Don Johnson’s Success Story in High-Roller Gambling
From the top of your head, can you name a single casino high roller? Usually, high rollers do not have any claims to fame, as winning lots of money at the casino is normally attributed to luck. Still, that doesn’t mean that these punters do not have important lessons to teach us.
That is why we’ve sat down to talk with Don Johnson, a seasoned casino veteran who has won considerable amounts playing both off and online. Don Johnson, a 54-year-old marketeer by trade, started playing at casinos in the 90s—and he still does it to this day, using his winnings as his sole income source.
But how does Don Johnson navigate the online casino era and how has he managed to win a combined sum upwards of 10 million playing at casinos? Let’s find out.
Maverick Gambler
Don Johnson first started playing at casinos just for, as he puts it, “the heck of it”. “It was the same thing with my degree”, he then adds. It is important to note that Johnson came from a wealthy family and that his future was pretty much guaranteed, which allowed him to approach gambling from a different perspective.
“People say not to chase losses, and while I agree, most of my big wins came from Martingale’s I should not have won”, Johnson claims. “This strategy is only possible because I know I can afford it. I do not advise people who care about their money to keep doubling down on losing bets.”
Winning Streaks
While bold Martingale bets made Johnson good amounts of money, most of his wins came from, as he puts it, “a combination of luck and perseverance.” As we’ve seen from the interview with Martin Dupont, most punters recognize the importance of luck in gambling, but they also know it takes more than just sheer luck to consistently win in online casinos.
“My biggest win ever was at online blackjack”, Johnson says. According to the high roller, he spent an entire afternoon playing the game and making increasingly riskier bets. “Although I know how to count cards, it usually doesn’t work when playing online. Instead, I played sensibly—which is easy to do when you understand blackjack at a deeper level—and used my winnings to double down on good hands.”
Lessons from a High-Roller
But using Don Johnson’s usual casino strategy of throwing money at the table until he wins is not advisable for most players, as there’s a high likelihood of the strategy bankrupting them. Instead, Don Johnson offers other, less risky, tips.
“First, you need to choose a good casino to play at. Since I play with large amounts of money, I try to stick to high-roller online casino websites rated by high-roller.vip. Platforms such as these quickly provide me with the best and worst features of each casino, allowing me to spend less time evaluating each betting site.”
“Secondly, I advise newer players to do the exact opposite of what I do. Do not throw your money randomly at the table—instead, bet a very small percentage of your total bankroll per round.” Johnson advises players to use bets as small as 1% of their total bankroll each round, regardless of the game.
But his third tip is perhaps the most eye-opening one: “In third place, and perhaps my most important tip: understand that casinos should not be seen as ‘get-rich quick’ websites. While some people are lucky enough to make large amounts of cash consistently at online casinos, the sad truth is that most punters lose more than they win—otherwise, casinos would’ve gone bankrupt a long time ago.”
Still, Don Johnson ends his advice with a hopeful note: “Obviously, it is not impossible to make lots of money playing online. However, you need two things: intelligence and, perhaps most importantly, luck. If you want to become a high roller, don’t let anyone tell you that you cannot. Just remember to approach gambling carefully.”
Controversies and Clashes
Most occasional casino players do not have problems with casinos. However, things change considerably when you play as frequently—and win as much—as Don Johnson. The punter is known for threatening—more than once—to take online casinos to court. The reason? Withdrawal limits.
“It’s a shame how most online casinos think they can just take your money whenever you make a deposit, and then refuse to pay out your entire winnings,” he claims. Johnson, more than once, won the maximum jackpot for a slot machine game and then saw himself unable to withdraw his full winnings.
“Terms and conditions are worthless if they are not compliant with local law. Luckily, a stern letter from my attorney was all it took for me to get my money. Nowadays, I try to avoid websites that limit my withdrawals. I tend to stick with high-roller websites, and advice everyone else to do the same—even if they don’t intend to make large bets.”