Online gambling is a vast market and is edging closer to $60 billion. This market is predicted to increase by a third in the next year or two. Online gambling consists of sports betting, poker, blackjack, casino games etc. To the astonishment of many, around 75% of Canadians partake in gambling. Canada has produced some exceptional talented blackjack places over the years.
However, people tend to only focus on the professional poker players Canada has served over the years, like world-famous Daniel Negreanu, Jonathan Duhamel, and Kristin Bicknell.
It would lead people to think that blackjack isn’t that popular, but that’s not the case. Being popular in the blackjack world is the easiest way to get flagged by casinos. All the casinos worldwide are against card counters, and once you show up on their radar, you can rest assured that you won’t be entering their establishments again.
The blackjack player we mention in the article achieved fame but needed to change careers after mastering the art of blackjack because of becoming too well known.
The Uniqueness of Monica Reeves
We stuck Monica Reeves from Canada, who has an extraordinary story about the blackjack game. You should note that she didn’t approach the game by counting cards; instead, she went a different route that made her stories unique.
Monica Reeves
Monica Reeves was born in Oakville, Ontario, in 1972. She first experienced a knack for blackjack during family while growing up. Throughout her schooling years, she always excelled with excellent marks. The dream for Monica Reeves is to become a dental hygienist.
Starting with Poker
After getting her dental hygienist license, life took her on a different trajectory because of her natural beauty. She modelled for 2-3 years when she got the urge to try out poker as a hobby.
Later on, she knew she was good and enlisted the help of a professional trainer named Jim Worth. After a year of diligent training, she joined the APT Aruba Poker Classic in 2005, where she finished 114th out of a pool of 644 players. She made a $300 profit in this tournament, which got her appetite wet.
The Ultimate Blackjack Tour
During the next couple of years, she played in various poker tournaments raking in some cash. In 2006 she learned about ‘The Ultimate Blackjack Tour’, a television series. She decided to enter, and the producers fell in love with her backstory and signed her immediately. Reeves was the winner of the tournament’s winner first ‘Ultimate Blackjack Tour Tournament of Champions. In this highly-rated tournament, she finished seventh in the championship event.
Unfortunately, the next UBT tournament would be its last, and Reeves was able to finish 3rd in the 5th round of that tournament series. The cancelling of the tournament was a sign for Reeves to call quits on her career in blackjack. She then returned to poker tournaments for the next couple of years. As recently as 2021, she was seen playing online poker on Pokerstars under the handle name ‘Muckersilly.’ If you are interested in playing some hands of poker or some live blackjack in Canada, chances are you might play against Monica Reeves.
Conclusion
Gambling is undoubtedly a good pastime if you have a few hours to spare. It can also enhance your experience when you bet on your favourite sports. However, some people can make a living like professional blackjack players like Monica Reeves.
She didn’t start off trying to be a blackjack player; instead, she took a journey that involved dentistry, modelling and poker tournaments. She is a testament to what can be achieved through playing blackjack. We hope this article serves as an inspiration to all potential blackjack players contemplating joining the professional business of blackjack.