Most routes to becoming a pro gambler are well known. Daily fantasy sports (DFS), card counting, poker, and sports betting are all common forms of professional gambling.

Slot machines, on the other hand, seem like the last type of gaming that would offer an opportunity to become a professional. Aren’t these the games that people mindlessly play for hours and lose lots of money? Yes, to a degree.

1. Long story short, it’s possible to go from a small initial deposit to becoming a professional gambler. But you also need discipline, patience, and steady investments into your bankroll. Most gamblers aren’t willing to make these sacrifices. That said, it can sometimes feel.
2. Becoming a Professional Gambler – Choose Your Discipline We like to say that gambling is a lot like martial arts. You can be a black belt in Muay Thai, and a complete beginner at Jiu-Jitsu. The same goes for gambling – you can be a semi-pro level poker player, but not have the first clue about trading the financial markets for a profit.

By maintaining books and records show that you’re not just a casual gambler, you can prove that you’re a professional. Prepare for each tournament with a poker expert. This will show you consider gambling your job, and that improving your game is part of. In short: Keep as much money as possible from free bets. Matched betting is the.

However, slot machines can offer a chance to win profits under the right circumstances. That said, I’ll discuss different ways to win with slots and if this career choice is ultimately worth the effort.

What Are the Different Ways to Beat Slots?

You might think the only way to beat a slot machine is by praying to the heavens. If so, you’ll be surprised to find there are actually three different ways to win with slots.

Banking Slot Machines

A banking (a.k.a. accumulator) slot machine features a bonus meter that gradually fills as one collects special symbols. A bonus feature will be triggered once the meter reaches the top.

The premise behind these games is that they entice gamblers to play longer in order to unlock bonuses. But some players don’t manage to trigger the bonus, because they either run out of time or money.

Assuming they leave, you can swoop in and take advantage. You can theoretically gain an edge with accumulator slot machines when the meter is nearly full.

What’s more is that many gamblers continue playing so that they can earn the bonus. In these cases, you may need to build up the nerve to persuade a gambler off their slot machine beforehand.

Those who engage in this practice are often referred to as slots “vultures.” They hang around games and do anything possible to get a seat when the bonus is set to come.

Therefore, you not only need the time to find nearly full meters, but also need the nerve to talk somebody off a slot.

Mystery Jackpots

A mystery slot machine offers a progressive jackpot that pays out at a specific point. For example, a game may deliver its top prize at exactly $250.

Much like with accumulator slots, some gamblers leave a mystery jackpot slot machine before it’s set to pay out. This creates another opportunity where you can gain an edge by stepping in at the right moment.

The biggest challenge in getting this advantage is knowing when to play a mystery jackpot slot. Here’s a formula via Michael “The Wizard of Odds” Shackleford for calculating a mystery game’s most-profitable point.

• Formula: t = m × (h + r) / (h + 2r)
• t = Target point
• m = Max jackpot
• r = Rise of meter (percentage of each bet that goes into the jackpot; e.g. 2%)
• h = House edge (including average value of progressive jackpot)

This formula isn’t perfect. After all, you may not know the house edge and/or jackpot contribution for the game you’re playing.

But you can at least guess these variables and come up with a reasonable target point. For example, most games see around 2% of every bet go towards funding the progressive jackpot.

Here’s an example for using these variables to determine when you’ll have an edge:

• Formula: $250 jackpot x (0.05 + 0.02 rise in meter) / (0.05 + 0.02×2) = $194.44
• You should begin playing when the jackpot reaches $194.44.

Progressive Jackpots

Progressive jackpots play a huge role in the popularity of slot machines. After all, some of these prizes can be worth seven or even eight figures.

For example, somebody won a jackpot of $21 million through Microgaming’s Mega Moolah in 2019. This prize is an exception to the norm, but it shows just how large slots jackpots can get.

You definitely can’t expect to win profits on a game with 88% payback. This RTP is as bad as it gets in the slots world.

However, Mega Moolah’s payback grows along with the jackpot. At a certain point, this slot, or any other progressive game, can feature such a large jackpot that the game itself offers over 100% payback.

Assuming you play progressive slot machines at this point, you’re theoretically earning profits. But this is a huge “theoretical,” because you’d have to actually win the jackpot at some point to eventually be profitable.

The odds of winning the biggest slots jackpots can be 1 in 10 million, or even greater. You certainly don’t have any guarantees with these games.

Why You Should Chase Slots Profits

You can see from the above description that slots winnings aren’t easy to come by. However, you may still find this pursuit worth the effort for a few different reasons.

Make Money With Entertaining Games

Millions of people around the globe play slot machines on a daily basis for the entertainment value alone. Now, just imagine if you could also make a living while enjoying these games.

Professional slots play gives you this opportunity. You can hang out in casinos and play different slots for hours while earning a living.

Pick up Comps on the Side

The profits that you accumulate from slot machines aren’t the only benefits to this profession. You can also earn rewards on the side of your play.

You simply need to sign up for a slots club card at any casino where you gamble. From here, your bets will be comped based on each casino’s formula.

Generally speaking, you often receive 0.01% of your total bets as rewards. Remember, this money is on top of the profits that you’re already making.

Make Your Own Hours

Many people dream of working a job where they can make their own hours. Professional slots play offers this very chance.

You decide when to visit the casino and how long you want to play. You can also choose which holidays to work and which ones to enjoy.

Of course, you may have to play at the busiest hours to truly capitalize on these opportunities. But you always have the choice of when to gamble.

Visit Different Casinos

If you want to be a professional slots player, chances are that you’ll have to move to Las Vegas to do it. After all, Sin City offers the most accumulator slot machines, mystery jackpots, and progressive jackpots in the world.

Assuming you enjoy visiting different casinos anyway, then you’ll love this aspect of being a slots pro. Vegas, for example, offers well over 100 different casinos.

Not all these gaming establishments offer great opportunities to make profits. But you may include over a dozen different casinos in your rotation.

Why You Shouldn’t Try to Be a Slots Pro

Professional slots players aren’t very common. One reason why is because there are a number of downsides to this job, including the following.

Inconsistent Income

Even if you have an advantage with slot machines, you’re never guaranteed profits on a given day. You’ll have a very small edge in any game and must rely on the luck of the draw in some cases.

If you’re playing an accumulator slot with a nearly full meter, for example, you still need to collect the one to two required symbols to trigger the bonus. Sometimes, you’ll get the required symbols very quickly. Other times, you’ll have to wait and lose money in the process.

Assuming you keep playing slot machines with an advantage, then you’re going to make profits. But you never know how much you’ll earn during each day or even week.

Limited Opportunities

Accumulator slot machines used to be more common over a decade ago. However, many casinos found out that these slots caused major problems.

As covered before, vultures try to persuade gamblers off of machines with nearly full meters. Fistfights sometimes break out when vultures are too persistent or even downright rude.

How To Be A Professional Gambler Casino

Mystery jackpot games aren’t heavily prevalent in casinos either. They’re just not as popular as standard progressive jackpot slots.

Deal With Slots Vultures

Slot machine vultures are one of the ugliest parts of the trade. If you pursue accumulator bonuses, or even mystery jackpots, then you’ll be competing with these very same players.

They may harass you for infringing on their turf. Furthermore, they’ll try beating you to the punch when a favorable opportunity exists.

You may have no problem with this competition. But more competitors mean you’ll have a tougher time making profits.

You May Become a Vulture Yourself

In the end, you might discover that the only way to earn consistent profits is to become a vulture. Are you prepared to try and trick gamblers off of slot machines just so you can profit?

If the allure of being a professional slots player is that great, then you may answer “yes” to this question. On the other hand, you might hate the idea of bothering other players just to get their seat.

Conclusion

Slot machines aren’t my favorite route for trying to win gambling profits. Nevertheless, they can be beaten under the right conditions.

Banking slots, mystery jackpot machines, and progressive jackpot games can all offer an advantage. You just need to go about playing them in the correct manner.

Accumulator slot machines have meters that trigger a bonus when filled. If you continually play these games right before the meter fills, then you’ll have a long-term advantage.

Mystery jackpot games pay their top prizes at a specific point. When you play these slot machines near the payout point, then you can boost your chances of winning.

That said, accumulator slot machines and mystery progressive jackpots are the most feasible paths to winning. But they also have their downsides.

Both types of games are available in limited supply. With banking slots, you also have to worry about vultures swooping in to steal profitable opportunities.

In summary, becoming a slots pro is far from easy. But you may still consider this path if you really love slot machines and want to profit from them full time.

Qualifications

1. Discipline: If you have to make a bet for the sake of making a bet you are in trouble.
2. Focus: If you are distracted with other activities, people, family or problems you will not be able to give gambling the attention it requires.
3. No Superstitions: I personally do not know anyone who is superstitious and successful at the same time.
4. Record Keeping: Show me someone who does not keep records and I will show you a loser.
5. Ego: I've seen this be the downfall of what otherwise may have been a good professional gambler. Until you have won 10 million or more gambling, check the ego at the door. If you have reached this level of success than why the need for the ego.
6. Emotions: This one is key. You must not let the highs and lows affect you. If you cannot do this than you need to find another profession. Examples of the bullshit I've heard ten thousand times. The ref made a bad call. The stupid jockey judged the pace wrong. Some dumb ass took MY card. Why did or didn't they go for the 2 point conversion. If you are or want to be a professional gambler this is going to happen everyday, SO FORGET ABOUT IT. If you can't handle it you have almost zero chance of success.
7. Pull the Trigger: When you have the advantage you must be able to make the appropriate bet. If you look at money in terms of what it could buy you, you're in the wrong business.
8. Bankroll: First you need to have one. What you can borrow on your visa card does not count.
9. Bankroll or Money Management: There are some good books on this subject. If you do not know what I mean by money management you need to buy such book. Hint: You cannot play 50-100 stud on a $10,000 bankroll. You cannot bet $5000/game on a $50,000 bankroll. You cannot play a $5 video poker machine on a $100,000 bankroll. If you try this you are not a professional gambler you are just a gambler who will go broke sooner rather than later.
10. Maths: This will win you more money than any other single factor. If you don't know the math than you better learn it or at least know someone who will do the math for you. If you don't like math than find another occupation.
11. Adversity: As in any endeavor there comes adversity. Be emotionally ready to handle it because it is a sure thing. You will be barred from casinos, cheated and stiffed during your career, that I can promise you.
12. Be true to yourself: Resist the temptation to do things that are detrimental to your well-being and your bankroll. Going on tilt, drug use, and binges will have a negative affect on your ability to perform. Even a bad diet will have a negative affect. Whatever form of gambling one embraces it always gets down to who's brain is functioning the best, who has the bankroll, who knows the math.
13. Reputation: To me this is everything. Without a good reputation you will never be a professional gambler in my eyes. You may win money, but doing it without honesty and integrity you're just a bum to me. If you win by cheating, scamming or stiffing people you're not a professional, you're a cheat, scam artist or stiff. A good reputation will become your greatest ally in the war to win. Once you establish a good reputation opportunities are everywhere. Other professionals welcome the chance to work with you, help you, and partner up with you. Having a good reputation does not mean keeping your word 9 out of 10 times, it means 100% of the time keeping your word. I know a professional poker player in Las Vegas who did not do the right thing 25 years ago and to this day nobody will have anything to do with him. Once you sell your reputation you can never buy it back.

Professional Gambler Requirements

To be a professional it takes a rare mix of qualities not found in most people. As one well known professional poker player likes to say 'Its a hard way to make an easy living'. To be a professional at anything it takes a unique person and gambling is no exception.

Expectations

1. When first starting out you should be buying all the books you can read on the aspects of gambling that interest you. The gamblers Book Club in Las Vegas is a great place to start. The internet now offers more opportunity for learning than anything I've ever seen in my life. Gambling conferences are a great place to cut your teeth also. I personally don't attend these functions for personal reasons not because I don't think they are helpful. Las Vegas used to be the Mecca for most professional gamblers but with the internet and opportunities in other locals this is no longer as true but still a reasonable place to make new contacts and a place to hone ones skills. The advantage of Las Vegas is that you can acquaint yourself with other pros, learn from both their soft and hard skills. If you're starting from scratch though and first need to learn the basics of the games then there's definitely an advantage to first practicing online, on demo play.
2. Expect both positive and negative flux in your bankroll. If you decide to be a professional blackjack player you will at some point lose 60 top bets during your career. If you play long enough you will have a losing year. If sports are your choice, expect to go 2-22 on a busy college Saturday at some point. If you never seem to flux up or down you are doing something wrong. If your emotions cannot take flux you need to pick a different profession. If you enjoy flux this could be a bad sign also. When your bankroll fluxes upwards this is not the time to buy that fancy car you have always dreamed about. There will be plenty of time for all of that but until you have a substantial bankroll (at least 500K) you will need to preserve capital. Things can go bad in a hurry in this business and you need to be prepared to weather the storms.
3. Expect to put a huge time investment into gambling. It is not uncommon to put 80+ hours/week. To be successful this is a business that will take over all aspects of your life. Once you get established and secure with yourself than you can cut back on the time investment but many guys still choose not to.
4. If you have the ability to make more money doing something else you probably should stick to something else. This business can be an emotional roller coaster and the only thing (in the long run) to justify it is the extra money.

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Realities of the Business

You have no bosses or customers to speak of so you are totally independent of the bull shit most people go thru in a normal day. This is the good part. The only person that you need to answer to is yourself. Don't bullshit yourself or you will become a bad boss. Be true to yourself.

You produce no product or service that society requires. This is the bad part. As you become more successful your purpose in life becomes more meaningless. While other guys are saving lives, producing goods and services you are not much better than a parasite to society. With success comes (a feeling of) a debt you owe to your fellow man. Most successful gamblers I know give heavily to charity; donate their time and money to help their fellow man in some small way. I believe it is their way to make up for the empty feeling one gets from years and years of not producing something of substance. Many successful gamblers look for something else to do with their lives after becoming financially independent. Relationships don't work for most of us early on in our career so this is another avenue many professionals look to achieve as they become financially successful.

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