The Ultimate Answer to the Ultimate Question
(OK so first we need to define the question)
   
  Over the past several months, I have kept seeing the same search query again and again. Not that this is unexpected, it's also a question that has been asked of me repeatedly, over the years. Both in person and in email, people are always asking me. "Can you actually make a living at the gaming tables?"    
  The reoccurrence of this theme is what prompted me to write this article because, of course, the answer is not a simple one.    
  I could probably answer the question with a resounding "Yes!" and turn the questioner loose on an unsuspecting world (or to be more accurate, turn the world loose on an unsuspecting gambler), but to be fair and accurate I believe that the question needs more study.    
  Of course, you can make a living (and a very good one I might add) at the tables and gambling in general. The question relay is; "Will you enjoy yourself while doing this? "    
  It seems that the people who are most interested in making a living gambling, are mainly interested in the perceived lifestyle. They go on a gambling vacation, and think, "Wouldn't it be great if I could do this all the time?" But what there relay looking at is the excitement of the tables and the hours, the basically relaxed lifestyle of a vacation, not the work involved in becoming and staying a consistent winner.    
  You see, to become a winner and stay one, you have to adopt the same attitude as the house. You must play every hand to you own greatest advantage and you must never give anyone (including the house) an advantage. This means playing only those games that you absolutely know that you can cut the edge down to an acceptable level (I would say -1.5% or less) and only taking those bets which give you these odds. It means never giving in to a hunch or an emotion. It means always taking your losses philosophically and not letting anything upset your frame of mind. It means understanding that you will have good days and bad ones, and being able to walk away when things are obviously going badly for you. It means playing every hand of every game as perfectly as possible and it means always staying mentally alert. Which not only means staying sober and awake but also means that you will always be thinking and stratigizing    
 
In other words, it is a lot of hard boring work!
   
  You need to know everything about your game of choice that you possibly can. You need to know the mathematics of the game inside and out and you need to be able to apply them with precision, mentally and without ever letting anyone around you know that you're doing it.    
  I have proven that you can make a living in the casino and over the years I've learned that there are only four games, in the casino (not counting Sports Betting) that can be consistently be beaten.    
  The first is, of course, Blackjack. A competent card counter can invert the house odds to favor him by as much as 1.5% and if playing on a team as much as 3%. Counting cards is serious business. You have to be able to keep track of four different things at the same time, to be able to apply this knowledge while in play on the casino floor and to be able to disguise your play so that no one has any inkling that you're doing it (they still bar counters from play at virtually all the casinos in Nevada). If you are adept at mental gymnastics and roll playing this game is your best bet. To learn more pick up a copy of Million Dollar Blackjack by Ken Uston this is probably the best book on the subject ever written by the master of the game.    
  The next (and my personal favorite) is Poker. People are always asking me why I don't recommend Poker first, the reason is simple. Poker isn't a game of cards. It is a game of psychology and intimidation and therefore isn't something that can be easily learned, nor does it have any consistent rules of how to win as it varies with the composition of those sitting at the table. There are literally hundreds of books on Poker and I'd advise reading as many of them as you can, particularly anything by; Mike Cairo, Bobby Baldwin or Doyle Brunson then play the game as often as you can.    
  Next I suppose is Video Poker. If you watch your machine selection and play according to the best strategy this is a game that can be consistently beaten (with some wide swings).    
  After that, comes Craps. There is only one method of consistently beating the house at the craps table and the problem with it is that it is so boring that it will seriously try your soul to stick with it, what with all the action going on around you.    
  Of course there's always Sports Betting, if you have the mind of a statistician, the willingness to do unlimited and constant study and a heart of stone, there is no better way to win money gambling.