The life of a professional gambler has an undeniable appeal. All play and no work may sound like a dream come true, but the truth is that if you are serious about generating any sort of reliable return from your gaming then a wholly business-like approach is the only way to go. Professional grinders don’t so much play as work, and they work long, long hours and put themselves through a heck of a lot of hard mental toil – that’s why they call them grinders. And the first part of their professionalism is the easily overlooked matter of building a bankroll.
Separate out your bankroll
A key failing that newbies make is to gamble with money they can’t afford to lose. That is never how the pros work. That, in fact, is where the whole idea of a bankroll comes from. From day one, then, what you should be doing is putting funds into a separate bankroll account. It has to be a standalone stack of cash that has no other purpose than funding your gaming – and it doesn’t matter if you are playing online at 32Red, grizzlygambling, or blackjackcanada.com, failing to carve out a separate bankroll is to fail before you have even begun.
Losing is part of the game
If you are intent on chiselling a profit from your card play you will need a cash fund that is sufficiently large not only to allow you to bet in the first place – that much is a given – you also need to be able to ride out a series of losses. Losing is an essential part of the game. On that basis it makes perfect sense to pick up the free bonuses available online. The offers available when you take up blackjack by 32Red, for example, can give your bankroll an immediate boost.
Ken Uston, one of the big beasts of the game of blackjack – a member of the Blackjack Hall of Fame and author of a number of influential blackjack guides – once went through several weeks in which he lost time after time. It was only because he had a big enough bankroll behind him that he was able to play through that trough and recoup the thousands he had lost before going on – finally – to generate a profit.
“PersonalCasino-Blackjack (2)” (CC BY 2.0) by Kwoman32
Bank long term
So the first lesson to digest is to think long term. If you are intent on building your bankroll then you simply have to treat it like a business. Building a bankroll is the very opposite of taking a gamble. It is more about a long term strategy than one-night big wins. The equally unromantic sting in the tale is that you shouldn’t play until you have built up a self-contained bankroll.
Set the limits
The easiest way to build your bankroll is to set a realistic target figure – say $1000 – and set aside a proportion of your income each week as you build towards it. Provided you can guarantee to be able to make that contribution you should be good to go as soon as you have reached the halfway point. There are some really neat budgeting tools around that will do the leg work for you. Even then, however, self-discipline is the key. You should limit yourself to playing within a pre-determined, non-negotiable limit – 10% of your overall bankroll is sensible.
“money i’ll never spend” (CC BY 2.0) by brian.ch
That way any losses you make can easily be accounted for. And, of course, any gains that you make you be ploughed straight back into your bankroll. It is all part of setting yourself up for the long term.
Learning the lessons one by one
The size of your bankroll should determine the level at which you bet. Initially you should be playing for the lowest bets you can find. Not only will this make the most of your bankroll (relative to each bet) it will also give you maximum game time. That way you can refine your strategy and improve your play. Diligent practice is as much a part of the picture as self-restraint. That’s where playing with the sign-up offers at sites such as 32Red can be so useful. Provided you observe the discipline of your bankroll you can play online cheaply and repeatedly whenever suits your schedule.
All serious gamblers keep very close tabs on their bankrolls. That cash is the life-blood of their careers. Without it they would be as vulnerable as any newbie to the random nature of the cards. And as any seasoned gambler will tell you, unprepared newbies never win.
eep very close tabs on their bankrolls. That cash is the life-blood of their careers. Without it they would be as vulnerable as any newbie to the random nature of the cards. And as any seasoned gambler will tell you, unprepared newbies never win.