I was watching some YouTube videos about counting cards and playing blackjack and thought it might be a fun side hobby to make some cash…
Does anyone have any experience doing something like this?
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The main key to blackjack is being able to count the cards and vary your bet size a lot based on how favorable that is. That’s the underlying concept, but implementations differ. If you get too good at it, you’ll get banned from the casinos or roughed up by the mob.
A long time ago the roulette wheels weren’t that well balanced. Now they are better.
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20 years ago, in the infancy of online casinos, a friend of mine had a ~15 step process to harvest new account and deposit-matching bonuses that’d ultimately net you about $1,000 with $0 upfront (using the proceeds of one to fund the next, across more than a half-dozen casinos).
So yes, I’ve made money off casinos. Just not how you are thinking.
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Funny you should ask. I was a pro gambler from 2002-2015. Considering I’m more or less retired now, let’s just say that online casino bonus hunting in the early 2000s was awfully lucrative. Quit my job at a tv network to do it full time.
I was the least successful member of my group and I was up something like 1.4 lifetime.
Happy to answer any specific questions.
Oh, to answer your question, yes card counting works, but all of the easy money in it has already been made. The risk reward on it is terrible compared to more advanced plays. But as a Vegas hobby, you could count cards betting red to low green pretty much indefinitely for $5-25/hour. With big volatility, of course. I have to say it’s a super boring grind after the first 100 hours 
However, playing as a hobby is what got it all started for me. Through an online card counting group, I found about online casinos and fell into a dorky Oceans 11 style group.
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This, but imagine doing it x20, and at 200 different online casinos 
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I funded my craps habit by playing blackjack in the 70’s. If you were amiable, and not a complete moron, it was profitable. Back then, you were dealing with single and double deck shoes. Today, there are continuous shuffle shoes which, at first glance, negate any advantage to counting.
I visited an old friend in Vegas a few years ago. It was the first time I’d been there in 30 years. I hate to admit it, but the city seemed a lot more fun, and better run, when the mob ran it. 
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Yup. In my case it was taking advantage of match play offers. It was never worth actually going to the casino but if they had a promo coupon and we were going to the buffet anyway I’d use the coupon. IIRC I’m up $30 over my lifetime from these–never gamble otherwise.
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You have to do it full time to be guaranteed to make any reasonable amount of cash. And there is tons of on-the-ground research required even with the power of the internet because you don’t know for sure what game is available where until you actually walk into the building. Where do you live?
A few hours from Chicago. There are probably around 10 2-3 million population cities around me within a 5 hour drive
Uh, did I miss something? Are you talking about private games? If so, I highly recommend forgetting about it. You’d have better odds of getting Guido and Mikey to hold up the game. High dollar private games have very skilled card handlers. You’ll never know for sure, but at 05:00, when the dealer nails 21 on 3 hits (5 times in an hour), you should have a clue.
Actual casinos have spread to many cities these days, Nevada’s monopoly on the space is long over. They’re arent the glitzy Vegas style experiences, but they arent a handful of regulars in a laundromat’s backroom, either.
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Yes, Las Vegas has changed a lot. My husband’s sister worked many years there. She was an executive at the NY NY hotel. She’s retired now and I certainly miss her comp room’s for enjoyment over the weekend.
I’m not a gambler but it’s fun to try. But only for a couple hours time then off to dinner. Watching really professional gamblers at the tables was also a treat.
But do we have millionaire gamblers on our site? 
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some matching bonuses still out there these days
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How many casinos that are player friendly are nearby?
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Many years ago, I was in Vegas and signed up for a players card at a casino. Got a $10 credit to play on slots/video machines and used it on video roulette.
I did the martingale and the minimum bet was 10c. The highest wager I got to was 80c (i.e., lost 4 times in a row) so I was close to losing but ended up with an additional $2 (total $12). That was after playing for about 1.5 hours and a couple bottles of Fiji.
I had time to kill anyway so I might as well get some free drinks. Otherwise, the house always wins. I play for fun (mostly craps) and expect to lose some money to get to play.
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I am not really sure… I am still trying to learn the rules about blackjack to understand which provide a positive EV if you count cards.
I paid $5 for an android app and started playing around in my spare time and learning basic strategy, but that’s about as far as I got so far.
yes the signup offers are great. I’ve made 100s pp.
First learn basic strategy, inside and out, until you dream it. Think of it like learning a foreign language. When you see the dealer’s up card, you should immediately know whether to hit/double/etc. That will get you closer to 50% odds than any other strategy (unless math has changed in the last 40 years.
Once you don’t have to “think” about basic strategy, you can then devote some bandwidth to counting. Without basic strategy, counting is almost worthless.
Good luck. If your mind is young and malleable enough, you should master basic in under 6 months, depending on how much you practice. Counting takes longer.
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Most important thing is good strategy! Play without having to think about the rules of the game.
I actually thought I was a pretty good player at the roulette table. On a Caribbean cruise stopover in PortoRico, 4 of us decided to go into a casino to try our luck. I sat down at a table of mostly loud Mexican players who didn’t take kindly to a slow thinking lady. I only managed to last there a short time but I made $$’s. Pressure on me was more than I could handle.
Was more fun just watching the high rollers go at it. I didn’t understand their language so probably was just as well.