The Blackjack Apprenticeship Podcast

Our latest podcast interview is an AP who goes by the name “Yoshi.” For those who don’t know his story, Yoshi is a card counter who turned $3,000 into $1.2 million in two years of full-time play. He has recently taken an indefinite break from AP, and in this interview we discuss:

– The road from beginner to pro

– What led to his decision to step away from advantage play.

– His perspective looking back at the last 2 years

– His advice for other card counters and APs

- Nathaniel’s story

- His advice for teaming up with another card counter

- The what and why behind their cover strategy

- Life lessons from his time as a card counter

While in Las Vegas for this year’s Blackjack Ball, I was able to interview Blackjack Hall of Famer, Don Johnson. For those who don’t know his story, you can read up on how he used Loss Rebates (and actually a lot more) to beat Atlantic City for $15 Million. In this podcast, we discuss:

– The unique background that laid the foundation for his massive advantage play

– The unique circumstances that led to his success

– What it was like when it all started coming to an end

– The parallels and differences with Phil Ivey’s Atlantic City AP play

– What it was like being inducted into the Blackjack Hall of Fame

Our most recent Podcast interview is with BJA Member, “Peacock.” Peacock has been a Member for several years now, is a multiple time Bootcamp attendee, and ran a two man team with another BJA Member.

One thing that makes Peacock’s story unique is that he fits in being a card counter around being President of a fairly large-sized company. But he enjoys the hustle of beating the casinos just as much as the next AP!

In this podcast we discuss:

- What would possess an executive to become a card counter

- What his training and testout process were like

- What the board of his company thinks of his “hobby”

- What motivates him now as an AP

BJA Pro “The Phoenix” spills the beans on the side bet that made him $300,000 in 10 months!

In this interview we discuss:

- What “The Phoenix” has been doing since reaching his financial goals

- What led up to discovering the side bet that netted him $300k

- How he nearly walked away from the game

- The unique approach he took to keep everyone in the casino happy (for a while)

- How card counters “create their own luck”

Give it a listen!

If you’ve spent any time on the BJA Forum, you likely know who JCnote is. He’s our Forum admin, a regular Bootcamp Pro and guest speaker, and he has been a professional AP for most of the last 6 years.

JCnote sat down with me to talk about:

- His journey into card counting and other forms of advantage play

- The differences between card counting and hole carding

- Highs and lows from his career

- His obsession with bad parking

- What being an AP has taught him about life (outside the casinos)

Enjoy the interview, then share your thoughts on the BJA Forum (JCnote just might reply)!

I recently sat down with BJA Member and successful card counter, “HitA7.”

HitA7 has become a friend over the past few years, and if you ever meet him (either one-on-one or at a Bootcamp), you’ll quickly learn that he’s not only a good card counter, he’s a really great guy. I’m sure you’re going to enjoy hearing his story…

In this interview we discuss:

- How he manages family life, a full-time job, and advantage play

- Working with a replenishable bankroll

- His creative cover strategy

- Dealing with having a losing year

- His carne asada recipe

In my most recent trip to Las Vegas, Bob Dancer was kind enough to sit down with me for a podcast interview.

For those who don’t know who Bob Dancer is, he’s a professional video poker player, author of “Million Dollar Video Poker” and several other books (primarily about video poker), and co-host of the amazing “Gambling With an Edge” podcast.

In this Podcast we discuss:

- The similarities and differences between card counting and professional video poker

- The bankroll requirements and variance to expect for professional video poker

- The current state of video poker

- The underlying motivation and thrill of beating casinos (for $$$)!

I was able to sit down recently with professional card counters, Spartan and levimich.

They have been members of the BJA community for a while, they proved their skills at a Bootcamp, and they have since become friends, even coming to help train others at our Blackjack Bootcamps.

In this Podcast we discuss:

- How each of them went from seeing a movie about card counting to becoming a full time card counter themselves.

- Their decision to team up, rather than keeping their bankrolls separate

- Their epic 8,000 mile blackjack road trip

- The value of networking

Listen below to find out what they have to share with the BJA community!

Until next time, keep generating EV!

Well, I had an opportunity to interview Ultimate to dive deeper into his story.

In this Podcast we discuss:

- How he went from home gambling nights with his friends to studying card counting

- How he fit his training around working a full-time job (and life)

- His trip to the US for a Blackjack Bootcamp, followed by a 300 hour card counting adventure!

- The highlights and lowlights of the US and its casinos

Until next time, keep generating EV!