How To Become A Professional Gambler

If you are or want to be a professional gambler this is going to happen everyday, SO FORGET ABOUT IT. If you can't handle it you have almost zero chance of success. Pull the Trigger: When you have the advantage you must be able to make the appropriate bet. If you look at money in terms of what it could buy you, you're in the wrong business. The answer is a little different to you may expect! Professional gamblers share a common trait; not following the crowd. In this Q & A session, Caan answers.

So, you want to become a professional gambler? No worries, anything is possible, especially in the world of gambling.

However, being a professional gambler is not only games and fun. Be prepared to work hard, study harder and sometimes fail along the way. Skill and dedication will take you far but be prepared for one and another curveball.

In this text, our editor in chief at Casino Captain will teach you all there is to know about becoming a professional gambler, including pros and cons, and how to make a living while being one.

Famous gamblers. As we mentioned earlier, times have changed dramatically in the bookmaking industry in relatively recent times. That is not to say that we cannot learn from famous professional gamblers and we would certainly recommend reading anything that relates to becoming a pro-punter.

Table of Contents

Gambling as a Profession

If you are being serious about becoming a professional gambler you’ll first need to choose a game. When choosing you should keep in mind that most games where you actually can influence your own faith, won’t really be classified as gambling.

Gambling does essentially mean that you take a risk on a game of chance. And since the house always has an advantage in games like that, it means that you most likely will lose in the long run.

With that being said, we can establish that trying to become a professional gambler in a game of chance isn’t the best option. Despite that, you have probably heard people talking about winning on roulette and craps “thanks to their system”.

Well, don’t worry about systems, we can guarantee you that there is no point choosing a game based on luck. If you are aiming to make your living as a professional gambler you should choose a game of skill.

In addition to skill games there are a few other ways to earn your living from gambling, today many people profit on gambling in various ways. Keep reading below to find out what you need to know about gambling professionally.

Can You Make A Living From Gambling?

The short answer is; yes you can! The best and easiest way would obviously be to have luck, win a giant jackpot and never have to worry again. However, this isn’t a very safe strategy as it doesn’t tend to happen very often.

So, your option is to resort to games that you can effect with the help of your own skills. In this way, it is possible to make a living as a professional gambler. But be aware, not everyone is made for it and it’s a risky job with no guarantees.

Pros and Cons

Even though it may seem like professional gamblers are living a dream life not all that glitters is gold. Here are a few pros and cons you should be aware of before deciding to gamble professionally.

Pros:

  • Spending your days doing something you enjoy
  • Possibility to make really good money
  • It’s exciting
  • You will keep learning while playing

Cons:

  • You risk losing more money than you can afford
  • There is no guarantee you will make enough money
  • You are risking to be blocked from sports bettings sites and casinos that see what you are doing
  • Can be addictive

7 Ways to Make Money Gambling

To have any chance at all to succeed you will need to pick an area where you give your very best effort for a good period of time and never lose your focus. If you decide to pursue becoming a professional gambler there are quite a few alternatives to choose between. Take a look at your options below.

1. Professional Bettor

One of the options is to become a professional bettor. This is certainly not an easy task and you’ll need to be very up to date with what going on in the sport/sports you choose to bet on. There are different strategies to use when it comes to professional sports betting:

  • Matched Bettor
  • Value Bettor
  • Arbitrager
  • Sports Trader

Matched bettor

A matched bettor is someone who takes advantage of the free bets that sports betting sites use as an incentive to attract players. In short, it means a player will create accounts in more than one site and use the free bet on one site to place a bet, and bet on the opposite on another site.

If you want to become a matched bettor good advice is that you sign up on a matched betting site where you can get guidance and help.

Value Bettor

A value bettor is simply someone that know the sports better than the bookies. This way, you will spot odds that are in your favour and take advantage of them. However, being a professional gambler with a focus on this type of betting isn’t easy. You will need to dedicate a lot of time and effort into knowing all there is to know about a specific market.

Arbitrager

An arbitrager is someone who is involved in arbitrage betting. Arbitrage betting a term that describes how someone takes advantage of different odds on different sports betting sites.

Basically, it means you will need to find betting sites with different odds. For example, one site where the odds say that team A will win, and another site saying team B will win. If the difference is big enough you have a chance to earn money whatever the outcome is.

Sports Trader

Doing sports trading is kind of like trading stocks on the stock market. Here the goal is to find good odds on betting exchanges like Betfair.

For example, in normal sports betting sites, you would place a back bet. This means you are betting that something will happen. The sports betting site will bet against you in a so-called lay bet. On betting exchanges, the sports betting site will not place a lay bet against your back bet.

You or other players are betting against each other. This means that you can “buy and sell” bets to make a profit, before and while an event happens.

2. Poker Player

Playing poker professionally isn’t easy, but for many people, it is easier than most of the other options we have mentioned. Poker is probably the best option when it comes to playing games professionally. Especially since there is a wide range of different selections, a constant flow of players with less experience and big prize money to win.

Poker is a game of strategy that you can study and practice to become better. This means that the more you learn the greater the chances are for you to be able to play poker professionally.

Online poker is a great option for professional gamblers

Playing poker online or in big casinos in Las Vegas are two different things and many people may find it a lot easier to play online since they don’t need to worry about their poker faces.

The selection of tournaments online is great and it will be easier to find people at your skill level or lower while playing online.

3. Stream Online Casino Games

So here is a different kind of idea how you could make money by gambling, or gaming for that matter. The last few years players have started to live stream their game sessions while playing online This has become really popular amongst onlookers.

Streaming online casino games means that you will be using a video service like Youtube or Twitch to stream your casino sessions, and earn money while doing so. Who would watch me play casino games you think? Well, think again! Popular casino gamblers are earning good money with this strategy.

There are a few different ways to earn money from these services including advertising, subscriptions, donations, brand partnerships and affiliate programs.

4. Start a Gambling Blog

Another way to earn money which isn’t exactly gambling but related to it is through a gambling blog. It takes hard work and dedication but if you manage to get enough visitors and good affiliate deals with casinos and sports betting sites you could potentially have a gold mine in this idea. But be aware, the competition is ruthless and having knowledge about the gambling industry alone won’t be enough.

5. Card Counter

Dreaming about an elegant lifestyle in Las Vegas instead of the boring old full-time job? Card counting has certainly gotten a somewhat glamorous reputation, mainly thanks to the It is possible to make money from counting cards while playing blackjack. However, don’t expect to be able to count cards on any online casino, it doesn’t work. Card counting is not illegal but once you start winning big the casino you are playing on will certainly ban you.

6. Live Dealer

As a live dealer, you won’t be playing but the one leading the game. This is the safe side of the table where you will be paid to take part in the games during your work hours. Live dealer work reminds much of the croupier work in a casino and if you were to take this career path you would be leading games such as roulette, baccarat and blackjack.

7. Fantasy Sports Expert

You might be thinking: Can you really make a living from fantasy sports? The answer is yes you can. Although most players play fantasy sports for entertainment purpose this is considered a game of skill based on statistics. With enough knowledge, you could definitely have made a fair share of the money.

What’s the Next Step?

In order to succeed in becoming a professional gambler, there are a few steps you need to take. This includes picking a direction. Will it be poker, sports betting or something else? Either way, this is what you need to consider:

Understanding the Risks

First and foremost you’ll need to make sure you understand the risk that you are taking. Gambling always includes a risk of losing, and being a professional gambler does not change that. The risk may be smaller when you are good at what you do, but anything can happen and you will need to be prepared for that.

Sometimes it doesn’t matter if you have laid down hours and hours to set up a strategy, lightning may strike and you may end up on a losing streak.

Researching the Gambling Sphere

One thing that most professional gamblers have in common is that they do research. Our advice is for you to make sure that you get all the facts straight before you start gambling. Join forums to read and discuss with another gambler, read books on the subject, get on top of anything that could be useful. The more you know, the smaller the risks will be.

Making A Plan

A professional gambler that works with sports trading won’t just place random bets. To be successful make sure you have a plan, and follow it.

You should also have a backup plan regarding what you will do if you end up without an income for a long period of time. To have a good amount of savings, or a job on side of the gambling career may be something to consider.

Start Learning

None of the active professional gamblers today were experts from the beginning. Once you’ve done your research, studying what can be studied it is time to start practising. If you are looking to learn the best is often to take your collected knowledge and get out there. The more time you spend on your new profession, the better you will become.

Starting out Small

Don’t go all-in from start, it most likely won’t result in you making any money. Start slowly with a carefully considered budget and work your way up. Whether you choose to involve yourself in poker, betting or something else you’ll want to be careful not to lose a lot of money just because you throw yourself in it too hard.

Is E-sports Considered Gambling?

How To Become A Professional Casino Gambler

Well, playing e-sports is generally not considered as gambling. Although the last few years the interest in this sports area has grown and especially when it comes to betting on e-sports.

So even if you have a big interest in e-sports you can use it to your advantage when betting. You can even earn big chunks of real money by playing e-sport tournaments in teams.

Besides, streaming on Twitch and Youtube while playing e-sports could be an option just like streaming online poker or casino games.

Do You Still Want to Become a Professional Gambler?

Are you still considering professional gambling? Sure, why not! Many professional gamblers manage to win big money while gambling online or in real casinos. If you enjoy the game you play it won’t feel like a job and that is surely an added incentive. Just don’t forget to play it smart, luck might strike a time or two but in the long term you will need more than luck to succeed.

How to become a professional gambler for irs purposes


So, you’re looking for a career change? If you’re wondering what it takes or if you have what it takes to become a professional gambler, you’re in the right spot. Before I get started, though, I want to be clear on what you should NOT expect from this post. Do not expect me to give you a sugarcoated, rainbows-and-unicorns look at what it takes to become a professional gambler. Instead, I’m going to give you a gritty and in your face breakdown that does include some harsh realities.

Why am I opting for the more intense approach? I’m doing this because I assume a lot of you that are here are seriously considering what to do with your time or your future. I think it would be a gross disservice not to give you the raw information. If you only get the good side of something, you can’t ever be prepared for the realities that come along with it.

Why should you listen to me? Well, without going into too much detail, I was a professional poker player for 12+ years. It wasn’t just something that I did on the side of my real job; it was my job. Poker was my sole source of income. Because of that and the time I spent in casinos, I was able to meet a lot of people that made their money from the gambling industry (not just poker). Today, I want to share some of that insight with you, hopefully give you the information you need to decide if this is the road for you, and then tell you how to get there.

Skill Games versus Games of Chance

If you take nothing else from this article, please take the information I am about to give you. You CANNOT be a professional gambler at a game of chance (with one exception). This means, if the casino has a statistical advantage in a game, there is no way that you can ever beat that game in the long run. No matter what “system” you think you have, you are not Houdini, and you cannot defy math.

Many people have tried, and all of them have failed miserably. I’ve personally met people that claimed to play games like craps or roulette for a living thanks to their systems. Here’s a spoiler. They were all poor and broke. I asked them why they weren’t rolling in the dough (yes, I am forward), and they informed me that they were just on a bad run. Ummm, hello!!! That is what gambling is. You can potentially win in the short run, but in the long run, the house is always going to come out on top.

The only way you can beat the casino in a game of chance, in the long run, is by cheating, or by doing something that will get you kicked out and banned from the casino.

What is the one exception I mentioned? Blackjack. Blackjack will have tournaments that you can enter that allow you to do those things that would get you kicked out of the casino on a normal day. They let you count cards, and that allows you to gain a statistical edge over the house and your opponents. The only reason they allow this is that you aren’t playing against the casino. You have paid an entry fee to compete in the tournament, and all you can win is the entry fees from other players. This scene was pretty big and growing for a while but in recent years has leveled off in popularity and prize pool sizes.

Skill games, on the other hand, are games where the better players will win in the long run. How can you spot a skill game? If you are not competing against the house but against other players and patrons, you are most likely playing a game of skill. If you are competing against the house, with the exception of sports betting, you are playing a game of chance. If you truly understand sports betting, you’ll see that you’re actually competing against other patrons as well even though your bet is with the house. That’s a discussion we can save for another day, though.

So, what does this mean? This means that step one in the process of becoming a professional gambler is to choose a game of skill. Make sure you are playing a game where it is possible for you to make a long-term and sustained living. To help you out, I’m going to list off a few of the popular games you could choose from that people do make a living at.

The Gambling Games You Should Choose From

As a quick note, while most of the world will refer to these games as gambling, they really aren’t gambling at all. Gambling is when you make a wager on a game of chance. Since you are in control of the outcome of these games, they are no longer games of chance. Therefore, they aren’t gambling. Yes, some of these games will have a luck factor involved, but in the long run, skill is going to prevail over the variance caused by that luck factor.

How To Become A Professional Gambler

Blackjack

I figured I would lead off with the exception to “get it out of the way.” If you’re looking to make a living at Blackjack, the only way that you’re going to pull that off is by getting involved in the tournament scene. The problem, though, is that the scene is shrinking and the people that are currently in it are very good at what they do.

Warning:

If you’re considering becoming a professional blackjack player by counting cards, good luck. I am definitely advising you against it.

The casinos know every trick in the book, and you’re just going to end up getting caught and banned from every property on the planet. My best advice is to pick a different game on this list if you are looking to play for a living.

Poker

One of the best options on this list of games to play professionally is poker. Am I a little biased because it’s what I did? Probably. However, if you take an objective look at all of the facts, it is the clear winner. It’s a game where there is a lot of money to win, several different formats you can try, and a constant influx of new and bad players to win money from.

Out of everything on this list, I would say that it’s the easiest to get to a professional level. No, I am not saying that it is easy, but I am saying it is feasible for you to do. There are a lot of varying levels of success that you can hit as well so it’s not a make it or break it kind of game. If you’re serious about getting into a “gambling” profession, this may be a great place for you to look if you want something that has some longevity to it.

Chess, Backgammon, Tonk, and Spades

Believe it or not, a lot of the games that you may have played as a kid or teenager are games that you can play professionally for a living. Now, at first you might not have thought to include these in the same category as games like poker and Blackjack, but in reality, they fit. Again, these are games of skill with lots of options for playing for a living.

Years ago, your only option for these games was to find a major tournament at a brick-and-mortar location and play against the best in the world. Today, though, you can find these games offered online at casinos. You have the option of playing against thousands of players of all skill levels from around the world for real money. The best part is that the stakes start low so you can work your way up the game ladder, and you don’t have to pony up a ton of money to get started.

Sports Betting

I mentioned earlier that when you’re betting against the house, you can’t sustain a long-term profit. The only exception to that is sports betting because even though you are betting against the house, you are really betting against other patrons. The house does their best to get even bets on both sides of a game so that no matter who wins or loses they make a profit. This means that the line shifts will happen because of what the rest of the betting public does.

Note:

You’re ideally looking for value opportunities of bad lines thanks to the ignorance of the betting public.

I could go deeper into that, but we’d end up in a full-on discussion of how sports betting works, and I’d like to try my best to stay on topic today. Sports betting is a form of “gambling” that is certainly beatable. It’s probably one of the more challenging forms of gambling to do for a living and requires a strong heart that can take a lot of pressure and anxiety.

I do know some friends that do it for a living and have done quite nicely at it, but it comes at the expense of their sanity. That being said, it is beatable in the long term which means that it is a form of “gambling” that you could do for a living.

Esports

Wait, you can play video games professionally? Welcome to 2018! If you’re a rock star at a video game, chances are that you can play that game professionally. Tournaments are exploding all over the world with millions of dollars in prize money available for those individuals and teams that win. On top of that, there are millions of dollars in sponsorships available for these teams from the game creators and other companies interested in having an influence in the industry.

Your Next Steps to Become a Professional Gambler

Alright, so you’ve picked out which form of “gambling” you want to go professional at. Now what? To help you on your quest, I’ve outlined some actionable steps for you to take to get started. Remember this, though. None of this is going to be easy and most people that try end up failing. It takes a lot of hard work, dedication, and the ability to deal with some failures to make it as a professional gambler. Even after all of that, some people just don’t have the skill set to make it happen.

Professional Gambling

I don’t say any of that to deter you from trying, though. Don’t ever let anyone tell you that you can’t do anything. If you work hard enough and smart enough, you can achieve anything you want to. I will climb off my motivational speaker soapbox now and get to those steps.

1. Research Like a Crazy Person

The first thing that you need to do is learn absolutely everything you can about playing your game for a living. Look up other professionals, how they make money, and any other information you can on the topic. Try and identify if there is a smooth road to the top or if it’s something that requires a leap of faith (avoid these situations).

What you’re really trying to do here is a get an idea of what it’s going to take for your game specifically to make it to the top. You’re also trying to identify whether or not there is enough opportunity for you to make a living playing that game feasibly.

2. Formulate a Plan of Attack

The next step is to take all of your research and come up with a plan for you to go from schmo to pro. Make sure that your plan is detailed and gives you actionable steps that you can take to achieve your goal. This should mainly be based around how you’re going to learn the game, how you’re going to master it, how you’re going to test your skills without risking an arm and a leg, and ultimately how you’re going to turn it from a hobby into a career.

Your plan also needs to have some contingencies built in for the times that things don’t go according to plan. If you think that everything is going to go according to plan, you have another thing coming. Be realistic and make a plan that you can stick to.

3. Understand the Risks

You HAVE to understand that what you are attempting to do here is not easy. If it were easy, everyone and their brother would be a professional gambler. The risks are real, and when you lose money, you don’t just get it back with a do-over. There is no reset button on a lot of this.

The good news is that the nature of the industry now allows you to start these games for very low stakes and minimal risk. Take advantage of this. Online casinos don’t have to pay additional dealers or setup costs to facilitate more games which means they can offer things at super low stakes.

Note:

Make Sure That You Have an Exit Strategy or a Stop Loss in Place.

Don’t let yourself get out of hand chasing your dream. Yes, you shouldn’t let anything stand in your way, but losing all your money trying to achieve this dream is not noble. It’s stupid and the sign of someone who would never survive gambling professionally.

4. Start Learning

The only way that you’re going to make it to the pro level with any of these games is by immersing yourself completely in the learning process. You have to soak up every bit of information out there and ultimately know more than your opponents.

Here’s the most important part, though. Make sure that the information you are learning is good information. I feel like my track record affords me the right to speak as a voice of reason on poker and I can confidently tell you that most poker knowledge out there that people pass off as pro knowledge is garbage. Make sure that you’re learning from a reputable source and that the information is current and quality. This might mean you have to pay for some of it. Do your research (Step 1).

5. Start Small and Continually Adapt

Take. Your. Time. This is not something that is going to happen overnight. This is not something that is going to happen in a few weeks. It very well could take years for you to be able to reach the skill level necessary even to take a shot at playing professionally for a living. Even if you’re good enough, you still might not make it. You might not have access to the right opportunities, or you may have issues getting your mental game or bankroll management in line.

Warning:

Again, none of this is to deter you from giving it a shot. It’s just a warning to take your time.

How To Become A Professional Gambler At Slots

The learning process is going to be long and challenging and probably frustrating at times.

How to become a professional gambler book

The Wrap Up

If you’ve made it this far in the post, you’ve got hope! Look, I seriously am not trying to deter any of you from giving this a shot. I loved my years playing as a professional and wouldn’t trade them for anything. That being said, I wish I would have known how challenging things would be before I jumped in. Would it have deterred me? Probably not, but a heads up would have been pleasant.

What Is A Professional Gambler

If you’re serious about doing this, I wish you the best of luck and hope you follow some of the advice that I gave you. Good luck!