Blackjack card counting requires a great deal of skill. After all, it’s an advantage gambling method that can provide an edge over the house.
Therefore, most blackjack players think that counting cards is all about the skill. They believe that if they’re good enough, they’ll make profits no matter what.
Jul 07, 2018 As you can see, when you ask how much money a casino makes in a day, you have to take into account the entire casino’s revenue, not just the gaming. But according to the University of Las Vegas, 23 Las Vegas casinos make over $72 million each (this is as of fiscal year 2013) and this averages out to $630,000 a day, per casino.
This belief is true to some degree. However, one also needs a large bankroll to guarantee profits.
The following guide covers why you need significant money to make it as a counter. It also discusses how to determine the right amount of funds for when you are counting cards.
Most Card Counters Don’t Start With Enough Money
The average card counter doesn’t make it very far. They quickly flame out due to one or more reasons.
Here are some common reasons for why most card counters fail:
- Not skilled enough
- Not able to keep up with the dealer’s speed when counting
- Getting easily distracted by the casino environment
- Not knowing when to increase and lower bets
All of these are crucial problems that can derail a card counter before they even get started. But as you’ll notice, bankroll management isn’t listed among the above reasons.
Of course, nothing is stopping you from embarking on a card counting journey with $250. As you’ll find out later, though, $250 doesn’t provide much of a safety net.
Volatility – Crushing Card Counters Since the 1960s
People have been successfully and unsuccessfully counting cards since 1961. This is the year when Edward Thorp dropped his famous book Beat the Dealer, which taught numerous gamblers how to count cards.
Of course, most early APs didn’t make it very far. They might have picked up on Thorp’s counting advice, but they didn’t know much about volatility.
The latter is crushing to any underfunded card counter. Most APs only gain between a 1% and 1.5% advantage through counting.
A 1% edge is enough to make long-term profits with large bets. However, it isn’t a big enough advantage to guarantee profits every night.
You may experience really hot nights and win big some days. On others, though, you’ll lose to the casino even when doing everything right.
Again, the 1% advantage provides enough of an edge to win. But it also leaves you quite vulnerable to volatility.
You Need Enough Money to Properly Spread Bets
Casinos force you to wait until the beginning of a shoe before playing real money blackjack. They indicate this with signs on tables that read, “No mid-shoe entry.”
Therefore, you have no advantage upon first sitting down to a table and playing. You must count cards until verifying that a deck is rich in 10-value cards and aces (i.e. a positive count).
Once the count becomes positive, you want to increase your wagers to capitalize. This act of “bet spreading” is where you make profits.
Here’s an example on how to properly spread bets:
- A table features a $10 minimum bet.
- You increase your wager to $25 with a +1 count.
- You increase your bet to $50 with a +2 count.
- You increase your wager to $75 with a +3 count.
- You increase your bet to $100 with a +4 count or higher.
Once you start risking $50 or more per hand, you’re essentially playing high-stakes blackjack. At this point, you need significant money to bet $50, $75, or $100 on every hand.
You can’t do this for any sustainable amount of time with $500 or less. Instead, you need enough funds to comfortable bet up to $100 no matter if things are or aren’t going your way.
Guidelines on How Much Money You’ll Need to Count Cards
You can take one of two main approaches to card counting:
In the first case, you don’t need as much money to get started. After all, you’re the only one placing bets and taking profits.
You should be able to comfortably count cards with a $7,000 or $8,000 casino bankroll. Of course, having more than this is even better.
As for counting with a team, you need both “spotters” and a “big player.” Spotters spread out to different tables and count cards.
However, a spotter never raises bets, meaning they’re always facing a house edge. The spotter’s main role is to signal the big player (BP) when the deck is hot.
A BP can then sit down and immediately start placing big bets. In this manner, they never attract suspicion from casino staff members for bet spreading. They simply look like a high roller who’s benefiting from good fortune.
With spotters and a BP, card counting teams need additional starting capital. For this reason, a team should begin with anywhere from $18,000 to $23,000.
Calculating a More Specific Casino Bankroll
You can likely get started with little trouble when using the aforementioned general guidelines. However, you might also want to develop a plan that’s specifically tailored to you.
Here’s a generic example on getting started with calculating your bankroll:
- You count for around 300 hands per night (approx. three hours).
- Your average bet size is $40 when including the minimum wager and bet spreading.
- 300 x 40 = $12,000 in total wagers
- You hold a 1.5% edge.
- 12,000 x 0.015 = $180 theoretical profit per night
How Much Money Do I Bring To A Casino
As seen in this example, you’ll bet $12k on average during each outing. You stand no chance of losing all $12k in a single night.
You’ll probably never lose 50% ($6k) of this amount either. However, you might lose up to 10% or more of your bets during a really bad night.
Using the above example, losing 10% of these bets means shredding $1,200 of your bankroll in one day. Assuming you go with the $7k or $8k general requirement, though, you can handle terrible nights.
The key is that you have enough money to get through the rough points and eventually make profits. You have the edge; you just need enough cushion to absorb losing nights and soldier on.
Gambling Cost Considerations
Your expenses likely won’t stop at just blackjack bets. You may also need money for traveling and food.
How Much Money Do You Take To The Casino
Assuming you choose to become a professional gambler, you’ll undoubtedly need to travel at some point. The longer you count cards, you will eventually be banned from one or more casinos.
However, you can prevent or at least minimize the amount of times you get banned by moving around. For instance, you may count in Las Vegas for one month, Atlantic City for another month, then finish the trip in Mississippi.
Your goal should be to move around and count cards as cheaply as possible. You can stay in cheaper hotels and eat at reasonably-priced restaurants. Other expenses will crop up as well, such as entertainment, fuel, and clothes.
Of course, you might not have many additional expenses at all when only counting locally. The downside to this, though, is that you stand a bigger chance of getting banned.
Casinos will be better able to recognize you in this case. Assuming you’re really serious about card counting, then you’ll want to consider traveling rather than staying in one spot.
Get Serious About Counting Cards Today
Counting cards can be as cheap or expensive as you want it to be. You can always walk into the casino with a few hundred dollars and hope for the best.
If you want a real shot at winning serious profits, though, then you should bring more money rather than less.
As covered earlier, $7k to $8k is adequate for a solo counter. A team, meanwhile, should have between $18k and $23k.
You can always use variables from your own counting experiences to get a more-concrete solution on your bankroll. You may need more or less money based on your bet sizes and how many hands you play. Please reference the earlier example if you need help getting started in this area.
Gambling is one ofthe most amazing entertainment options out there and it’s also amongthe most lucrative as well. You’ll stand a chance to become richwhile you have fun and enjoy every minute of it. However, before youcan earn money from gambling, you are going to have to spend money.Unfortunately, the thrill that comes with gambling can quickly make afew dollars a day turn into a couple of hundreds, thousands and evenmillions yearly. Before you know what is happening, you’ll be inserious gambling debt. One way to prevent this from happening is tohave some self-control and make a budget of how much you can spend ongambling weekly. There are smarter and more efficient ways to gambleto maximize your earnings and reduce the chances of becoming agambling addict drowning in debt.
How Much Do FrequentGamblers Take To The Casino?
How Much Money Do You Bring To The Casino Games
First things first,you should never take bulk money to a casino if you’re a beginner orif you have the tendency to become addicted to gambling. Thisincludes major credit cards with high credit limits and not justcash. You should also not go with expensive items like wristwatches,or any other expensive jewelry that you can bet in place of money. Ifyou want to gamble on a slot machine, you don’t need to go with morethan $100 because most slot machines need between 30 to 50 cents perspin. In the past, slot machines could be used with as little as 1cent. You can even have a good time with as little as $20. Apart fromslot machines, the standard casinos allow people to play cards andother bets with little money too.
Keep in mind that most casinos have ATM’s. So, if you don’t have self-control and you take your debit card to the casino, you’ll end up withdrawing all your money. It’s better to keep things low if you’re a beginner. Start slow and work your way up. If you’re playing poker or any other card game, you’ll be tempted to increase the stakes to earn more. Don’t do this unless you’re entirely sure of what you’re doing. The minimum amount to bet in a casino can be as low as 30 cents and the maximum can vary from game to game. It can be anything from $50 to $10,000 depending on the table. Most card games are governed by the high-risk high reward rule. This simply means that more risk equals more possible profit. To increase your chances of winning and avoid gambling debt there are some tips you should follow.
How To Make The BestOut Of Your Gambling Experience
1. Read The TermsBefore You Kick Things Off
If you’re gamblingonline, make sure you read the terms and conditions before you startplacing bets. Make sure that all instructions for playing and clearand understood. Read about the minimum and maximum bets as well asthe penalties. The same thing applies to when you gamble in brick andmortar casinos. When you get there, ask all the questions you need toask about things you don’t understand and ensure everything is clearbefore you proceed. If you’re about to use a slot machine, read thefine print properly to get an idea of what the limits are and thecomplexity of the game. Understanding the house rules and the gamerules will help you make smart decisions while gambling.
2. Try To Focus OnThe Short Odds
For new gamblers,the short odds are always better than long odds. You may win lessmoney but the chances of winning are always higher when you placeshort odd wagers. In some cases, you may be fortunate enough to win along odd every once in a while but you need to endeavor not to alwaysbet on long games to avoid getting disappointed. Don’t wager tooaggressively when you’re just starting. Most aggressive gamblersspend a lot of time on research. If you don’t have the time for that,you shouldn’t risk it.
3. Create A BudgetAnd Stick To It
The good thing aboutbudgeting is that you can do it for everything that has to do withmaterial substances including gambling. Simple budgeting skills willbe perfect for preventing overspending in the casino. You must becommitted to sticking to a budget. Put your money in your gamblingportfolio and don’t add anything to it when it has been exhausted. Agood way to stick to a budget is to go in with smaller bills. Forexample, if you want to spend $100, you should go to the casino with10 singles. Buy as many tickets as you can with the money andexperiment with as many games as your money can get you.
4. Don’t GoOverboard
The more you bet,the higher your chances of winning. However, this also means you’llbe spending more money betting if you don’t ever hit the jackpot.Don’t focus on large payoffs only. Look for games with payoffs thatmax out at 4000 credits on a slot machine instead of games thatpromise 10,000 max credits. Smaller payoffs promise more frequentwins than large payoffs. You’ll risk losing less than you’ll belikely to win. If you win, you’ll recover the money you’ve alreadyspent and win even more.
5. Be Strategic ButLeave Room For Chance
When it comes tobetting, strategies are important but luck trumps everything. So,when you place a bet, keep in mind that no strategy can kick luck outof the equation. For example, many professional gamblers bet on thehouse edge. This means that they place bets with the mindset thatthey will keep at least 90% of their earnings if they win. So, theybet heavy and fast. While it’s true that the casino will take about1-10% of the wager the customer places, it is a risky bet because thehouse almost always wins. No matter how low the house edge is, itdoesn’t guarantee that you win against the house.
How Much Do Casinos Profit
6. If You’re BettingOnline Focus On What You Enjoy
Online betting hasbecome increasingly popular thanks to the Internet and mobiledevices. Rather than going to a casino to place a bet, all you needis an Internet-enabled device and an online broker. It is importantthat you bet on the games you enjoy and not the games that arepopular. Everyone knows that football is the most popular sport amongonline gamblers but this doesn’t mean you should place football betsif you don’t understand the game or you don’t enjoy it. If you musttry it, you should learn as much as you can about it. Don’t be thatgambler that follows the bandwagon. Look for entertainment that youenjoy and place bets on those. Online betting doesn’t even need to berelated to sports. It can be about social events, politics,education, etc. Pick things you enjoy and focus on them.
How Much Money Should You Bring To The Casino
The bottom line is that there is no clear cut rule about how much an individual should take to a casino. It all depends on how much you have and what you’re willing to put aside for gambling. You can bet with a little as 30 cents in a brick and mortar casino. Make sure that you are in full control of the situation. Play only when you’re free and work with your gambling budget at all times. If you’re fortunate, you will hit a major jackpot that will make it worth your while. However, if you keep gambling and you never win, it would probably be a good idea to stop before you become a compulsive gambler. The last thing you want to do is sell all you have and be in debt because you love to gamble and you don’t know when to stop. The truth is that no matter how much you want to win, not everyone is going to hit the jackpot. If you’re fortunate enough to get small wins occasionally, thank your stars cause some people never win.
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