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Card Counting Bankroll – How It Works

Rachel Elam | February 8, 2021 | Updated on: May 18th, 2021

Blackjack card counting requires great skill. After all, it’s an advantageous gaming method that can provide an edge over the house.

Therefore, most blackjack gamblers think that counting cards are all about skill. They believe that if they’re good, they’ll make more profits no matter what.

This belief is true. However, one also needs a big bankroll to guarantee profits. The following guide covers why you need large money to make it as a counter. It also discusses how to regulate the right amount of funds for when you count cards.

casino bankroll

Most Card Counters Don’t Start with Enough Money

The regular card counter doesn’t make it very far. They flame out due to one or more reasons.

Here are common reasons for why most card counters fail:

  • Not being skilled enough
  • Not able to keep up with the game dealer’s speed when counting
  • Getting distracted by the casino environment easily
  • Not knowing when to increase and to lower bets

All of these are vital problems that can derail a card counter before they get started. But as you’ll notice, that the bankroll management isn’t listed among the above reasons.

Volatility – Crushing Card Counters Since the 1960s

People have been positively and unsuccessfully counting cards since the year 1961. This is the year when Edward Thorp dropped his well-known book Beat the Dealer, which taught many gamblers how to count cards.

Of course, most early APs didn’t make it far. They may have picked up on Thorp’s counting advice, but they didn’t know that much about volatility.

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