Okay, there’s some very good reasons why professional gamblers tend to be professional blackjack players.

There are many great gambling games, and I like pretty much all of them, but some are better for making money consistently, and most of them reward luck much more than skill.

Online slots, for instance, can bring the biggest jackpots of all — we’re talking millions of dollars, and it happens nearly every week. So when I’m dreaming about the payout that keeps me from having to work another day in my life, it’s progressive online slots that I think of. But just like video poker, craps, and roulette, your only edge is whether Lady Luck is smiling upon you.

Some people will say that certain bets on craps and roulette are actually pretty good odds. And baccarat gives the player much more of an edge than many other card games. I won’t argue with any of those claims.

However, that doesn’t change the fact that a total beginner, or even a trained monkey, will be able to count on winning random games just as often as a guy who has played the same games for decades. That’s good news for the monkeys, but not so much for a guy like me who likes to think that he’s made some progress over time!

Now, poker can make you a lot of money if you’re good at it (and luck doesn’t hurt). However, you have to take it from other players, who may make it harder than you expected. Blackjack dealers never get any better or worse; they have to follow the house rules (the same way that a computer program does, which makes playing blackjack at an online casino USA even more realistic!).

Plus, you never have to get a blackjack game together; whenever you want to play, the dealer is waiting for you (well, if you’re an online player like me. Land-based casinos are obviously much less convenient and accommodating).

I have some of those same objections to sports betting (as far as serious gaming for money, anyway). On one hand, someone who knows the systems and the statistics will be able to do quite well. My best friend could quit his job and pay his bills through his sports betting successes.

On the other hand, he really does work for it. He studies sports and statistics and probabilities…and most people would find this “job” to be pretty demanding. If that’s your thing, I highly recommend it. And I appreciate that he gets better at it all the time. But it’s too much work for me. And ultimately, you’re still restricted to someone else’s schedule, even with the vastly increased convenience of the online sports betting environment.

Meanwhile, I can teach you everything you need to know about blackjack in a few days. You’ll have to do some studying and memorizing (trust me, knowing the right moves is well worth it), but you’ll immediately notice the difference. Every little edge that you get in blackjack lets you win a little ore often.

Ultimately, you’ll be able to beat the house nearly half the time. And with some reasonable money-management skills thrown in, the winning half will take you much farther than the losing half will set you back!