Comments on: So You Want My Job: Professional Gambler

By: Undisclosed

Undisclosed — Tue, 14 May 2013 20:40:39 +0000

Awesome article.

My father was a Professional Gambler- Passed away a 4 years ago.

You “tell it” like it is.

Thank you

By: Greg Elder

Greg Elder — Thu, 02 May 2013 16:38:05 +0000

Gambling as a profession continues to receive the societal stigmas of the past but is no longer filled with the outcasts of society. A true professional gambler is a disciplined mathematician who is in no way gambling at all, but using the laws of math and statistics through games to make money. In essence, taking the luck out of gambling and putting math on their side. The same as the casino does to the average gambler. I am by no means the most knowledgeable gambler to ever live, but I have learned that gambling is a viable profession. It is by no means easy, but it is indeed viable and practiced by many highly educated well-respected people.

By: John F.

John F. — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 18:49:49 +0000

Shane’s judgmental and condescending views disgust me about 200 % more than the idea of someone making a living off « gambling ».

By: CommonSensei

CommonSensei — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 06:36:11 +0000

A few things a more modern pro gambler can correct from the article:

“Sports you can’t control anything and it’s all down to luck”

- Couldn’t be more wrong, with cards and table games you are at the mercy of the house and the other players; in sports you have a plethora of historical statistics, as well as up to date real life information which makes gambling on sports practically 100% safe…

“Gambling inhibits relationship in life”

- Couldn’t be more wrong, I gamble every single day with out fail, make a very very good living (far better than I ever made in either commercial banking, or sales) and my family / girlfriend are totally supportive of the work I do, and to be honest know they wouldn’t have the lifestyle they do if I wasn’t doing it.

“Gambling is not moral”

- Where to start with this one? Nope it’s just too damn stupid a thing to sy for me to even try to combat with logic and reason.

A doctor may operate in a gamble to save a life – is this immoral?

A lottery ticket costing £1 may end up leading the winner to donate £500,000 to charity – is this immoral?

Buying a house or stocks and shares, hoping that their future value will increase not decline for the purposes of profit – is this immoral?

All those are gambles. Whoever said gambling is immoral clearly needs to relearn what gambling actually is, and what morals actually are.

Great article, the guy sounds a bit off pace though – these days cards and tables are the mug money games, sports gambling is far more an exact science!

By: LeeJay Dillon

LeeJay Dillon — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 02:53:15 +0000

Very good article, and very much in the vein of the other “So you want my job” articles. Reading the other articles doesn’t endorse or support someone going out and pursuing a job as a bartender or as a Forensic Psychologist, it just states that this is what Christatos Aristad does and how he got there, I found it very interesting and look forward to hearing more stories from Christatos in the future.

By: James

James — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 19:55:27 +0000

Keep in mind that you can be a professional in this and still have great relationships and the freedom not just financially. What Christatos Aristad did was that he was using other people’s money. So he is at the whims and handouts of other people. If he was using only his money, he call the shots and fully control his destiny and outcome. He is no different than some dude confined in the corporate world working for “the man.” Very one-sided view of things.

By: Mac

Mac — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 17:11:52 +0000

If you are staked in live casino situation then you sell your self for someone to put you in the game. Most kids these days take 50 bucks put it online and over 1-2 years of dedication and talent get millions. Some simply play get lucky at a big tournament “World Series of Poker” and get a million dollar a year contract for merely playing and advertising the fact that they won and so can you.

Most kids start online and can play anytime they want and hardly have to wait like in the old days of live poker. Where there was one table of unknown people or maybe some good regulars.

Online there are programs stats patterns that you cna get at your finger tips with only a click of a button. Some you have ot buy some you can pirate.

Bottom line what the guy speaks of is old time poker. Where the skill and edge factor was so huge, that anyone who wasn’t a moron could make money by understanding the cards.

Now poker has evolved online at least.People are educated and stakes are for grinders, the skill difference online is big. There is still a lot of good action live because all the young kids are online, while the tourists and such go to the casino to drop a few hundred. These players at live casinos are mostly recreational and have fun.

I think this post has some good info but some outdated info.

the internet has turbo charged poker.

Online p

By: Nathan John Johansen

Nathan John Johansen — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 14:19:59 +0000

How anyone could argue that paying your bills with earnings from engaging in a game with professionals is un-honorable is practically insane in my opinion. I say again, in my opinion, Gamblers are athletes like any other. Table or field. The stakes are high in professional sports. If Christatos forced people to play cards at gunpoint then I would agree, but as long as he’s playing with professionals (or anyone who willfully entered into a casino to play cards for money) then I say he’s doing just fine.

By: Christatos Aristad

Christatos Aristad — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 19:25:53 +0000

Shane, I thank you for your regard and honesty in your response. I appreciate anyone willing to be honest and abrupt with me at this point in my life. I think it would be best if I responded to your argument in e-mail, as it is beyond my provenance as gambling consultant to broach any deep philisophical concepts about morality and responsability here in my defense.

If people are really that interested in stories of my exploits, I’ll post a series in the forum perhaps about my great losses to give some proper perspective and some flavor to the story of my career. Some of them have been rather interesting.

And while this may seem rather ancient of me, who exactly is this liquor gentleman that I am supposed to be? I don’t really watch television.

By: Shane

Shane — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 22:27:14 +0000

I think Christatos Aristad = http://onthehouse.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/2007/04/24/dos_equis_print_1.jpg