Op is counting 52 cards in a basement game, he's found his calling, until he encounters a shoe

It’s really hard to do in casinos too. They often use something like six decks and shuffle well before they’re through it.

It's absolutely possible to make good money counting cards. There's a great series by Steven Bridges on YouTube where he goes through the process of counting cards in action, in several different casinos in different states and countries, both alone and with team-play.

No it doesn't involve abnormal shifts in betting. Only idiots would move from $5 directly to $100 per hand. Average gamblers start small and get excited too.

If you do it slowly, starting at the minimum and getting "excited" when the deck is rich in tens, no one will notice or care. Play $5 to $50 and order a drink.

The average card counter is a young single dude in a baseball cap drinking a water. Wear a fun outfit, get a free drink, and talk to the dealer. No one will notice.

And yes, you can count a shoe. You just need to find a dealer that deals about 70% of the cards.

This group was pretty successful at it.

If you're actually good at it (he's not), they'll kick you out.

I never understood why this isn't allowed. Just seems like getting good at the game to me

This is known as "The Chandler" method.

I see people latch onto that detail. I find it plausible that some guys having a "poker night" might play other card games in addition to poker. Play a few hands of 5 card draw, some 7 card stud, maybe a round of blackjack or two.

Almost as if this was made up.

There's a sizable minority of male zoomers into gambling in some countries, tightly related to the proliferation of small casinos in working-class neighbourhoods through a historical period where typical socialization spaces have been getting dismantled. I met a guy whose friend group's main activity for socialization was going to gambling and his life was pretty much a mess, roughly around the same as the guy from the green text.

Why can't you put it on your resume:

Self employed, semi-pro poker player

Managed ledger of winnings, generated X% average profit margin, completed in X tournaments, kept up with competitive strategies, etc.

Would be a decent resume for a lot of jobs, like she's, some management roles, etc. Combined that with other expertise and it's a good measure of being a self learner and being motivated,

Usually yes, but some casinos do offer low deck shoes as a way to attract players.

It’s not impossible, a big shoe just makes it much more difficult. There are a not insignificant number of people who make a living gambling at casinos with varying degrees of success.

If you're using a random number of decks what's even the skill? You might as well go to a slot machine

Depends on the table. Lower stakes tables may use one deck.

My younger brother counts all 52 cards without effort when playing Bridge, he's an ace at mental math, has zero facial expressions.

Could have gone pro as a poker player, said "you spend your whole life actively seeking out drunks and malcontents".

Ended up an IP lawyer, I guess the pay is more regular.