by “sdeeds”
For those of you who have never met me, I go by “sdeeds” and I’ve been a member of Blackjack Apprenticeship since 2014. Some of you may have met me at various Bootcamps, where I may have helped train you, or maybe I was just there helping with hospitality. Some of you may have ran into me in the field, at the tables, or maybe you’ve just seen my name mentioned in the forum.. but either way, I think I have a very unique story with blackjack and I think that there is Expected Value and some Unexpected Value in what blackjack has been in my life over the last 3 years.
For me, my college years were spent trying to find finances in an economy that wasn’t quite prepared for what I had to offer. I was a graphic designer on my way to becoming a member of the class of technical people who would soon be highly sought – Web Developers. When I first started, myspace was dying, facebook was something I had to have a college email to have access to, and websites were pretty much one-page deals with crappy graphics. “Mobile Support” wasn’t in anyone’s vocabulary. It was a time when mom-and-pop shops started to hear their nieces and nephews give their sage hip-with-it wisdom: “Your Business Needs A Website”.
If it weren’t for those nieces and nephews who saw the future like I did, I might be in a completely different place in my life; but to digress a bit… I soon ran a web business from my parents attic, moved to the big city, and hired a team of people to perform web and branding services for probably 200 clients, doing hard work that I absolutely loved!
Or did I?
Did I really love web development? Was it really fun talking to all these clients – some of whom never appreciate that you pour your heart into their ideas? Was I really being fulfilled?
I had been swept up in necessity, in making myself, in growing up, that I had inadvertently become the owner of a business, in a long-term relationship with someone I lived with, and honestly? An extremely bored 23 year old.
I had too much money. I was young, making stupid money… $12k a month money. More money than any 23 year old should make. See, when you come from a poor family, financial wisdom isn’t innate. But, I was pretty good with my money. Savings, investments, other savings, life insurance policies, more savings, gotta have the mattress savings…I cared about money.
Until I got bored…. Bartender… what’s your most expensive scotch?
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As my “blackjack story” goes… Here’s what I tell people: “I started with $400, and grew it to $50,000, and now I’m playing with $100,000 betting 2x$500”, and it’s basically true.
In this tale, we are going to learn how I went from being a business owner, to a professional blackjack player, to living a lifestyle I truly enjoy.
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I first played Blackjack when I was with my friend and business partner, who we will call Marty. It was my birthday, I was 23, and I had never been to a casino. Marty got me there by feeding me fist fulls of intrigue and smelling salts of prosperity. “Let’s go, bring $100 and if I can’t double it, I’ll pay you back”. Deal. Only now, in this reflection, do I see that this was the best EV decision I’ve ever made.
Marty lost my money. The air smelled like my grandpa – cheap whiskey, and stale cigarettes. The lighting was weird, I felt weird… thought of my Christian mother and what she might think. It only took a few minutes for Marty to lose my $100, and he was at the ATM just as quickly. He pulled out $200 of his own dollars, gave me my $100, and played his own at the table again. I stood behind watching.
Marty told me there was a strategy, and with a nod the dealer agreed. Marty lost most his money, bought me a drink, and we went home to our live-in girlfriends wreaking of sticky filth.
So, I had my taste. I started going to a local casino, pulling a hundred out each trip, and playing the only game I was taught. I started bringing home more than I started with, and I began to see patterns in the game, the flow, the energy of the cards. Started saving my winnings in an envelope under my socks. I had collected $600 over a few months and was lovingly referring to myself as ‘HOT SHIT’.
One night after a particularly shitty day at my office, I lost all $600 – and an extra $200 I vengefully pulled from the ATM. I went home with hands grasping at the insides of my pockets afraid my girlfriend might ask how I did that night.
Next day at the office, the windows were foggy and I remember my fingers hurting from the cold. It was November. I googled “how to beat blackjack”. Blackjack Apprenticeship … $29/month (at that time). Cool, let’s see what’s up.
Tune in Next Week for What Happened Next!
Share your thoughts on the members’ forum…
The post Story of the Week: How I went from betting 2×500 to 0x0 in 12 months (Part 1) appeared first on Blackjack Apprenticeship.