit increases dramatically. Please don’t assume the journey will be as luxurious as your mind tells you; it will become a burden.
You’ll need to compartmentalize and push through to see any long-term success as an advantage gambler.
Loner Lifestyle for the Rookies
If you’re considering making a run at advantage gambling, you should account for the time away from home. I’m not necessarily talking about travel as much as the time you’ll spend in the casino.
The edge is slight but constant for advantage gamblers. That means the longer you play the games, the more money you stand to make.
It’s a lonely lifestyle for many rookies. Since they’re developing their skills, most of their time needs to be dedicated to gambling.
That leaves little to no room for friends or a family. Rookie advantage gamblers must sacrifice having a family until they’ve become more established as a gambler.
Losing Streaks Happen to Everyone
Being an advantage gambler doesn’t guarantee that you’ll never lose. Losing streaks happen to everyone, even the casino.
Having an edge means that the long-term mathematical advantage is in your favor. There will be short-term variance that causes losing streaks.
It’s the same for advantage gamblers. Sometimes the variance will work against you, and you’ll lose.
That’s a tough pill to swallow. Many newbies begin to panic and make matters worse. But if you can accept the losses as a natural part of the equation, you’ll be much better off in the end.
Making a Profit in the Casino Is a Challenge Many Are Unwilling to Tackle
Advantage gambling seems straightforward and attractive at the onset. You learn a skill that gives you an edge over the casino or other players and enables you to profit from playing the games.
However, the reality of the situation is far more complex. There’s no guarantee that you’ll ever make a profit as an advantage gambler.
That’s because merely learning to count cards or play poker isn’t enough. It would be best to learn to leverage your advantage to make money.
I’ve seen many wannabe advantage gamblers call it quits when they quickly realized the magnitude of the challenge before them. But the ones that put in the work and persevere are rewarded handsomely.
You Need a Ton of Money to Make it Work
It takes money to make money, and advantaged gamblers need much more money than the average casino gambler. That’s because your profits are going to be limited by your bankroll.
Card counters need to increase their bet amount significantly when the count is favorable. It’s a key to their success that remains a constant.
Texas Hold’em players need a mammoth bankroll to capitalize on any opportunity while simultaneously avoiding bankruptcy. You don’t want to walk into the poker room with $500 and see the high-stakes area is flush with fish.
Allowing your bankroll to grow without falling into the pitfall of betting too much too early will improve your chances of success.
Stress Kills
All of the above variables put tremendous stress on advantage gamblers. The focus of your entire livelihood hinging on the success of a casino strategy in itself can lead to significant issues.
Even if you’re not trying to make a living in the casino, the stress of advantage gambling can kill the fun that most of us enjoy in the casino.
Don’t let the stress affect you as it can turn you into a bitter gambler. Look for other activities around the casino to keep the fun pumping after your sessions.
Mistakes Are Amplified to the Highest Degree
When the average casino gambler makes a mistake in the casino, the effects are usually negligible. The casino holds the edge, so most of the time, you’ll lose anyway.
Advantage gamblers operate with the finest of margins; every mistake has an impact that will be felt. So, you’ll need to tighten up your entire approach to gambling when you tackle advantage techniques.
Our Conclusion
The top 9 drawbacks of advantage gambling aren’t meant to scare you away from taking aim at the casino. I merely want you to be aware of the negative impacts the overwhelming majority of people overlook.
When you are prepared for everything that advantage gambling offers as positives and negatives, you’ll be better equipped to succeed. Take a long look at the cons of advantage gambling before starting your journey.
Then you’ll be in the best possible position to make a consistent and, more importantly, sustainable profit in the casino.
