Post of scattered thoughts (long-ish) |
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Posted Wed Aug 02, 2006 1:06 am GMT by LeafsFan1122
So yeah, I've been thinking a lot about poker latley on a few different levels. One is more on a more personal note, the other is pretty general. I'm just looking for some feedback and opinions from people.
First off, I've been thinking about poker in my future. There's nothing more that I would like (professionally speaking) than to become semi-pro at poker in the not so far away future. Why semi pro? Because full time poker as a job takes up far too much time and can potentially develop into a dislike of the game as a result of playing too much. I'm not embarassed about wanting to achieve this goal, but I do know it is pretty unrealistic. Poker for me now is a hobby. Yes, I do many other extra curricular things such as sports and dramatic arts, so it is not "consuming my life" nor am I seriously "addicted". Though I do not have a job, and it is my only income, I do not only play for the money. The game is very enjoyable for me, both online and live. In a nutshell, I have a lot of time to mould myself into a good poker player, and I would like to begin taking the necessary steps to do so. I've read books, I track my stats, and read the THP forums everyday which can account for a lot of usefull insight. With wishfull thinking aside, I can see how practically anyone who starts playing poker can begin to have the same aspirations as I do, and as a matter of fact I think many people do. I mean why not? The professional poker players lifestyle is pretty attractive. Make your own hours, contend for big money on a daily basis, and best of all, continuously play a game that you love instead of sitting in an office and boring yourself to death with paper work. It's a lot like how when kids are young, they all want to be an athlete of sort sort, which brings me to my next question.
How can a player be defined as good? What does it take? Are players rated on the amount of money they have won? Are they rated on the amount of knowledge that they display publically to people? Are they rated on their disipline/determination to learn and play well?
Am I good? How will I ever know or find out? This has been bugging me for a while because I don't know where I stand in this huge poker world. Don't get me wrong, I'm completely reasonable - If there was a scale from 1-10, I would rate myself as a 3 or 4, but I'd like to know how other people determine who is good or not at the game of poker. Contrary to popular beleif outside the poker world, poker is as a matter of fact more skill than luck, so this leads me to beleive that one should be able to increase his skills in this game until a point of infinity. "It takes a minute to learn but a lifetime to master."
Yeah so, those are my scattered thoughts. I like writing long posts 8).
Did you know that participating in a poker forum can help you improve your own game? Be it by sharing experiences or simply asking for help, participation in a forum helps you focus and keep 'on topic' which will help you improve your game. You can learn from other players feedback and from their experiences. Why the THP poker forums? We offer one of the best managed texas holdem poker forums available, and the community within is far more friendly than those typicaly found on other sites. We've made a 'lurkers edition' of the poker forum available here on Holdem Poker Online, but we encourage all visitors to register and join in on the conversations on TexasHoldem-Poker.com
Posted Wed Aug 02, 2006 1:41 am GMT by MrDarling
I think you are trying to define to many points and generalize too much.
First , why can't you be a professional poker player? If we define professional someone who makes his living from poker , you can still keep the same life style you have and live from poker. You don't have to play every big tournament to make enough money from poker.
You also don't have to win big amounts in long tournaments. If you make a steady income of average $100 an hour , you're still ahead of most normal people and can live very well off it.
Second, does it matter how you define your self or how other define you? Again, as long as you manage to stick with your desired average income what does it even matter if you good? Say you're actually pretty bad but you still manage to make your desired income playing low limits.
So what, you'll never become a famous pro poker player. But is that your goal?
Sure, a lot of us dream about making a living from poker. But even in my wildest dreams , I don't dream to be one of the top professional - not because I think it is out of my reach, I simply do not like the life styel.
if I can make a decent income from playing online / live , that's all I'm after.
Posted Wed Aug 02, 2006 1:49 am GMT by mooseontheloose
Well said.
I think the problem is that Poker is different from other competitive outlets like say sports. In a sport you start low and move up based solely on skill. For example, to make the NHL you'd likely start playing minor hockey, move up to the higher levels, get drafted to a Junior team, get drafted to the NHL, play in the pro minor leagues, play in NHL, etc.
In Poker it is much different as there is really no stages to determine skill, instead you can make money at any point without being confined by skill requirements. If you can manage to make your desired income you've attained your 'professional' status just as an NHL, NBA, NFL player has.
I think this is what causes people to sometimes be unsure if they can 'make it' in terms of living off poker. In other areas such as sports where making a living is often a dream, a person has a very clear and realistic idea of whether it is attainable.
Now there is a BIG difference between being the guy that makes $50,000 a year playing Poker online and in small local tourneys compared to Gus Hansen. If you want to be Gus, you're basically asking to play in the NBA/NHL, etc. as one of the best in the world. So, if you want to be a 'Poker Pro' you will have to decide if you're able to make the income you desire at some point.
If you want to be a 'Poker Star', like all competitive dreams, you'd better start practicing.
Posted Wed Aug 02, 2006 7:24 am GMT by misterjokerboy
A lot of people just play because it's fun and they might make a few dollars along the way. I think those people who want to learn more and also recognise the fact that they can learn so much more than they already know are on their way to becoming a "good" player.
The fact that you analyse your game so much is also good and will help you acieve what you want out of the game.
I hope you achieve it, good luck
Posted Wed Aug 02, 2006 8:04 am GMT by shorn7
There was recently a great series of articles in CardPlayer magazine that went through the process of setting goals for your game and really thinking critically about how good you are, how good you want to be, and steps to get you there. I would encourage you to go onto the website and check them out (I can't remember who wrote them).
I would also say that making the transition from semi-pro player to actually earning your living off the game is a HUGE step. I have a friend who is playing for a living right now, and while he enjoys a lot of the perks of the lifestyle (no office, set your own hours, etc.), he has said that his "love" for the game has declined somewhat because now there is pressure to win to pay the bills. So, I would really do some serious thinking before you ever pull the plug on a good paying job to play poker for your income.
How do you know if you are a good player at your limits? Well, I would say that if you can beat your partiuclar game for an extended period of time (say at least two years or 200,000 hands), then for that level you are good. Doesn't mean you will be good at the next level as different skill sets are required as you move up. But, I think it takes at least that long to determine what your skill level is like at a given level.
Good luck with it.
Posted Wed Aug 02, 2006 10:13 am GMT by supafrey
stop thinking so much.
Posted Thu Aug 03, 2006 6:12 pm GMT by Johny
I don't really have anything to add. I will say this though. I also wanted to become a professional poker player. I eventually realised that there was pretty much no chance of that happening.
I say give it some time. Continue to play like you are and you'll eventually figure out if you have what it takes to turn pro.
Posted Thu Aug 03, 2006 6:19 pm GMT by weirdofreek
If you can support yourself and family comfortably then you are pro. If you can do this then you are good enough. Why rack your brain about how good you are? Continue to improve and your comfort level will go up in relation with you skills.
Posted Thu Aug 03, 2006 6:58 pm GMT by Skribbles
| LeafsFan1122 wrote: | .
How can a player be defined as good? |
As with anything in life, don't let people define you. Define yourself.
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