poor starving students

[housenuts]

i want to hear some success stories about people who haven't started with much of a bankroll and are now playing in relatively high games. i figure most of the people playing in the higher games are there because they can afford it from other sources of income.

i want to hear stories about those who have only built up their bankroll through winnings and continued to succeed. i'm a starving student with little additional income. i have a small bankroll online right now and want to know how viable it is that i could one day emerge into much larger games.

we will assume skill would progress at an average rate.

[D.H.]

Not sure what you mean by "much larger games". I started with $100 at 0.5/1 6 months ago and I now play 3/6 and I know lots of other people who have done this. Multi-tabling 3/6 will give you a nice extra income.

If you just read this forum often and try to learn I'm sure you can do it too.

<font color="red">© </font><font color="blue">D.H.</font>

[adamstewart]

Aye, I started with $100 in February. I now have enough of a bankroll to play $5/$10, but am going to stick with 4-tabling $2/$4 for the time being.

And, I'm a student. /images/graemlins/smile.gif I don't know how probable this is, but I'd like to make ~$1000/month this year to help lighten my financial burden.

Good Luck!

[pokerjo22]

If your skill progresses at an average rate, you will unfortunately go bust before becoming a winning player.

[Smasharoo]

If your skill progresses at an average rate, you will unfortunately go bust before becoming a winning player.


Or if you're just unlucky.

Play the limit you can with the bankroll you have. If that's 1cent/2cent, so be it. Build up a bankroll before moving up.

[3rdEye]

In the past 7 months or so, I've turned a $50 PokerStars deposit into a net profit of roughly $2,000 (granted, $700 of that came from one "big" MTT victory earlier this year). About half of that was earned at limit poker--starting at 0.25/0.50, and then gradually moving up to 1/2, playing usually anywhere from 10 to 15 hours a week, usually 2 tables at a time. If I were playing 40 hrs./week and multi-tabling, I'm confident that I could be rapidly building up my bankroll (I was honestly hoping to be playing 2/4 or 3/6 by now). Unfortunately, I've had to dip into my roll for financial reasons as of late (it's tough being an unpaid intern), so I'm back to .25/.50 trying to build it up in the hopes of getting back to 1/2 again soon.

I know this post isn't exactly what you were looking for, but my limited, mediocre experience gives me little doubt that there are several "poor, starving students" who have, through diligent and disciplined behavior, turned very small bankrolls into amounts capable of providing a significant amount of income at relatively high limit poker.

[CostaRicaBill]

It's definately doable. I started with $200 playing 1/2 and now have a bankroll of about $6500 and multitable 3/6 and sometimes 5/10. This is very helpful considering I make next to nothing at my job/internship (damn third world salaries).

Start at the micro-limits and don't get angry or go on tilt when you get drawn out on, it's going to happen to you all the time. When you have a bankroll built up, it shouldn't even phase you. Also, don't worry if you have a losing session, no one wins all the time, and if you are a solid player you will come out ahead in the long run.

[sillyarms]

I started with $15 two years ago and now have been making my living online for the past year playing 2-4.

silly

[Vannek]

I started with $3 at paradise and build it to serveral million dollars.I'm currently planning to purchase ibm with the winnings of my multable at party 15/30.

[LA_Price]

I started with $300 and played .5/1 limit holdem. i eventually moved up to 3/6 and then decided to branch off into NL Hold'em as well as Pot limit Omaha. I now play mostly the 100 Pl Omaha, NL holdem games, as well as 5/10 limit Holdem. All of my banroll consists of money i've won after the original $500. I actually prefer pl and nl because you can achieve a higher earn on a smaller bankroll. A good player 4 tabling the 50 NL(.5/1 blinds) games can earn much more than a player playing 1/2 or 2/4 limit and have a smaller variance as well. My advice is to read lots of books, post hands you have trouble with, and play at your own comfort level. It's definetely possible if you have ability to think logically and put in the effort it takes to become a good player.

[housenuts]

thanks for the replies. is there a good site on bankroll management?

i've read ITH by Matthew Hilger. I think his bankroll management numbers are a little high. but what do i know?

he's got a $500 bankroll for .50/1.00. And to move up to 1/2 it's $800. I currently have about a $150 bankroll and play 2 or 3 tables at .50/1. Sometimes I play at 1/2. I'm looking for other opinions on bankroll management.

Also any stories from anyone who plays primarily SNGs or tourneys? I tend to prefer this type of play.

thanks

[Claytus]

First post here

Anyway I started with $50 about 2 months ago playing .50/1 and have built my bankroll up to $350. I play about 15 hours a week so I think its definetly possible to accomplish.

[mrjetguy]

[ QUOTE ]

i've read ITH by Matthew Hilger. I think his bankroll management numbers are a little high. but what do i know?

he's got a $500 bankroll for .50/1.00. And to move up to 1/2 it's $800. I currently have about a $150 bankroll and play 2 or 3 tables at .50/1. Sometimes I play at 1/2. I'm looking for other opinions on bankroll management.


[/ QUOTE ]
Since you seem to have some serious aspirations I would reccomend being careful with your BR if you won't be able to refill. The most common reccomendation is atleast 300 BB when you are playing limit. MANY, many players start out well and increase limits rapidly, not realizing that it may be shortterm luck... they end up broke and bitter at online poker. So I reccomend that you stick to the 300 BB guideline. Since you mentioned SNGS I just add that you should probably have about 30 buyins in your BR for whatever level you play (once again, if you can't refill).

[kamelion44]

Hey LA, I have noticed the same thing...I have some enormous numbers right now at .5-1 blind NL ring games. I have a low sample size, but I was wondering if you could give me some of your numbers. Right now I'm making really good money on $2-4 multi-tabling and $55 SnGs, and I had really just dabbled a bit in the NL ring game action, but if the NL ring games are consistently softer...

[kamelion44]

I think it's very viable. I'm in the process of it myself, and have built from .50-1 limit with a bankroll of $200 to $2-4 and $55 SnGs with a $2500 bankroll, and one of my best friends, Lostinthought here on 2+2, has done it with great success. His project was to start with $150, play limit ring games and SnGs, and work his way up to $10,000. He did it in two months. He of course had the skills to do it already (i.e. he didn't have to build up his abilities, at the same time he was building up his bank) and was very dedicated and disciplined (don't go blowing 50 BBs on a shot at multi...). Honestly, the .50-1 limit games are so soft (I averaged a ridiculous 7 BB/100 hands during my stay there) that you can tackle that limit slightly underbankrolled. However, since starting my version of the project, I've found that there are some obstacles. I think the two biggest pitfalls of this sort of project, mentioned by some of the other posters, is:

1) Self control. Don't take shots, don't jump up to higher limits. It will be tough, because you'll KNOW that you're good enough, better than the players up there, and you could be making much larger sums of money (this is assuming you really are better, and not delusional) but don't give in to the temptation. By the numbers, you're vastly increasing your risk of ruin, and this is especially bad if a loss will send you to the sidelines. I struggled with this for a while, always jumping up, taking shots at multis, etc. I was a winning player, but twice, I took shots after building up through lower limits, played perfect poker...and I still got clocked. I got sucked out on a few times, missed a few draws, and then it was back to square one. If you jump up, you won't be able to take advantage of slight +EV situations, because you're so close to broke, and a few suckouts will destroy you. Don't get impatient, the games will be still be soft at the higher limits when you have the bankroll to actually assault them properly.

2) LIFE! After my rollercoaster, impatient tendencies were finally mastered, I still had some problems sustaining a bankroll because I had to withdraw money, due to external pressures. I won $900 on UB at the NL ring games, but then bam, owed money to my roommates for past bills and rent. Then I won a multi-table limit tourney on PP, but bam that had to go towards credit card debt. Made a big score at Eagle Pass casino, but then I blew it all dating, drinking, and eating. And on and on it goes. It really helps to have a consistent, solid foundation in your life before embarking on this type of thing. Not only will playing under intense money pressure make you more prone to the problem I talked to above, but it will also maybe just make you push a little harder at the limits you're playing, and make you play sub-optimally. I would be playing and just be desperate to get up to $2-4 so I could finally make some money to pay off my credit card debt, or whatever, and find myself seeing just one more flop per rotation, or pushing a marginal hand a little too hard, etc. For me, my student loans finally came in, and I was able to get rid of all my debts and the money I owed to the University, my rent/food was taken care of, and everything I made on poker could finally stay in poker. So, make sure that your situation is stable enough that you won't have to pull out your bankroll, and purge yourself of monetary-related distractions, and you'll have a much better chance of success in your initial endeavor.

Other than these two things, provided that you really are good and have the drive/interest to keep up with it, then I don't see anything stopping you from getting to where you want to go.

[dogmeat]

I started with $200 on Stars, moved to Party, and have tried over a dozen other sites. I started in the .50/$1 HE games and have only progressed to the $2/$4, but have made decent money there. With 1300 hours played in one year I know the money is easy - I'm a turtle, lots of players your age have moved to the $5/$10 games and higher by starting just like me. About 100 hours a month makes me around $2000. Easy money. I'm moving from two tables to three at a time this month with the hope that I can make $3000.

Dogmeat /images/graemlins/spade.gif

[fimbulwinter]

I'm a college student and have made 3 deposits to party poker, each for 50 bucks.

deposit 1: i played limit (hated it), made some small $, cashed it out.

deposit 2: tried NL without reading up. lost it fast.

deposit 3: lurked here for a long time, pumped it to 120, moved it to prima for a deposit bonus and have been playing the 6max 50NL there ever since. have taken out about 1.4K for a projector, bought a $400 monitor and still have 1400 left which (since my life no longer has time for much poker) i use for bonus whoring.

my advice? bonus whore to get started, then play poker for profit. no matter how well prepped you are, you'll be -EV when you start out. let the poker site subsidize your growing period, then go to work on the fish.

fim

ps- total hours ever playing online poker ~170. don't let it become an obsession.

[NickDollar]

I started playing cards online with $50 after killing my high school home game for about 5 months straight. This first buyin was last April. I lost it all that night, due to the lowest available limits at my site being .25-.50 NL (I am still sadly a NL player, I need to expand.) I promised my dad, since I was still 17 and the account was in his name, that I could win and he should give me one more try. If I lost that next $50, I was out for good.

That $50 slowly built up to about $1500 by June, and in June after I read Super System and overhauled my gameplay entirely (not just because of SS, I was just getting serious about poker) I became to steamroll. I have now made about a $30,000 bankroll in three months of online poker, building my way to playing 4 tables of $2-$5 NL.

And I'm not even 18. There is surely hope for you.

[PublickStews]

My story is one of the less impressive ones in this thread, but I've only been playing for real money for a very short period of time. I deposited 50 at Stars and 50 at Party in April, dabbled around for about a month, then stopped playing until July. My bankroll is at 450 or so in what is basically 3 months of play. I've made almost all the money at .50/1 Limit Hold Em and .50/1 Limit Omaha Hi-lo. Less than $50 of my bankroll has been won in tournaments of any sort. I've been very conservative with my bankroll and am just now moving up to 1/2 Omaha hi-lo as my main bankroll builder. But I'm getting back in to NLHE ring games as well.

Over the past few months I've probably played less than 10 hours a week, primarily because I'm a graduate student and I was reading roughly 1 book per day to prepare for my qualifying exams to enter into Ph.D. candidacy.

[Lawrence Ng]

I was no starving student by any means when I graduated from university and started playing poker,

But I worked for a few months at my job, saved up about $3000 which was about half a bankroll for a 10/20 game. I also played a bit of 4-8.

7.5 years later I am up over 70k, mostly playing just 10 - 15 hours a week live. Over the last 2 years with a healthy bankroll i was able to jump to high limit games.

Online is very different story for me. I cannot beat online hold'em games for the love of god. I am in the red for at least $5k. /images/graemlins/smirk.gif

[Edge34]

Run a search for some of Schneids' posts from the SH forum. I've known the guy for years and could tell the story myself, but his makes for a darn good read. What you should look for is the quest "$60k in 60 days".

[J.A.Sucker]

I started with 1000 dollars that I happened to save working at my job in college. I ran good in a few small buy in tourneys (in Blackhawk, CO) and played some home games and the games in Blackhawk (5 dollar max bet). The best game back then was stud 8/b, 2-5 spread, IIRC. I did well up there. I took regular trips to Vegas and played the old MGM poker room (1-4-4-8) and did well. After awhile, I had about 3K.

I arrived in California to go to grad school w/ this bankroll and played 6/12 at Bay 101. After many hours, I played 9-18 when it was offered around the Bay Area (not as frequently as now). I took a few shots in the 15 games when they went, and usually had to play back up. After a few shots, I broke through, and became a regualar 15/30 player, and this game switched to 20-40 a few years ago. From there, I was able to build up, while paying extra expenses in my life (only other income was my graduate stipend). I play whatever games are good now, dabbling as high as 10-20 NL and 80-160. These days, I play online mostly, since I can get lots of hours in easily, and I do well. If the internet was available back when I started, this whole thing would have been a hell of a lot easier, though not as much fun. Actually, I recently went through a horrible run, and flushed most of my bankroll away (more than a grad student makes in two years, before taxes!), but I've been able to build it all back up in the past couple of months playing online. It's been a hell of a trip back, but I'm a better man for it (I suppose). This would have taken over a year in live games, though.

I still haven't ever had a real job, and I can't afford to go broke. Poker has given me the opportunity to take many vacations for me and my girlfriend, get a Rolex, and enjoy great restaurants, and to have a lot of fun. I've gotten to play poker with some of the best, and meet some great folks, including Tommy A., the Mason, and Ray Z. I've played golf with the Poker Babe, gotten drunk with Clark, and played late-night craps with Coileen and Ed Miller, where he earned his Noted Poker Authority nickname. Oh yeah, and El Diablo and I go to Chili's for cheers, beers, and cheese sticks. I've hung out with James Woods. That's not too bad for a game, and I'm Just Another Sucker.

[Reef]

You'll definetaly want books, and a teacher (if possible). I was fortunate enough to have both. My teacher is my good buddy who quit school to play professionally. HIS teacher is the #1 online player in the world. I'm incredibly fortunate for this.

So, I've been playing for about 7 months. Kicking it at around 10 - 15 cents/ hand. My teacher's kicking my butt to quit 4 tabling 1/2 and get to 3/6 and higher.

some advice: do NOT have all night sessions where you're tired. Do not play while angry. Lastly, bonus whore.

[pzhon]

I started with a $5 royal flush bonus from a play chip table on Ultimate Bet a few months ago.

Within a few weeks, I managed to lose $90 in a few hours of SNGs, and sometimes lost $25/hour in ring games. I cashed out to play on softer sites and chase bonuses.

On Party, I lost $600 in a 2-day span of playing SNGs, including a few I lost on the first hand. On PokerStars, I have managed to lose $50/hand playing NL, though that isn't sustainable.

To build up my bankroll, I shifted some money to online casinos. So far, so good: I lost $1050 in two hours of blackjack while clearing a bonus and participating in a promotion, then lost another grand a few days later in another promotion. (A casino manager gave me a few hundred in bonuses after that, even though I was clearly an unprofitable customer. Strange.) Casinos have given me the bankroll to play much higher poker games.

I dream of being able to lose $8689.66/hour (http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showthreaded.php?Cat=&amp;Number=1000635&amp;page=0&amp;view=e xpanded&amp;sb=5&amp;o=14&amp;vc=1), but I don't play those limits yet. Maybe it's time to deposit some money. On the other hand, I'd also like to play some live poker so I can try some more advanced tactics (http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showthreaded.php?Cat=&amp;Number=770899&amp;page=&amp;view=&amp;sb =5&amp;o=&amp;vc=1).

[helpmeout]

July 31st deposited $50 at pacific and played 5c/10c games

Today $297 almost ready to move up to 50c/$1 ($20 from MTT the rest from ring games)

Better to learn in the lowest of limits so by the time you get to 50c/$1 and above you are more than ready.

[brendons31]

My story is that i put $50 on pokerstars and made about $1,000 in a couple of months on the limit tables and sit and go's, i then cashed a lot out and then had a bad run and was down to $1. I then played .02.04 limit and then .05.10 and got to $7, then played 2 sit and go's and won both and got to around $50, then played a $20 multi table limit tourny, came 2nd, and made about $900, then played 2-4 and 3-6, and got to $3,000, i'm now playing 5-10 on pokerstars and pokerroom making around 800 a week. I have been playing online for about 8 months and made around $10,000. I are also a student and i play in the computer labs on campus, i'm planning to use poker to pay off my student loan. It is very easy to turn $1 into $10,000 and i expect to continue making good money. I took a while to learn the best strategies for playing online, the key is reading good books, and basicly playing tight.

[Edge34]

[ QUOTE ]
I are also a student

[/ QUOTE ]

Where's this tuition going again?

[SA125]

J.A. is one of my favorite posters. Very cool.

[Chu]

I started playing online poker at paradisepoker about 6-7 years ago, when I was a high school student. I scraped together about $50, and waited until they had their 10% deposit bonus, and then with my $55 hit the .5/1 tables armed with Abdul's advice scared to death of loosing my bankroll.

To make a long story short, I have never redeposited, and now play up to 5/10 limit and $100 sng's. I have cashed out enough so that I cover most of my tuition out of pocket, and playing the tables makes me far more then any other job I can find on campus right now.

What is also interesting to me personally is that in those 7 years poker went from being geeky to being cool with the mainstream, so being a good poker player also has a ton of social perks around campus, not to mention this the incredibly soft local games . . .

I love this game /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[pzhon]

[ QUOTE ]
My story is that <font color="blue">I</font> put $50 <font color="blue">into</font> <font color="blue">P</font>oker<font color="blue">S</font>tars and made about $1,000 in a couple of months <font color="blue">from</font> the limit tables and sit<font color="blue">-</font>and<font color="blue">-</font>go's<font color="blue">.</font> <font color="blue">I</font> <font color="blue">[]</font> cashed a lot out<font color="blue">, []</font> had a bad run<font color="blue">,</font> and was down to $1. I then played .02<font color="blue">-</font>.04 limit<font color="blue">; []</font> then .05 <font color="blue">-</font>.10 and got to $7<font color="blue">;</font> then played 2 sit<font color="blue">-</font>and<font color="blue">-</font>go's and won both and got to around $50<font color="blue">;</font> then played a $20 multi<font color="blue">-</font>table limit tourn<font color="blue">e</font>y, came 2nd, and made about $900<font color="blue">; and</font> then played 2-4 and 3-6<font color="blue">[]</font> and got to $3,000<font color="blue">.</font> <font color="blue">I</font>'m now playing 5-10 on <font color="blue">P</font>oker<font color="blue">S</font>tars and <font color="blue">P</font>oker<font color="blue">R</font>oom<font color="blue">,</font> making around 800 a week. I have been playing online for about 8 months and <font color="blue">I have</font> made around $10,000. I <font color="blue">am</font> also a student and <font color="blue">I</font> play in the computer labs on campus<font color="blue">.</font> <font color="blue">I</font>'m planning to use poker to pay off my student loan. It is very easy to turn $1 into $10,000 and <font color="blue">I</font> expect to continue making good money. I took a while to learn the best strategies for playing online<font color="blue">.</font> <font color="blue">T</font>he key<font color="blue">s are</font> reading good books<font color="blue">[]</font> and basic<font color="blue">al</font>ly playing tight<font color="blue">ly</font>.

[/ QUOTE ]
That paragraph was disgusting. I took the liberty of fixing some errors. I feel better now. <font color="white">I left in most style errors. The use of semi-colons to separate a compound list is a debatable fix. Better might be to make several sentences in a new paragraph.</font>
College is funny. I was paid $600/hour to lecture to students who paid $100/hour to hear me, but who often didn't show up. Maybe they were crushing the $5-$10 games or selling cocaine.

One of the fundamental skills expected of college graduates is the ability to write. This is true for all majors. If you learn to excel at poker but can't write coherently, you will have restricted your possible life plans more severely than you would by amputating your right arm.

[ArchonsEngine]

Thanks for the wake-up call reminder. I'm currently taking some time off from college (long, long, long story), but reading things like this post will make sure I get back there. Poker's definitely developing into an obsession of mine, so it's good to get a metaphorical slap in the face like that. /images/graemlins/smile.gif

Thanks again, and I hope anyone else in a position like mine takes your words to heart.

--ArchonsEngine

[GuyOnTilt]

Hey housenuts,

I recently posted in a thread where I stated that I believed an intelligent, disciplined kid could record $2M in earnings 5 years from being dealt his first hand of poker. I still do. Coming from a non-wealthy family, I was a starving student 15 months ago myself. A month later I started studying poker and playing it semi-seriously. 14 months later I've logged well over $100k playing less than 20 hours/wk. It's not hard to become a winning player in this game. I think the most difficult part of earning a decent amount of money in poker isn't becoming skilled - it's logging the hours. If you want to invest money into a small bankroll online, the best thing you can do is study, study, study. Post and read as much and as often as you can in the Micro and Small Stakes forum and you will have no problem whatsoever becoming a moderately winning player.

GoT

[Superfluous Man]

Not really poor, and not really starving, but I started with a $50 deposit on Party and have made about $5k over the last year. I've been an on-and-off player, not logging a lot of hours and taking large (1-2 month) breaks from online poker as school/other activities demand.

At my peak I was playing 10-20 on Pacific, but I'm now in the middle of a semi-hiatus (only playing fpp satellites on 'stars [and the tournaments I buy into when I eventually win one of those...I'll stop myself now before the bad beat police pistol-whip me] while I try to do well enough this semester to get recommendations for graduate school).

Withdrawing a few hundred bucks a couple times last year helped me live a bit of the high life in the student ghetto, which was nice. Good luck to you; reading and thinking about poker is a good way to improve. If doing those things can help an imbecile like me win, they can help anyone.

[Atropos]

" I believed an intelligent, disciplined kid could record $2M in earnings 5 years from being dealt his first hand of poker."

Does $2M mean 2.000.000$?
I think you would have to play higher limits then offered online, or win a major tournament to get that much. I dont think that is possible by only being intelligent and disciplined. And surely no student, who cant play 16 hours a day.. How did you come to the conclusion such high numbers are possible? (if $2M means 200.000$ everything I said can be ignored).

[goofball]

i started on party with $200 a year ago. now i play 15/30 and i have a bankroll of 10k+, it continues to be a long and winding road though

when i started playign thoguh, i was a college student and $200 was a whole lot of money to me. now i have way more money in the bank account then ever before, and i am financially stable thanks entirely to poker.

[magicrcook]

I started with the FREE $20. (read book) Played in low stakes games 5 cent (read another book)Studied, played (read another book)moved up in limits (read another book). Studied at least 2 hours a day (read another book)....actually about 20 books by now. Account at $14K after a year. I did early on deposit $150 but I never touched it. I play 2-4, 3-6 and tournaments under $30 buy-in. Be patient...read...PLAY RIGHT.

[housenuts]

i think i tried posting this before but have any of you accomplished great success from SNG's or is it all from limit play?

[Ian J]

I deposited $50 in October and have never redeposited. I am currently playing 10/20 6 max and 15/30 full. Also, I play $100 sngs and every MTT I can get my hands on from the Stars $10 rebuy to $200 Party tourneys. I've made $30,000 in these 10 months and I've been playing for about a year. I'm 19 and no longer have a day job /images/graemlins/grin.gif.

You wanted it, there's my success story.

[Shaun]

Two summers ago I was tapped out- no bankroll (I had spent it all). I was in school and played free single table tourneys on America's Cardroom for promo bucks, then used the winnings to play .50-1.00 until I had enough for 1-2. I also had one dollar left in my pokerstars account from a refund they gave me for "suspected collusion" (gee 1 dollar!). I took that dollar, placed in a multi-table and then another and eventually had enough for some small PL games. Finally, financial aid came and I had an additional 400 bucks to add to my bankroll.

From the original 401$, I've won enough so that my bankroll will never be tapped from poker. Mind you I play smaller games than I could with what I have, but I also pay my bills with what I earn. I've made a living for the past year and made much of my living the previous year from cards.

Anyway just be patient with your bankroll. Move up slowly and try and think of it as suplemental income at first.

[Heffinator]

I started off reading numerous books over and over before I stepped foot in a casino or even knew about online poker. I headed to Vegas with my buddies ready to try $3-$6 with my arsonal of knowledge. Luckily, everyone played so bad I was able to make $300 my first 12 hour session just by following Sklansky's starting guidlines and then proceeding when I hit something decent on flop. I haven't looked back since. Now I'm up about 12k playing while I am working on my Statistics degree. I would be up a lot more if I could play full time. Now I play 7 $3-$6 tables at once on Party and Paradise. Sometimes I play 2 or 3 6max $5-$10 tables, or I will even get into my $30 and $50 SNG moods. You should become good at these different types and structures since the routine can get boring. Build your bankroll at the 10max tables and I would seriously consider venturing into shorthanded play when your experience and reads get better. I have dabbled in NL cash games but these require a lot more concentration as one mistake can wipe you out. The SNG can be very profitable since you can sit back and let people knock each other out and then capitalize on a tight image after the blinds have increased. I believe anyone.....ANYONE can become a winning poker player. It may take longer for some, but if you work at it and maintain extreme discpline, you can beat almost any low limit internet game. I'm probably repeating what most people have said, but it I feel this is very true. Oh yeah, learn to value bet more. It took me about 1 year to realize how many bets I was missing.

[Jason Strasser]

I started with $200 in party almost a year ago. I won a nl tourney for $1400. I qualified for a few bigger tournaments, I placed second in a super monday for 17k. I play the 200 sngs, 5/10 NL on stars, and have made a net of over 30k.

[Blarg]

[ QUOTE ]
One of the fundamental skills expected of college graduates is the ability to write. This is true for all majors. If you learn to excel at poker but can't write coherently, you will have restricted your possible life plans more severely than you would by amputating your right arm.


[/ QUOTE ]

Usually a post like this gets a blistering response from a tidal wave of the moderately literate and those who just enjoy the predictable chic of pretending to be dopey and cussing out people on forums. I guess your $600/hour figure and professor-level status inhibited some people, especially the students.

But I couldn't agree more. Even science majors have to write reports, present their findings to colleagues and superiors, and persuade others. That can't all be worked out on a calculator. There is still no shortage of jobs in which poor command of English is immediately noticed and, one way or the other, eventually perhaps punished. The people who sell good speaking and writing skills short can count themselves out of serious consideration for a wide variety of jobs.

[Riverman]

I started at 2/4 at the Trop 3 years ago and now play 20-40 to 40-80. Although I am decent, I attribute most of my success to the poker boom / poor playing opponents.