Posted Sat Jan 31, 2004 2:27 am GMT by thepheonix
I am thinking of playing pro, but I am unsure of what is to come. Is there advice from any current/former professional players. I plan to play 10/20 limit. I think 2 big bets an hour is reasonable goal and that would put me at a $40 an hour salary. This is only theory based on past experience at lower limits. Does anyone want to speak about going pro?
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Posted Mon Feb 02, 2004 8:23 pm GMT by mindgame
Yep.
Don't quit your day job.
Posted Mon Feb 02, 2004 8:53 pm GMT by racquet000
| mindgame wrote: | Yep.
Don't quit your day job. |
I want to go pro too. But i have yet to quick my day job.....If ever....lol So basicly what he said its not going to be an easy go and the swings are going to be big and you need to be able to handle them, Along with the pressure of workign for your check , Not on a you know what your going to leave with when your done income.
Posted Mon Feb 02, 2004 9:06 pm GMT by highscty
Playing poker proffesionally is VERY difficult. Even if I was good enough I definitely wouldn't. I would highly reccomend continuing to play it as a hobby until you have definite proof ( thousands of hours) that you are consistent enough to make a living. Even then consider alternatives 
Posted Tue Feb 03, 2004 10:49 am GMT by mindgame
That “don’t quit your day job” line is usually regarded as sarcastic assessment of someone’s ability, and I thought I should clarify it. I meant it literally. I share your aspirations and it’s been my approach. I figure that, really, I won’t quit my day job. Not until my poker income hourly rate has consistently topped my salary for a minimum of 9 months and I’ve built up my bankroll to about 18 months’ after-tax income. (Let’s see…I’ve got about 4 grand now after 5 months…I should be at 100 grand by ….hmmm….April, 2014. What was I even thinking becoming a damn brain surgeon!) If I can’t do both of those things I can’t possibly consider myself anything but an amateur, even if I’m a good one.
No less a poker luminary than Lou Krieger has written that there are less than 200 or 300 true pros in the country. The rest are, in his assessment, wannabees. I’m not sure what he considers a pro. You might say the only pro baseball players are major leaguers, right? But I say if a guy makes a good income playing baseball, he’s a pro.
However…It was Bunson, I think, that talked about the little things. Try getting a car loan or a mortgage if you list your income as “professional poker player.” He said everything changed when he could write down “World Champion poker player.” Are you that good? I’m not.
At any rate I strongly suggest that you take a sobering look at Frank Wallace’s book. You might as well get some first hand info from someone who lives and works in the world you aspire to join—and it’s ruthless, manipulative, and frequently ugly. Wallace will flat tell you it’s your job to take unsentimental advantage of the weak, to exploit them, and to bleed them almost, but not quite, dry.
One of his favorite adages is “You can shear a lamb as often as you like…But you can only skin him once.” At the end of the book he asks you to take a hard look at the big picture. Good poker players must, ultimately, survive by finding, cultivating, and sucking the money out of poor players. He asks you…do you really want to spend the rest of your life hanging out with losers?
Think about that.
Posted Tue Feb 03, 2004 11:03 am GMT by racquet000
This is the way i feel. If you can build up a nice bankroll to start, Maybe 10k. If your good or atelast think your good, There are plenty of tournies that you can enter for $500 and come out way ahead, for instance i think the commerce has one and they average about 100 entries. So an average of 20-23k to first place, If you can consistantly end in the top money spots then you can quit your day job, Once you start making a strong steady income, and you know when to back of and take a couple days break and controll all aspects then your a pro. I think if you can average 50-60k in regular tournies not the big ones then quit your day job......
Overall idea. I think if you can master tournies your more towards quiting your day job then trying to play the tables. IMO
aaron,
Posted Tue Feb 03, 2004 11:33 am GMT by Dave B
Something to keep in mind....for every dollar you make at a decend, non entry level job, your employer pays $.30 to $.40 toward your benefits. So if you are making $50K, your employer is paying $65K to keep you on.
Playing poker for cash you get zero benefits plus unless you are solely online, traveling from tourney to tourney staying in hotels and eating on the road gets expensive.
I would think to be comfortable as a professional gambler, and to withstand swings in bankroll, you would need to earn $100-$150K/year. That is $50-$75 per hour @ 40 hours pre week. And at those levels, you could own a $15K car and a $200K home-you certainly wouldnt be rich.
Posted Tue Feb 03, 2004 4:47 pm GMT by jwrussell
Agree with Dave B and some of the others here. To be a true poker pro you need to be raking in some serious cash due to your efforts and that's if you live in Vegas or somewhere else with 24hr gambling to work at. If you are talking traveling the tournament circuit you need to be REALLY raking it in. Lots of expenses that won't come right to mind, like insurance that Dave noted. Insurance is not cheap and would take a serious chunck of your cash.
I know I'm not good enough, but even if I though I was, the thought of playing poker for a living with nothing behind me would scare the &$$* out of me.
That being said, if you go for it....GOOD LUCK!
Posted Wed Feb 04, 2004 8:07 pm GMT by lifer25
Go for it man! If it doesn't work out, then reasses the situation
Posted Sat Feb 07, 2004 5:59 pm GMT by sickity
I looked into it a bit and if you are deciding to go pro one thing I read was you should save up enough money to have at least 6 months living expenses plus whatever you plan to bet...This way if it isn't working out after 3-4 months then you can start looking for a job while you still have money to live, rent, food, etc...LAter
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