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[Sputnik]

John Patrick Posted 07/18/06 at 01:11 PM at his forum board.

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I think I posted this before but it is such a great article (ahem) that I decided to slip it in here again..................   if you don't wanna read it, because it IS long, then just skip over it........but you'll read it, because even though it may not suit all of you, it certainly will be read by the 20-25 people who e mail me every month about their leaning to this type life ............   This chapter is from my last book (21st CENTURY BLACKJACK).........and gives a good solid look into what you can expect to find if this is the path you wish to take...............   Even if you do not read the whole article........slide down to the very last paragraph.............and tell me that you do not find YOURSELF in one of those three  sentences .............   After a day of gambling.....you feel either GOOD, BAD or UGLY.............see if you don't slide into one of those three categories ...........                                                   THE PROFESSIONAL GAMBLER   Not a week goes by, sometimes not even a day, when someone asks about the chances they would have in the world of gambling, if they would turn pro and do it on a constant and daily basis.  I give each of them the same reply:  "Try it for 6 months and see if you can be successful at it.  But keep your day job".   That last sentence is not to be funny, but to alert those people about the biggest  by far,  obstacle that stands in the way of someone becoming a pro.  It is the psychological drain on your mind when you have a losing streak that you can't get out of and there is no pay day looming on Friday, to cover the everyday expenses of life.     So, I will go over it again, for the umpteenth time.  Take $10,000, master the game or games of your choice and try to win $100 a week or $25 a day, or even $20 a day, for a period of 6 months, while staying at your everyday business or job.  Knowing that there is a payday in the wings takes a ton of pressure off of anyone who goes into this field.   I hit losing streaks all the time.  Make no mistake about it, it happens to even the best, but then I just admitted that it happens, (grin).  But seriously, when I get mired in a streak where things that usually happen on a pretty consistent basis, like grinding out decent returns, suddenly turn belly up, I get concerned.   Picking the outcome of sporting events like Basketball, Baseball, Hockey, Golf and Football are done with an approach that I have used for years, concentrating on POWER vs DOG.  All of a sudden the worm turns and these snakes start blowing games in the last inning or at the buzzer or on the final play.  Those mishaps are called BAD BEATS and they do hurt.     These types of situations don't last for a day or two, but sometimes will drag on for over a week or ten days.  You can't figure out why it happens and the loss of income does raise concerns and therein lies the ability of the  REAL PRO to deal with those times.  That is when the ability of being smart comes to the surface.     Since there is no pay check being handed out at the end of the week, you MUST have a sizable back up of money to keep you solid thru these times.  And you MUST BET LOWER.   You MUST BET LOWER.  Repeat for emphasis because that is where the difference between being successful and being a jerk come to a point of decision.   When I first started down this path, I figured I was always due to come out of the bad times and continued shoveling the money across the table.   My bets remained at the same amount and many times higher than normal.  The losses continued, the money dwindled, the panic set in and the psychological drain was overwhelming.     I already explained this in prior chapters but it is something you have to realize, if you are thinking of entering this lifestyle,  that the down times happen quite often.  Veterans of my books and tapes are aware of the two things I zero in on constantly, not just for prospective pros but for anyone who risks money on the outcome of a happening:   1)  ACCEPT SMALL WINS................   2)  SET LOSS LIMITS.......................   As soon as I mastered those two guidelines and FOLLOWED them, my bad days got outnumbered by the good ones.   It means  that by setting those LOSS LIMITS, I was able to ride out the down periods.  Then, on the days I got (get) ahead, I use the all important GUARANTEE and EXCESS, wrap up a profit and leave at the first hint of a losing streak (two losses in a row).  Maybe the wins aren't gigantic, but the days are not classified as losers.   I am probably unique in my lifestyle of gambling, in that I do not concentrate on any one game, but rather am adept in many, so that if something isn't working, there is an alternate outlet.  Of course I have my dominants and I will list them, in the order of what I gamble on mostly:   1)  SPORTS..................Far and away my favorite and this is done 364 days a year..........I take two days off.  The day after and the day before the annual baseball All Star game is dark.  There is absolutely no sporting event on those days, in any sport.    2)  POKER..................................I play high low split 4-5 nites a week..............   3)  PAI GOW POKER ..............A great game for anyone to use as the dominant..........   4)  CRAPS................................The table game in the casino that offers great grinding opportunities.............    5)  ROULETTE.........................A game that more people should play, but don't because of the adverse nonsense that others hand out about the vig being too high......................Bull.....oney............   6)  BACCARAT.........................The casino game that offers best chance for streaks............   7)  HORSE RACING.................Maybe 2 races a day, just to add to the mix..........     VIDEO POKER...................Good MONEY MANAGEMENT allows one to grind out small but consistent returns........   9)  BLACKJACK......................Toughest game in the house.  I love it but it is hard to get long streaks, as I have pointed out over and over............   10)  Anything else that allows me to put money at risk and where I have a chance to weigh my chances of winning or losing.................   Most pros zero in on one single game, like either Poker or Horses or Blackjack or Craps or Sports and stick with that game, and usually  with  one  back up.  I differ in my approach and have found this approach to fit my NEEDS.  The next chapter talks about the ENVELOPE SYSTEM, so read it.   As for the life itself, I find it fabulous.  I spend plenty of time with my family, which is numero uno in my life.  The 5 hour round trip to Atlantic City is filled with anticipation on the way down and the ride home is made at exactly 7 pm, so that I can listen to the sporting event I bet on, for the two and a half hour jaunt home.   Hot coffee and a sandwich is the diet  and occasionally donuts replace the regular meal.     I arrive home as the game is going off and a quick shower gives me time to make the 11 pm starting poker game, which goes until you decide you have won enough or lost enough.  I have a regular seat in the game and if I decide enough is enough, I get up and leave, as do all of the others and there are back ups waiting to keep the game filled.   Ahhhhhhhhh, those glorious nights in a poker game.  Did you ever sit in a shark infested area with your opponents waiting to skin you alive?  These games bring together a group of smart, sharp, callous, unyielding assassins in sheeps clothing.  Talk is minimal, mistakes are expensive, and mercy is absent.     The combatants are there for one purpose:  to take your money.  Of course you are there for the same purpose.  Make a slip up and a horde of vultures prey on that mistake.  Apologies are never presented and that old saying about the weak inheriting the earth is a lot of stuff.   These games prove, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that if you are weak of heart, short of money and mistake prone, you will pay.   A slip of the tongue is picked up by every conniving soul at that table, so keep your mouth shut and your eyes and ears open.  It is a challenge for those ready to suffer the consequences or reap the rewards.     It is pure out and out joy..................I LOVE THE CHALLENGE.   So, if you have aspirations of becoiming a pro, read this and other tidbits I offer you about the good,  the bad, and the ugly.     a)  The GOOD  is winning money.     b)  The BAD is losing money.   c)  The UGLY is how you feel if you are GOOD at   being BAD.  ................if you catch my drift.    JOHN PATRICK   

[NathanDetroit]

excellent article..


ND

[Billion loudspeaker]

Nuff said .

ND

Why Bother?

BL

[Sputnik]

 
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ND i find the search function at JP forum board very good ... find many nice topics ...

Cheers

[NathanDetroit]

John Patrick`s  methods are the only ones for me . His  methods are the best I have come across so far.
( within my 33 years of casino experience )

ND