How to Become a Professional Gambler: The Best Ways To Make Money Gambling

Who doesn’t want to make millions of dollars doing what they love? Turning a passion into a paycheck is the dream of every gambler, but it’s not an easy feat. Becoming a professional gambler is not as fancy as the movies illustrate it, and you need to know that the luxurious life is far from the everyday reality of professional gambling.

Before you jump into professional betting, you need to have proper groundwork. Otherwise, it’s a risky move. You’ve got to figure out what kind of gambler you want to be and learn how to manage your money. If you don’t know where to start, you’re at the right place.

HustleBet.co.uk created this comprehensive guide on how to become a pro at betting. We offer you some of the best tips and strategies to help you win and succeed in this exciting journey.

What Is a Professional Gambler?

A pro gambler is someone who makes a living from online gambling. Usually, professional gamblers have a go-to game, be it sports betting, poker, blackjack, etc.

These experts aren’t just about luck; they’ve got a mix of skills, knowledge, and experience that helps them win money.

If you want to make a living from betting and make this your full-time job, here are the different ways you can make your mark, including betting on sports, playing poker or horse racing.

How To Become a Professional Gambler?

Becoming a professional gambler and making a good profit from games of chance isn’t an overnight success. It takes dedication and hard work to achieve what professionals do, and if you are searching for a shortcut, we’ll disappoint you. 

Just like any career, it requires a good deal of experience, patience, and time to get to the point where you can earn money from it. Commitment and hard work are essential parts of this journey. And if you’re ready to take on this path, most of your effort should be focused on mastering these key practices:

✅ Set Realistic Expectations

One of the most important things you can do when deciding to turn pro is to be realistic about what to expect. Don’t think that when you’ve placed a couple of successful bets at an online betting sportsbook or online casino, you’ve got a hold of it. It’s not as easy as it looks, and you won’t become a good professional gambler overnight. It’s just not how things work. 

To become really good at it, we’re talking weeks, months or even years, depending on how determined and committed you are. But don’t be overwhelmed. Every gambler starts somewhere, right?

You’ve gotta pick up the skills, rack up some experience, and get really disciplined about your game to start seeing those consistent wins. But even then, it’s not a win-win every single time because, at the end of the day, it’s all about playing the best odds.

✅ Make It A Habit To Learn

Learning and studying different betting strategies is key, no matter how, where, or when you’re placing your bets.

Think about it. If you’re into sports betting, there’s always another game or race around the corner. If poker is your thing, then you need to study your opponents and learn how to calculate different odds.

If you’re still wondering why you should bother with all this studying, it’s very simple. The more you know, the smarter you play. Knowledge is your best bet for maximizing your chances of winning. 

Take horse racing, for instance. Knowing a trainer’s favourite track could give you an advantage. Or in football, spotting that one team that always seems to have an advantage over another team?

But the most important thing to learn and study is the odds. Because without a proper understanding of how odds work, you’re kind of shooting in the dark. If you’re just relying on guesswork, you can say goodbye to your pro bettor dreams.

✅ Understand the Different Types of Gambling

Jumping into the gambling world is a whole lot more than just picking a team or a horse and hoping for the best. If you even consider turning pro, then there are different types of bets to get your head around. You must learn about single bets, those lucky 15s, accumulators, and Trixie bets just to scratch the surface. At first, it won’t be easy to learn everything about those types of bets, but with time, everything will come to its place.

You can start by just picking one of these types of bets bookmakers offer. Dive deep into it and research everything possible until you know it inside and out, just like the pros do.

✅ Learn How to Control Your Emotions

Mastering the art of keeping your feelings out of the game is a big deal if you’re aiming to be a pro in the betting world. It’s all about letting logic lead the way, not your gut feelings. What that means is to go for the smart bet, not the one that just “feels right.”

Also, if you want to be successful, don’t count on superstitions. Sure, your lucky socks or pre-game rituals might give you a bit of comfort, but let’s be real—no gambler, not even the pros, hits the jackpot every time. What sets the pros apart is their skill for making more right calls than wrong ones. Hanging onto superstitions too tightly could mess with your game.

And when it comes to casino games, that’s where keeping a level head becomes super crucial. Imagine trying to bluff your way through a poker game with your emotions all over the place. Spoiler alert: it won’t end well.

So, the bottom line? Check your emotions at the door and focus on the task at hand. That’s how you play it like a pro.

✅ Learn How To Manage Your Bankroll

If you’re looking to become a pro bettor, learning bankroll management skills is not only good to have but an essential part of your journey.

You’ve probably heard those horror stories about punters who’ve blown through their cash gambling online, ending in a heap of debt. The problem is that these are not only stories but real-life examples.

Gambling can hook you fast, and without solid bankroll management skills, you’re setting yourself up for failure. Remember that responsible gambling is a practice that betting as a pro gambler requires. You don’t want the gaming industry to cause problems in other areas of your life.

Here’s a tip on how to manage your bankroll: always set a cap on how much you’re willing to spend in one gambling session. And throwing a ton of money down on a single bet? Big no-no. Even the big shots, the so-called whales, don’t just throw caution to the wind. They’re all about those calculated risks. If you venture into online casino gambling as a budding professional, you can’t win all the time.

Mastering the art of managing your dough means you won’t find yourself scraping the bottom of your bank account. Remember, for a pro gambler, cash isn’t just cash—it’s your toolkit, your bread and butter. Without it, you’re pretty much out of the game.

✅ Choose Your Games Carefully

As a professional gambler, you must learn how to choose your battles carefully. Not every game will be your game, your golden ticket, so always choose those games you are best at.

Start with the games you already have a skill for and genuinely enjoy. Having a natural understanding and passion for certain games is your cue to make them your main focus.

Every pro gambler knows how to narrow down their game selection, which helps them hone their gambling skills much more efficiently.

Say you’re all about sports betting; it might be smart to dive deep into sports like football or tennis. This approach not only sharpens your expertise but also keeps you in the loop on everything happening in those sports on a global scale. 

And if the online gambling landscape is more your style, picking a few games to master, like slots and video bingo, can be a game-changer. This way, you’re not just sticking to one option but giving yourself some variety to switch things up when you need a change of pace.

✅ Keep Track of Your Records

If you’re really going for the big leagues, just keeping track of your wins and losses won’t cut it. To really level up, you’ve got to know how to analyse your results to make informed decisions based on the data and analysis. 

Stepping up in the dynamic nature of online gambling and being a top-notch gambler isn’t just about luck; it’s about getting down to the nitty-gritty with some serious analysis. This means getting smart with selecting your bets, keeping an eagle eye on your betting activities, and doing a thorough review of your gambling history. Finding your edge in this game is all about understanding the finer details.

Starting with figuring out where you shine odds-wise could be a game-changer. Maybe you’ve got a knack for calling the long shots that bring in the big bucks, or perhaps you’re more about snagging those small, steady wins. Whatever your forte, zero in on the odds range that feels like home turf for you.

And don’t overlook the importance of timing, especially in sports betting. Have you ever noticed how your bets don’t usually work out right after an international break, for example? That’s the kind of change you need to be on the lookout for.

The Types Of Professional Bettors

All professional bettors are different. They all have their own set of skills, which they tailor to the different areas of the gambling industry. You have to determine the type of bettor you want to be. If you’re more skilled at casino games, it won’t do you much favour in the sports betting market.

Let’s break down the different forms of gambling:

✔️ Matched Bettor

The online gambling scene is bursting with gambling sites offering sign-up bonuses or welcome offers to new customers. 

Match bettors are the type of gamblers who make money from using these free bets or free spins. What’s great about this type of betting is that you don’t have to put any real money on the line at first. 

When you place wagers with these bonuses, you won’t get the stake back, but any profits you make are yours to keep, 100%. The catch with matched betting, though, is it’s not a forever thing. You can only sign up as a new customer once, after all.

If bookies catch on to your strategy, they might cut you off by limiting, restricting, or even limiting your access to those promotions.

✔️ Sports Trader 

The concept mirrors that of stock market traders, where bets can be placed in favour or against possible sports results.

In this scenario, you’re able to support your favoured sports bets or go against those you’re sceptical about by betting on them not happening. Exchanges offer the benefit of complementing your fixed odds bets from sportsbooks, allowing you to strategise across platforms for full coverage.

Professional bettors are always on the lookout for creating win-win situations, aiming for outcomes where loss is virtually out of the question.

By keeping a vigilant eye on the exchanges, you’re in a better position to decide the most suitable moments to place or withdraw a bet.

✔️ Arbitrage Bettor

This strategy involves spotting variations in odds across different bookmakers and placing bets on all possible outcomes to guarantee a profit.

To put it simply, consider a tennis match scenario. If one bookmaker is convinced player A will win, while another is betting on player B’s victory, their odds will reflect these differing opinions. When the difference in odds is significant, you can place bets on both players across the two bookmakers. This way, no matter who clinches the match, you end up with a profit.

✔️ Horse Bettor

Horse racing betting has been around for a very long time, becoming one of the most popular sports to bet on. Betting on horses is really all about the numbers.

Some of the richest bettors made their money by creating smart computer programs that looked at tons of data to figure out which horse was likely to win. But understanding handicapping is key, too, since most horse races are set up this way to even out the competition.

Now, with online betting and all these smart systems used by betting groups, anyone can see which horses are getting a lot of bets to win and which ones aren’t.

This gives pros two ways to make money: either go with what the big betting groups are doing or bet against the horses that are usually expected to win but often don’t, which happens quite a lot.

✔️ Poker Player

To put it simply, you’ve got to outdo the others.

It’s well-known and a popular way to try and win some cash, but because of its fame, it’s also super competitive.

The real challenge in being a professional poker player isn’t just being better than the others—that part can be straightforward. The real test is being so much better that you can still come out ahead even after the casino takes its cut from each hand, known as the ‘rake’. To really rake in profits from this game, you need a significant skill gap between you and your opponent.

✔️ Card Counter

Card games like blackjack really boil down to one skill: counting cards. As the game moves along, with each hand dealt and played, you’ve got to keep tabs on which cards are out on the table and which ones are still waiting in the deck.

You’re also tracking all the cards that have already been played and crunching numbers to figure out the odds of what’s coming next.

Card counting is a tough skill to master, and casinos have become experts at setting up the game, so it’s hard to make big money from it. In fact, they tend to welcome amateur card counters with open arms. They know that most folks won’t be skilled enough to win consistently and will end up losing money instead. Plus, if anyone does start winning big, the casinos can just show them the door, as this gives bettors a better chance of winning. Yes, they do actually ban players for gambling involving card counting, as it’s considered advantage play.

Pros And Cons: What Does It Take To Become A Professional Gambler

If you consider gambling professionally for a living, then be prepared that it comes with its own set of highs and lows, just like any other career. It’s worth weighing the good and the bad of casino gambling before diving into a career in professional gambling:

Professional Gambler Strategy

To carve out a successful career in professional gambling, it takes more than just luck. Commitment, self-control, and a well-thought-out strategy are key components. Here are the best tips designed to boost your winning potential:

☑️ Look At The Bigger Picture

It’s really smart not to just focus on the soccer match, horse race, or any sporting event you’re betting on at the moment. Keep your eyes peeled for what’s happening in other games, too.

Even if you’re not putting money down on another match right now, you might pick up a tip or spot a good opportunity for later.

This goes for casino games as well. Make it a point to absorb everything around you and listen to what others are saying. You never know when a piece of information might just turn into a golden opportunity.

☑️ Never Chase Losses

Here’s a golden rule for pros and amateurs alike: Never bet more than you can afford to lose.

Stick to your budget and betting limits. It’s crucial not to overdo it because that’s a straight path to financial trouble.

We get it; after a rough day, the urge to win back what you lost can be strong. But more often than not, trying to chase those losses just leads to bigger problems.

Take the loss, brush it off, and keep within your limits. It’s the safer way to go.

☑️ Treat It Like a Business

One of the top pieces of advice for gambling is to approach it as if it were a business. To really make it in the financial sense, you’ve got to keep detailed records and always be evaluating how you’re doing.

☑️ Find a Way To Motivate Yourself

If you want to be a professional gambler, you need a ton of dedication and the will to keep going. Keep your motivation high by always aiming to boost your knowledge and skills. Just as important, don’t let gambling consume your life. Stay relaxed and frequently remind yourself of the reasons you approached gambling in the first place.

Professional Online Gambling FAQ