Stop Gambling Start Winning
Ok. I said seven steps but I can’t skip this.
There’s a big difference between Gambling and Card Counting.
Gambling is trying to defy the odds.
Gambling is an emotional activity that will cost you money in the long run.
Card counting is playing the odds.
Card counting is following a set of logical steps that gives you the advantage over the casino.
The average gambler who walks up to a blackjack table and plays a single $10 hand of blackjack is likely going to win or lose $10. And that’s what the gambler is thinking about.
But a card counter is going to be thinking about the Expected Value (EV) of that hand. Expected Value is the amount the game is going to make over time.
For a $10 game, it is likely about 10 cents (the casino’s advantage is about 1% against your average gambler, and 1% of $10 is $10 x .01 = $0.10). Which means the casino is expecting to make 10 cents for every $10 bet a gambler makes, no matter what system the gambler thinks they’re using. The gambler may win on any given day or week, but if the casino can keep them playing, they cannot escape the math that favors the casino… unless they count cards.
I have no problem with recreational gambling – though it’s not how I want to spend my hard-earned money. Becoming a card counter is something entirely different. And it starts by thinking about what you’re going to a casino to do – make money. Which means that for a card counter, gambling is essentially setting your money on fire.
So right here, right now, you have to stop gambling.
Gambling can be a entertaining hobby, but there’s no space for it when you’re looking to make money in a casino environment.