Professional gambling without scalping and middling is very difficult.
Sure, if you are selective you can make SOME money, but not really enough to really to make it worth your while.
If you are smart enough to beat the game straight up, you are smart enough to do something better
(doctor, lawyer..whatever)
And if your bankroll is big enough to be selective, it would be better just to put the money in the stock market and make 200-300K a year, without even lifting a finger.
My "prime years" were betting into
Pinny's opening numbers and buying back at
Matchbook with their 2 cent lines. All the lines had to move like 3-5 cents and it was already profitable.
Didnt take a genius to make good money in those days.
Today is a different matter...