Has anyone really won money playing Blackjack?

Question

Ok I can't help hearing all this hype about how blackjack is beatable and anyone can get rich from it. With the movie 21 which glamorizes gambling it definately makes me want to try it. haha. Anyway, I would just like to hear some real stories of people that play blackjack and can consistantly win and make money in the long run. Please say about how much you expect to make per hour/night. I live about 20 minutes from Atlantic City and i just wanted to make sure this wasn't just another scam or unreliable thing before i went out and did it.

Answer 1

The MIT blackjack team had a few things in their favor which the rest of us don't :

-They were very quick-witted when it comes to math.

-They were in large numbers, and had a broad risk spread.

-They played only single deck games (Which are harder and harder to come by)

-etc

Answer 2

I hope you did not miss the important part of the movie: their bankroll.  You need to have money in order to make money.  If all you have is couple hundred dollars, then expect to lose it all, fast.   You can't win playing against the casino unless you are lady luck herself.    The only game anyone and everyone should play is poker: play against other players.  The best part is you can now say it's not gambling, it's poker.  ;)    Good luck!

Answer 3

Lemme just lay this down for everybody because im sick of the misconceptions about card counting.

-Card counting is entirely possible, (even if the use 6 or 8 decks) i have made thousands doing it over hundreds of hours of play, in fact, i only play against 6 and 8 decks.

-While i view myself as above average with number manipulation, card coutnign is not rocket science, the most difficult math you may have to do in a small timeframe of say making a decision to hit or stand woudl be something similer to 17/3.5 to see if its greater than or less than a number such as 4, it doesnt matter what the actual number is so long as its greater or lesser.

-You will not make hundreds of thousands of dollars playing, unless you have hundreds of thousands of dollars to play with.  The mit team was funded by numerous investors, and had ludicrous amounts of cash to place bets with.

As for me, i play in ac quite often, i only bet at most 150/hand and win at a rate of about 45/hour on average for the sum of all my hours.

You will not always win counting cards, my current loss rate is 42% of all trips ive made to ac, however in the sum of alll wins and losses i have won a measurable $10,235, its also worth noting that i have gotten hundreds of free drinks, and dozens of awsome salmon dinners, free pizza, turkey burgers, and souveneirs.

If you want to count cards and win money, you need to learn a lot, so go buy a book before you hit the tables with your money, the edge is small and if you make enough mistakes you will kill your advantage.  If counting cards isnt for you then at least buy a basic strategy card at the giftshop, its worth its weight in gold, also dont question the plays it says, you are wrong and it is right, you hit soft 18 vs ten, and you split 9s vs 9, so dont doubt the strategy card

Answer 4

it can be done, but blackjack isn't really a big win situation. if you hit a lucky streak, you may clean up on one night, and loose it all the next night. when i play, i play mostly for fun. if i break even, i consider that a great night. if i win, thats a bonus. most of the time, if i play smart and have a little luck, i will break even or come out a little ahead.

my best night was about 5 yrs ago, (it was my last trip to the casino), i covered all my expenses for the weekend and came home $1000.00 up. in other words, i won a total of app. 1700.00 from a starting stake of $500.00.

Answer 5

Wow if I lived 20 minutes from AC I would be in trouble (I mean I already go enough but I couldn't imagine if I was that close)...blackjack used to be my first love until I started playing poker in the casinos a few years ago...the most I have ever won in blackjack was around $1,000.00...but like poker, even if you do everything "right" you can still lose...I didn't see "21" ...I will wait for it to come out on cable (as I did with "Rounders")...if you like cards (as I do) than go to AC and have fun...not sure what you are talking about mentioning "scam or unreliable thing" it is AC...nothing is reliable there...sometimes you make money and sometimes you lose...

Answer 6

You're not going to beat Blackjack, it was just a movie.

Sure at one time before casinos wised up, really brilliant players could beat the game.  Using advanced card counting, along with proper strategy, they could make quite a bit.

But casinos have made all kinds of subtle rule changes to make counting harder these days.  More frequent shuffles, larger shoes, rule changes that improve the house edge.

It would take at least two years of hard work for an average person to learn to beat the game.  If they are very lucky, and find just the right game, maybe they can get a small edge over the casino.  But I'd be amazed if the average person is going to make more than a few bucks an hour.  What's worse you are going to have to risk a lot to really make it worthwhile, and even with everything working properly you can still lose.

If you want to learn a winnable game, learn poker.  Don't try and beat the casino.  They didn't become multi-billion dollar companies by letting people take their money.

Answer 7

There is NO guarantee of winning the next hand, therefore you can always come out a loser when you place your big bets.  That being said, if you play the game right, you can make perhaps 10-20$/hour at a 5$ table.  If you greatly increase your bets when the count is favorable you could do better but it is more likely that they will re-shuffle the decks.  When I say 10-20 / hour, it is more likely you will Win $200 in one hour and lose 10$/hour for 18 hours.

I have come back from both vegas and alantic city ahead in gambling on many trips, but it was hard work and although I enjoy it, i always have gone back to work.  I don't believe I could make a living at it.  I practice a lot at home and when I go, i usually play perhaps 12-16 hours a day for a week.  I have never come home rich but I have never had to worry about gambling money either.