The Professional Gambler by Anthony Mancuso

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The Professional Gambler
by Anthony Mancuso

The Professional Gambler

I want to start out by telling you who this article is about, or rather, who it is not about. The Professional Gambler is not the flamboyant player you see making a lot of noise and calling attention to himself. He, or she, will not be the player making the extravagant high-roller bets. No, the real pro is a quiet, reserved, serious player. The professional gambler knows that to stay ahead, it is necessary to treat gambling as a business; a profitable business.
The professional gambler does not “go out for a night (or day) of gambling.” You see, the pro would never assume that he or she would be out playing all night. In fact, the pro will usually know within the first 30 minutes of play whether to keep playing or to call it a day. When a professional gambler goes to play, it is with the specific intent to win, not to entertain himself and others. This is work. This is a job. You see, there is no way to determine how long it will take to either win enough (or lose enough), but the pro will know when either one of those limits is reached and will have the discipline to recognize it and act accordingly.
You may have on occasion, played next to the professional. No, you probably would not remember it. There is nothing to really call attention to the professional player except for the fact that he gets ahead and then quits! He doesn’t hang out and continue playing because he or she is “out for a night of gambling.” If professional gamblers want to be entertained, they go see a show or a movie. Gambling is not an “activity” like so many tourists look upon it. You go to Vegas or Atlantic City and you gamble all night. That is what the recreational gambler will do. They find it very easy to rationalize…something like this; “Well I played all night and it only cost me $200. That is not so bad for a night of entertainment with free drinks.” This is the tourist mentality. Oh sure, you might hear stories of how someone went to Vegas and won thousands. It can happen. But more than likely you hear the all too familiar account that goes something like this:
“I was up 3 or 4 hundred but I lost it all back.” You will never hear a professional make a claim like that. If one is gambling to make a profit, then they will recognize that 3 or 4 hundred is a very healthy profit and will be long gone.
The professional gambler is a guerilla fighter. They are not there for a marathon playing spree. Once again, the pro is there to win. Winning or losing usually doesn’t take that much time, certainly not all day or night. Sure, they might catch a winning streak and believe me; the pro will recognize it and ride it to the end. But more times than not, the play of a pro will last only long enough to make the days profit or to lose the max for that day. When a professional wins big, there is no chance that the casino will ever see that money again. The pro is much too smart to give the casino that chance.
As far as systems go, the professional is also too smart to think that there is really a system that can consistently beat the casinos no matter what game you are playing. Instead, the professional gambler will use proven strategies and betting methods to enhance his or her chances of winning. Very few decisions will actually be made at the time of play. Most of the pro’s decisions are made before they approach the game. They will stick with their basic strategies and betting methods or progressions. You will not see a pro ever “chase his money.” A pro can, and will, accept the occasional loss. It happens. I like to compare the professional gambler to a salesperson that works strictly on commission. There will be days when you will make no money or even lose money if you take into account travel expenses, etc… The professional gambler instead, learns to look at the cumulative total of play. It is not “how much did I win or lose today?” but more like, “how much am I ahead for the month or year?”
I’d like to add a word here about professional poker players. They are in a class by themselves! In fact, some poker players do not consider themselves as gamblers. These players contend that poker is a game of skill and that they are very skillful. All that I have written above does not really apply to the professional poker player. I will probably, in the next few months, write an article about them. A very interesting breed, indeed!
If you would like more insight as to what makes a professional gambler, you can learn more at http://www.NousBleux.com/bettingforprofit.html To pros and amateurs alike, good luck!

Anthony Mancuso

Anthony Mancuso is a 10-year veteran of Las Vegas casinos, having been employed as a dealer, boxman, floorman, pit boss and assistant casino manager.

Author's Biography:

Anthony Mancuso is a 10-year veteran of Las Vegas casinos, having been employed as a dealer, boxman, floorman, pit boss and assistant casino manager.

Posted on: October 9,2007

Email: diogenes@frontiernet.net
Website: http://www.NousBleux.com/bettingforprofit.html