How to Become a Professional Gambler – Top 10 Tips to Live By
11 minutes
Last Updated: February 3, 2022
If you like playing casino games for fun, the idea of gambling for a living seems like a dream come true.
And, while some lucky players have indeed managed to turn their gambling hobbies into lucrative careers, far more, unfortunately, lose more money than they win.
That said, becoming a professional gambler doesn’t have to be just a dream. With the right know-how, you can make it a reality!
In this article, we’ll share with you the top ten tips to live by if you want to become a pro gambler.
10. Be Certain That You Want to Be a Professional Gambler
Before you dive headfirst into the world of professional gambling, the best tip you should keep in mind is that you need to be completely sure that this is the right path for you.
We say this because many casino enthusiasts think this lifestyle would suit them, only to be proven otherwise through a harsh reality check.
Being a professional gambler can be stressful and is certainly not for everyone.
The fickle nature of the profession can take a toll on your mental health and personal relationships.
Tough losing streaks are common for those in the game for the long term. This can be very demoralizing and cause many players to give up on their prospective gambling careers after losing all of their money.
You should also know that when you start playing a casino game professionally, you need to have a different approach than when you’re doing it for fun.
And, when a passion from a hobby turns into an obligation that pays the bills, playing your favorite casino game won’t always be fun and enjoyable.
You won’t be playing the game a few times a month for fun but on a regular schedule to sustain your livelihood.
9. Carefully Focus on One Game
If you don’t know how to become a professional gambler or where to start, the best way is to focus on a casino game you’re best at and don’t mind learning more about.
Not every casino game is suitable for every type of gambler. More importantly, not every casino game is a good choice if you want to be a professional player.
For example, if you love playing pokies and want to become a professional gambler, it’s not a very smart decision. You’ll almost certainly wind up losing all of your money in the long run.
On the other hand, games like roulette and blackjack are better choices, as they involve some decision-making.
This is in the sense that you’re making your own choices and holding your destiny in your own hands. Still, both of these games are heavily luck-based.
Lastly, poker is the absolute best game to focus on if you want to be a professional gambler. This is because poker involves a lot of skill, and you can almost guarantee a profitable career if you reach a certain level of knowledge and playing ability.
It’s also a very strategic game that includes a lot of mind-games. Thus, learning it takes a lifetime, and there’s always room for improvement.
No matter which game you pick to play as a professional gambler, make sure to master it as an amateur first. Better yet, practice it for free online or with your friends before putting any real money on the line.
If you’re just starting, it’s always best to focus on just one game and then expand your interests after you achieve professional success playing the first game.
8. Always Strive To Improve Your Bankroll Management Skills
The simple truth is that you can’t be a successful professional gambler if you don’t have an effective bankroll management strategy.
Good money management habits help you maximize your winning potential and ensure you get the most from every bet you place.
If your gambling career is a business, then your bankroll is your capital. You need to invest it wisely and get the most in return.
All of your winnings and losses directly impact and are impacted by your bankroll. This is why you need to keep your gambling bankroll separate from your other funds.
You also need to closely monitor how much money you’re putting in versus how much money you’re spending.
This is much simpler if you’re playing online casino games than if you’re playing in land-based casinos.
If you play in a brick-and-mortar venue, you also need to account for travel expenses, meals, accommodation, and other amenities.
As a professional gambler, spending all of your money is one of the worst things you can do, as you won’t have any resources to play with anymore. So, a responsible and well-thought-out bankroll management strategy is vital.
7. It’s Skill Over Luck Every Time
The word “luck” is often thrown around in the gambling world. The truth is that luck plays very little into a player’s overall success.
Every gambler, even an unskilled one, can get lucky one time and hit a big win.
But, this lucky player will most likely pay back this amount and then some to the casino if they continue playing. This is why skill always trumps luck for professional gamblers.
Winning over time requires taking advantage of different techniques and strategies that diminish the house edge and put you in a better position for the long term.
This can only be done through sheer knowledge and skill. Luck can come and go and is too unpredictable to base your gambling career on.
If you rely on your luck as a professional gambler, you’ll quickly find out that that’s not a profitable way to treat your career.
Even though luck will play a role in some of your wins, the vast majority of your results will be influenced by your skill, understanding of the game, and the decisions you make.
6. There’s No Place for Emotions
In line with the previous tip, an important skill you need to develop is to always make decisions with your brain and not your heart.
When you’re a pro gambler, all of your decisions must be based on logic and backed up by reason. There’s no room for emotions when making important bets and putting money on the line.
For example, this is an invaluable thing to remember if you want to be a professional poker player. Exhibiting your emotions is a weakness other pros will know how to take advantage of.
This popular card game is all about bluffing and strategic decisions. So, firm control of your emotions and a logical approach make all the difference in this and many other gambling games.
Closely tied with this is knowing how to avoid superstitions or only focusing on them to a small extent.
While even some widely popular professional gamblers are known for having lucky charms and quirky rituals, having these can often hurt you more than it can help.
Of course, there’s nothing wrong with having a lucky poker chip in your pocket if it helps give you an extra dose of confidence.
But, if you let your superstitions guide your decisions, you can easily find yourself on the wrong side of the professional gambling career.
5. Treat Gambling Like Your Business
When you’re casually playing casino games, you can enjoy the purity of the game without focusing too much on the other, serious, and more tedious aspects.
However, if you’re in the business of professional gambling, you have to devote great attention to them.
Often, dedication to their craft is what separates amateurs from pro gamblers.
Firstly, when treating gambling like your business, you need to create a business plan like you would with any other venture.
Understand why you’re engaging in this business. Do you want to use it as a means of supporting yourself or just as a reliable source of a second income?
This is crucial to know, as someone who’s gambling for a living will have a very different approach from someone who only plays for fun.
Additionally, create a “business plan” that will help you understand how much you’re willing to invest and how much you can afford to lose.
Having a good bankroll management strategy can help a lot during this step. The main goal is to create a sustainable business model without putting yourself at risk of going broke.
Lastly, every business, no matter how big or successful, always has room to grow more. You can apply this to your gambling profession.
No matter how well you’re doing or how much you know about the casino game you’re gambling on, you can always improve. There are constantly new things to learn that can help you propel your business to the next level.
4. Try to Keep Your Motivation
We’ve already kind of addressed this aspect through some tips above when explaining that being a pro gambler can take its toll.
The grind of playing the same games over and over almost on a daily basis can quickly get old, even if you absolutely love the particular game.
In such situations, it’s an absolute imperative to find a way to push through the monotony of the grind and sustain your motivation.
Staying motivated often makes the difference between a successful gambler and an unsuccessful one.
With that said, arguably the best way to stay motivated in the long run is to always try to improve different aspects of your game.
This will keep you focused and prevent you from slipping into bad habits and routines that could cause you to lose your motivation.
Plus, when you’re regularly improving your knowledge, you’re keeping the excitement going, and the game doesn’t lose its appeal even if you play it every day.
Keeping your motivation and always learning will greatly help you determine the best strategies and allow you to achieve more success in your pro gambling endeavors.
3. Success Doesn’t Come Overnight
There certainly are lucky winners who win millions of dollars on one of their first slot machine spins. But, if you want to be a successful gambler and gain a steady profit over time, you shouldn’t hope for this.
Be prepared to put a lot of time into the game before you see any significant results. Commitment is one of the key aspects that play a major role for anyone who wants to gamble for a living.
With that in mind, you can’t expect success to come in the first few days, weeks, or even months of your professional gambling career.
Moreover, you can’t expect any positive results if you’re betting half-heartedly and not putting all of your effort into your gambling career.
Hard work and time are two key elements you have to put in to see any results as a pro gambler.
Although this might sound like a glamorous profession that involves expensive travels and luxury hotels, it’s far from it in the beginning.
And, even if you reach this level at some point, being a pro gambler is a full-time job that requires commitment without excuses.
2. There’s Much More to Life Than Gambling
Let’s dive into the more philosophical part of our list of the top ten tips on how to be a professional gambler.
You should always separate your personal life from your professional gambling career. No matter how much you love blackjack, poker, or any other game, you should never let it take over your personal life.
Some gamblers who turn pros become obsessed with the game they’re playing. This can go to such an extent that they’re not pleased with their wins and get a feeling of complete disappointment and frustration every time they lose.
This can lead to great stress and severely affect their day-to-day lifestyle.
It’s crucial to lead a well-balanced life outside of your professional gambling career. Nurture your social relationships, maintain other hobbies and interests so that you don’t spend too much of every day gambling.
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle will not only keep your mind and body in good shape. It will also directly help you be a more successful professional gambler.
1. Make Sure That You Do It Because You Enjoy It
Lastly, we want to highlight the importance of one tip that will help you not only become a professional gambler but remain one.
Always remember why you started gambling professionally.
It is because you enjoyed the particular casino games so much that you wanted to play them for a living.
Of course, like in almost any other profession, you’ll see a lot of downs that will bring uncertainty to your career as a professional gambler.
But, more importantly, you’ll also see plenty of successes and wins that will remind you why you started gambling professionally.
To leave you off, we also want to mention that there’s no secret on how to be a professional gambler.
Each player’s story is different, so make sure you enjoy your unique ride. Many amateur gamblers dream of becoming pros one day. If you find yourself on this path, make sure to enjoy and relish the journey!
