Most gambling fans play more or less casually at real money casino games such as online roulette or blackjack, but there are also hardcore gamers who have even managed to make a career out of their favorite pastime. While this may sound too good to be true, it certainly is.

However, we must remember that becoming a professional gambler is not an easy feat. Even though some successful players may boast of having a winning strategy in a particular game, it's not that there is a set of instructions telling you how to consistently earn a living this way.

Even so, there are a few things that are common to most professionals who play casino games, which we will focus on in this article.

What does it mean to be a Professional Gambler?

If we are to talk about gambling as a career, we might as well define the concept of a professional gambler first.

First, we must note that there are many avid gamblers who spend too much time playing casino games with more or less success. Therefore, it is not easy to draw the line between gambling for fun and gambling as a career. I'll try anyway.

The obvious determinant of a professional gambler is that this person gets most of their income from playing casino games. So just spending a lot of time gambling does not make you a professional. On the contrary - it can often be a sign of a gambling addiction which can lead to a person losing much more than they have earned.

Another feature of a gambling career would be to use a deliberate strategy or any systematic approach to gambling, including continuous learning, training, and improvement of your gambling skills.

While some professional gamblers learn tips and tricks from other players, others enjoy reading books, watching instructional videos, and even hiring a personal mentor to help them hone their skills.

What games can you play to earn a living?

Not all casino games are played by professional players. The basic distinction to be made here is between games based on luck and games based on skill. Understandably, those based on luck, such as online casino games and video slots, are not suitable for career building as their results are unpredictable. Sure, you might have a streak from time to time, but the casino will always win in the long run.

Sure, all casino games have an element of luck, but some of them don't rely heavily on it. Therefore, if you want some degree of control over the outcomes of the games you play for a living, you should choose skill based ones. These games include blackjack, poker, video poker, daily fantasy sports, and sports betting.

Blackjack

Blackjack is one of the most popular casino games and one of the few games where you can use your skills to beat the casino. We've all heard the stories of brilliant blackjack players who managed to make a fortune. One of the more famous examples is the story of Hollywood heartbreaker Ben Affleck, who was banned from Vegas casinos for counting cards but only then managed to snatch hundreds of thousands of dollars in winnings.

While card counting can be an excellent strategy for increasing your winning chances, it is not easy to learn, not to mention casinos frown upon it. Players who successfully use it should blend in better with other players and master the art of being calm and composed, otherwise they may suffer the same faith as our A-letters above.

Poker

When it comes to earning a living in poker, things get a little bit more complicated. Needless to say, playing poker well is a feat in itself, but being unique in poker is an accomplishment that takes a lot of time, effort and - let's face it - talent. Moreover, in addition to playing against other players, you also need to consider the commission percentage charged by most card arcades.

Therefore, to even start considering poker as a career, you need to be well prepared, read a few books, get enough practice and become confident in your skills. You also need to get in the habit of keeping track of your wins and losses as the latter can add up over time.

Also take into account that most professional poker players make money by playing against weaker opponents, so be careful not to pounce on a big fish right away as you may get eaten.

Video Poker

In some ways, a video poker game is similar to a slot machine game in that it is difficult to influence the outcome of a game. There is one big difference though - in video poker you know the odds of winning, so it is possible to calculate the amount the progressive jackpot needs to reach for you to have a positive expectation of winning.

However, most players who play video poker professionally do so in a team. Typically, the team finds a progressive video poker game that has the jackpot size, giving you more chances of winning. Then players start playing these games and keep doing it until they win the jackpot, after which they share the prize.

Daily Fantasy Sports

Playing fantasy sports is one of the most modern ways to make money gambling. To get a steady income you need to beat the other entrant more than half the time as the casino charges a fee to facilitate the game, thus reducing the prize pool.

In case you decide to enter a competition with multiple players, you won't have to win enough times to earn. Another way to earn a living in video poker is to play against less experienced players. Needless to say, you should be prepared to face more advanced rivals.

Sports Betting

Sports betting is one of the most popular ways to earn money by gambling. However, becoming a good sports player - not to mention making a career in it - is not a walk in the park. Most of them come down to the simple math of calculating your chances of winning and taking the Whigs into account in sports betting.

However, bookmakers have their own systems that allow them to collect money while withdrawing the smallest amounts possible. Therefore, in order to be successful in sports betting, it is important to be familiar with the sports betting systems and to know the internal mechanisms of the bookmakers.

Final thoughts

While becoming a professional gambler sounds like an easy way to earn money, you know getting started can be quite complicated. However, not only can you make a living from gambling, it can also turn into quite a lucrative career, especially if you have talent, invest a lot of effort and get a little help from Lady Luck.