Going Pro (Poker)

[SoSpacey]

So we have some poker die-hards in this forum. Anyone consider themselves a pro? Meaning - anyone make the majority of their income playing poker?

What would it take for you to go pro? What type of situation would you have to be in?

Would you need to win a big tournament first?

Would you want to establish a hefty bankroll? How much?

I play a pretty good amount of poker and am consistently in the black. I started playing home games 6 years ago and have lost at only one in over a year (weekly). I am a cash game specialist which actually worries me a bit if I ever decided this is the route I want to go. I would need to become a better tournament player. I have lost 2x in ~30 sits in various casinos in AC/LV/NO.

I am married with newborn twins. I have a mortgage. I work in a business that is not a stable one, but make well above average money doing so. My wife on the other hand is an educator so we have a consistent salary, good hours, good benefits and a pension to sit on when she retires. I am 35.

This all came about with the current economy. "Gambling" is usually one industry unaffected by a bad economy. So when people asked me if I had a fall-back plan I basically tell them I will look for a new job, collect unemployment and go to AC to play poker.

I have a friend who is a professional poker player. He is single. If I was I would have made th jump already. He insists I have the skills to go pro. He plays 3x per week in AC at a 5/5NL game. He actually wants 3 of us to become partners.

My wife sort of supports me on this. Her comment was "As long as I can maintain my current lifestyle".

I am far from quitting my job and doing something crazy but if the situation turns here I may make the jump.

So am I crazy? What would it take for you or what should it take for someone, in general, to go pro?

[ElementZ]

I think there was a person who used to post on here that turned pro. Can't remember the name. Me, I can't see it happening. I am decent enough but just don't have the bankroll. Right now I only have about ~$300 in my FT acct. Usually once it gets built up, instead of moving up limits, I usually withdraw a few hundred.

Unless I win a big tournament (which I usually don't play), then my odds are slim to none.

[mgbfan]

Play poker. Make money. Keep a real job.

[SoSpacey]

Play poker. Make money. Keep a real job.

but i hate a real job :(

[atari2600]

just quit and go pro. let us know how it goes. you can do it.

[El Scorcho]

Personally I could never do it. I prefer having a little more out of life, even if it means sitting in a cubicle. At least I'm doing something productive and for the betterment of society (somewhat).

Besides, everyone in poker has downswings and I'm not sure if having my well-being dependent on upswings and downswings is really a good idea, especially since i'm an emotional tilt-monkey.

And if your'e going to become a live pro? Lol, enjoy hanging out with the degenerates of society with personality skills that match their shitty body odor for more than 2 hours at a time.

And if you're going to become a tournament pro, good luck. Lots of losing in between big scores.

[actyper]

If I was coming out of school now, I would definately give it a shot. Online though, playing live cash for a living sounds worse than a real job. You definately don't need to learn tournament poker though, cash is less variance. Tournament is only achieving the big score and for fame.

[Adrian_Monk]

I currently live in Vegas and play poker for a living. And yes that means making all of my income from poker (actually some from blackjack as well, but that's even more of a grind than poker). I've been grinding cash games as my main source of income. I don't think you need a huge bankroll to start doing that (as long as you can currently play at such games with a positive expectation), however if you are more interested in playing MTT's exclusively then I would recommend having at least 100 average buy-ins in your bankroll (so if your average buy-in to a multi is $500, then a $50,000 bankroll should be the minimum to sustain that bankroll) to account for the high variance of MTT's (This, of course, doesn't mean you can't make the occasional venture into MTTs of that size with a smaller bankroll). Let me know if I can provide you with any other insight about anything regarding your potential endeavor.

[atari2600]

just curious monk (or any other pro poker player): do you have a certain goal per day? like if you are up xxx amount, do you just quit? what happens on days when you just lose? do they other days make up for it? playing poker professionally sounds cool but its the only job where you can actually come home less with what you started with.

[Deftones]

not the only job. stock trader could be like that.

[Adrian_Monk]

just curious monk (or any other pro poker player): do you have a certain goal per day? like if you are up xxx amount, do you just quit? what happens on days when you just lose? do they other days make up for it? playing poker professionally sounds cool but its the only job where you can actually come home less with what you started with.

I don't go into any day with a particular goal in mind... I think that can be detrimental to your long term success. I never quit based on how much money I have in front of me. Usually there are certain players that I like to target, either because they are playing poorly or exploitably in some fashion. I will stay at a table as long as I feel like the game is worth my time. Of course you can't win every session, but I keep a log each day of my winnings/losses. I evaluate my play after each session, but not my results. Short-term results aren't necessarily indicative of good or bad play. I do evaluate my results over the long term to make sure I'm making money at a reasonable rate. If not I may have to put in more hours or even possibly re-evaluate my play and potentially tweak something in my game. The idea of coming home from work with less than what you started with certainly deters people from making the venture, but I find that the uncertainty keeps every day unique and exciting for me.