- “When people ask what I do, I usually say I’m into short term investments. Usually after I say that, no one wants to hear any more. It’s kind of a conversation killer. If people ask at a blackjack table, I usually say I’m in the porn industry. It explains why I have money, and why I have a mustache.”
- Since card counting is not illegal, casinos use a practice known as “backing off” to deter advantaged players. Once an advantaged player is spotted, they are often encouraged to move on to another game, or to even leave the casino. Being backed off is a badge of honor for the amateur card counter, as this means you have succeeded to the extent that you became a detriment to the casino. If a backed off player doesn’t move on, or continues to try to play blackjack, things can get much more serious.
- “I started with this”, holding up two black $100 chips, “Now I’ve got this”, holding out a palm overflowing with chips of every color, including half a dozen black chips. “I’m up $800, and it’s only been half an hour.” Then he turns to get back to work. After all, there is a lot of time left in the day, and a lot more money to be made.
It was funny to me that the AP felt that maintaining a web design business was too risky, but the possibility of losing all your gambling winnings in one hand was not. I listened to the audiobook that the movie "21" was based on. It was called "Bringing Down the House." It was about the MIT students who became card counters and made millions. The movie is mentioned in the article. It sounds like a glamorous life superficially, but listening to that book really gave a different picture. As the AP points out, it's a seedy, unstable life, moving from city to city, hoping not to get caught. It's not illegal, but the casinos ban you for the practice. The book depicted the boys literally running from bouncers in the casinos. It doesn't sound fun or glamorous. If music really is his passion, it would seem like there would be other ways to finance that. I have a question about the publication medium.com since I see it linked here so much. Is it a blog type platform?
In fairness, I don't think he was ever gambling with his entire bankroll. It would have been interesting to hear more about why the web design business didn't work out. This article did get me interested in "21". Maybe I should look into "Bringing Down the House" first, though. It definitely doesn't sound like a particularly glamorous life, but it does seem interesting in its own way. It doesn't sound like the AP in the article is entirely tired of the hustle and grind. I expect there are still certain thrills to it, even if there isn't much glamour. Yeah, medium calls itself a "social journalism" platform. Essentially anyone can post articles and share them. You can follow authors you like etc. A bit like what NewsVine tried (and failed) to be. To be honest there's a lot of noise, and I don't really have the patience for it, so I only visit it when I'm linked to it by someone.