Internet Advantage Play:

Article archive
BJ Tournaments with Elimination Hands: Update
BJ Tournaments with Elimination Hands: Update 1
BJ Tournaments with Elimination Hands: Update 2
BJ Tournaments with Elimination Hands: Update 3
Blackjack
Poker
Video Poker - Part 1
Video Poker - Part 2
Video Poker - Part 3

This series of articles is intended to show you some of the techniques I use to make a profit at various casino games on the Internet. The vast majority are games of skill, which means you probably will not be able to duplicate my results, unless you acquire the skills I've developed over the years. On a more positive note, you'll quickly see that none of this is quantum physics, so the skills can indeed be learned; often by reading other articles you'll find right here or by utilizing the resources I'll mention in the various articles.

Over the past few years, I've earned a profit at Blackjack, Video Poker, "table" Poker (primarily No-Limit Hold'em Poker tournaments) and, most recently, Backgammon. As I often say regarding my Secrets column, I reveal my "secrets" only when I've found a new one that works better. That's not necessarily the case here: I still play many of the games I'll describe, but have no fear that my writing about them will "kill" the games, mainly because the vast majority who read this will not be willing to put in the time and effort needed to truly learn the game. Maybe two or three others will become my "competition", but all of the games I'll describe can survive if that's the case. Even if I'm wrong about that, it's not really a great loss for me. I do not spend 100% of my time making $$$ at Internet advantage play; my time is divided between this site - from which I earn a modest income - "live" casino play and online Poker, a game that welcomes newcomers and will only enhance my results, should a bunch of you take it up. No, I'm not trying to "sucker" you into the games I'll describe here, but if you do decide to play them and bump into me, just remember I play to win, period.

You may be wondering if one can make a decent living at Internet advantage play and my answer is a resounding "Yes!" From a $$$ point of view, I do very nicely by playing these various games 10-20 hours per week, so someone who learns the needed skills and puts in 40 or 50 hours a week can do quite well. The vast majority of that time would have to be spent playing Poker, but the other games I'll describe offer a nice break, something that has worked well for me. I get bored fairly quickly at many of these games, primarily because I play like a machine. I don't use hunches or guesses (most of the time, anyway), nor do I rely upon "luck" to win - I play a highly-disciplined game, whatever the game may be and utilize very sound, mathematically-proven money management techniques to make all this work.

You cannot "gamble" and expect to emerge as a winner in the long run. Thus, you won't see anything here about Roulette, Craps, Slot Machines or most other casino games, unless there's some way to get a definable edge in them; such as a bonus or other special situation. I simply do not play a game if I don't have an edge. That said, you'll see later on that one of the games I play is just above the break-even point, but I can live with it because a rare, yet inevitable payoff the game offers makes it worthwhile. (Yep, Video Poker.)

A big question you might have is, how much money will it take to make this work? The answer is, it varies. Were you to play all of the games I describe, at the same level at which I play them ($1/$2 No-Limit Hold'em with a maximum $200 buy-in or $1 Video Poker, for example), you'll need something over $10,000. You would not believe how many emails I get each week where someone is trying to turn $200- $1000 into a fortune by playing Blackjack or some other beatable game. It's just not going to happen, folks unless you get very, very lucky. Can someone start with, say, $2000 and build it up? Sure. I did it; in fact, I started with less than that and taught myself Hold'em Poker, at which I got proficient enough to gradually increase my bankroll to a point where I regularly play tournaments with $100+ entry fees.

The other side of the question, is, of course, how much can I earn? Again, it varies - primarily by the "mix" of games you play. For example, "cash" Poker games offer the most consistent income, whereas the nature of Video Poker is such that you'll probably lose 75 or 80% or your playing sessions, so the $$$ go out on a consistent basis, yet come back with a bang. But once again, I like the diversification available to me, so I'm okay with feeding the VP machines, because I know in the long run, I'll hit some big hands and the $$$ will come pouring in. Were you to skip the VP portion of what I do, then a bankroll like $6000 could easily see you earning $3000 or more per month, which is a 600% yearly profit. And honestly, that's conservative - it's really all a matter of how skillful you become. Single-table Poker tournaments ("Sit & Go" tournies) alone can produce an income of $1000 per week off a bankroll of $3000 or so, if (A) you become good enough to beat your opponents and (B) you play enough of them. But I'm getting ahead of myself here.