The Advantage Player: Poker and BlackJack Vlogger

(Photo: Youtube.com)

We’ve seen a lot of new vlogs crop up on YouTube in the last few months, and we’re expecting to see a ton more come up in the next few. So far they cover a pretty wide variety of players and an even wider variety of topics, but Advantage Player’s new channel aims to go beyond just poker and into the world of card counting at the blackjack tables and – he promises – other forms of advantage play.

As far as credentials go, Advantage Player has been banned at a number of brick and mortar casinos for card counting, despite his tendency to do off most of his profits at the roulette table. He’s probably been kicked out of a few more for looking underage. So he looks like someone who will have an informed opinion on that world. Though what advantage he reckons he has at roulette is slightly unclear. Especially on an American wheel.

For the moment though – like a lot of these channels which are starting up – Advantage Player is taking a little time to find his groove, the sound is a bit shonky and the editing a little slack. But the content is entertaining and worth the price of admission (free) for the variety injected by the inclusion of blackjack.

He also tends to run long with his episodes, showing whole sessions at the poker table rather than just a few key hands. Which may be less of a criticism than it is of other channels. This sort of thing probably works for those whose interest is more professional and analytical. It combines the informative nature of the Twitch stream with the aesthetics of live poker. Plus he can pause and slow down to discuss trickier points.

He’s also pretty up front about the fact that the analysis won’t necessarily be the best, but that should just keep you on your toes. YouTube is a community, so chipping in with your take on a hand is encouraged just as it would be in a forum.

So far there’s just the one blackjack video, and it is tantalisingly short on information. I for one am looking forward to seeing more of how card counting works in practice, and in the future he’s also promised videos on other types of advantage play. One can only imagine how thrilling an episode on matched-betting would be.