Does Playing Profitable Hold'em Get Easier?

[PokerProdigy]

Hey, this is another one of those questions for the successful poker player, or anyone else that can help me answer this question.

I have a goal to become a very good poker player (specifically hold'em). I am sure that many of you here on the 2+2 forums have the same goal. Yet, I have noticed that in order to achieve this goal one must work very hard, for example read books, get tons of experience, analyze hands, etc... Now don't get me wrong because I AM NOT COMPLAINING about this fact, because if it were easy then anyone could do it and nobody would make any money at it. As they say "anything worth having is worth working for." I even heard Mason Malmuth say in a couple of his books "that being a professional poker player is like a 24 hour job."

Now, to my question. Do you think (or know for a fact from your personal poker experience) if this process gets easier? Do you think that people who have worked really hard for a couple years can just start sitting back and making money while studying very little and analyzing it alot less? Does the Phil Iveys, David Sklanskys, Chip Reeses, Phil Helmuths, and Doyle Brunsons of the world only think about poker at the table? Or do you think that in order to be a good to great poker player, you must always (no matter how much studying you've done nor how much experience you have) study? For example, just like a professional athlete must (in most cases) still lift weights and exercise, as practice and games/meets/competitions alone are NOT merely enough to succeed? /images/graemlins/confused.gif

[bicyclekick]

complacency killed the poker player.

It maybe gets easier, because get more familiar with the right way to things, but it's still a lot of work.

[PokerProdigy]

You're a successful poker pro right bicyclekick? Do you still feel like you're able to enjoy the other things in your life? Or is it just poker 24/7? Thats part of the question that I am trying to get to. /images/graemlins/confused.gif

[bicyclekick]

[ QUOTE ]
You're a successful poker pro right bicyclekick? Do you still feel like you're able to enjoy the other things in your life? Or is it just poker 24/7? Thats part of the question that I am trying to get to. /images/graemlins/confused.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Pro in the sense that I solely derive my income from poker...but I've been going to college the whole time. I'll be graduating this spring with a BA in computer science and then taking some time off to play poker, travel, and enjoy life.

I definately feel I'm able to enjoy other things in my life. After all, that's the reason I'm playing poker. So I have more time to enjoy myself. I do occaisionally have the "hmmm, The tables are fantastic and I could stay in tonight and my ev would be about 3k OR I could go out with friends." So far, friends have almost always won out over poker and that's probably the way it should be, as hard as it is sometimes.

Just friday there was a super fish and he's played a couple sessions before and he had about 8k to bust...which at 1/2 would probably take him about 30 minutes on average...so I did stay a 20 minutes longer knowing my rate would be huge while my friends who I told I would play ddr with played without me...and they understood.

I play more poker than most players I know...so I usually get plenty of time in and don't really have to worry about doing other things...which at this point in my life are often far more important.

[PokerProdigy]

Cool. Because I am also a college student and just want some time for school work (gotta keep the grades up) and a social life. And just like you, I wanted to be a good poker player so I'll have some more time for these things, unlike some of my friends (who are also in college) that have to bust their ass just to make $7.00 an hour.

[rmarotti]

[ QUOTE ]
complacency killed the poker player.

[/ QUOTE ]

[greg nice]

dude
you do more talking about poker than playing poker
enough with the bs posts with dreams of becoming a pro. just start playing already. christ

[badvb750]

[ QUOTE ]
complacency killed the poker player

[/ QUOTE ]

Complacency will kill you in any profession where the variables are always changing.

[Grisgra]

Of course it gets easier than when you're just starting out, but that's because there's a lot to learn psychologically as well. And frankly, after you've mastered a given limit at a given site, you're no doubt "profitable" and if you're happy there you can just chug along at your 2BB/100 or whatever with very little study. The game will change a little bit but probably not to the extent that it'll require great study to adjust to.

So to that extent, yeah, it gets easier. On the other hand, if you plan on continually moving up in limits and challenging yourself . . . no, not easier, not at all /images/graemlins/smile.gif. Except for that psychological stuff.

[PokerProdigy]

No, I actually do play alot of poker (considering I am a full-time students). But, one reason I ask some questions like this (and I relize they sound kind of strange because NOT many other people post these questions) is because these are the type of questions that I never here the great pros and writers (Like Sklansky, Malmuth, etc...) talk about. If I have a question about odds, preflop strategy, etc... it's alot easier to find these questions on my own from a book (even though I still ask questions on the forum about these topics as well), but when it comes to some of these questions that take experience to answer, I figure I might as well post them on the forum because I don't personally know any poker pros that can answer these question, nor any books that talk about these topics.

And besides if it annoys you then why do you reply, instead why don't you just read another post?

[MicroBob]

there's a big difference between working on your poker and thinking about it compared with breathing poker 24/7.

away from my computer and i MIGHT think about a concept or some hand I played or something while I'm driving or day-dreaming or whatever. This is true of other things I've tried to be good at too though.


My GF and most of my friends no absolutely nothing about poker. sometimes my friends will ask questions about it but that's really just me explaining in very basic terms how it works.

you HAVE to have a life outside of poker. Hopefully you will have MORE of a life outside of poker than you would have had otherwise....this is my incentive anyway.

To not have a life outside of poker is just plain unhealthy (although it's done quite frequently I suppose...kind of sad).

go out with friends, join a gym, play soccer or basketball or tennis or whatever, go drinking, go to concerts. etc etc.

the great thing about playing online-poker full-time for income is that YOU get to set your own schedule so if other options present themselves you can always get in your hours at the tables BEFORE or AFTER you look after the rest of your life.

[jtr]

Well said, Bob.

[PokerProdigy]

Yeah, well said Bob.

[toss]

You play DDR bicyclekick? I thought I was the only Poker player who played DDR. /images/graemlins/shocked.gif

[youngsta]

good question. I am in the same boat as you. I have started 4 tabling 2/4 and have really started learning alot about the game especially the psychological aspect of the game. But the thing I noticed the most that helped me get better even though I have a long ways to go is to play lots and lots of hands to get plenty of table experience. Anyways good luck man.

[ QUOTE ]
Hey, this is another one of those questions for the successful poker player, or anyone else that can help me answer this question.

I have a goal to become a very good poker player (specifically hold'em). I am sure that many of you here on the 2+2 forums have the same goal. Yet, I have noticed that in order to achieve this goal one must work very hard, for example read books, get tons of experience, analyze hands, etc... Now don't get me wrong because I AM NOT COMPLAINING about this fact, because if it were easy then anyone could do it and nobody would make any money at it. As they say "anything worth having is worth working for." I even heard Mason Malmuth say in a couple of his books "that being a professional poker player is like a 24 hour job."

Now, to my question. Do you think (or know for a fact from your personal poker experience) if this process gets easier? Do you think that people who have worked really hard for a couple years can just start sitting back and making money while studying very little and analyzing it alot less? Does the Phil Iveys, David Sklanskys, Chip Reeses, Phil Helmuths, and Doyle Brunsons of the world only think about poker at the table? Or do you think that in order to be a good to great poker player, you must always (no matter how much studying you've done nor how much experience you have) study? For example, just like a professional athlete must (in most cases) still lift weights and exercise, as practice and games/meets/competitions alone are NOT merely enough to succeed? /images/graemlins/confused.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

[bicyclekick]

[ QUOTE ]
You play DDR bicyclekick? I thought I was the only Poker player who played DDR. /images/graemlins/shocked.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

lol. Yeah, ddr rules.

[einbert]

[ QUOTE ]
You play DDR bicyclekick? I thought I was the only Poker player who played DDR. /images/graemlins/shocked.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Nah man I'm a huge DDR fan too.

Poker and DDR go hand in hand, obv. ^_^

[bicyclekick]

[ QUOTE ]

Poker and DDR go hand in hand, obv. ^_^

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, cant sit on your ass playing poker all day, gotta get some excersize in somehow.

[dogmeat]

The more you understand about the concepts of poker, the easier it will be to play a methodical style of game, one that might even win. However, for the two or three percent (maybe lower) of players that really do work very hard, and keep moving up in limits and find tougher competition until they are making $100,000+ per year, I don't think it gets easier, unless they stop trying to improve, or stop moving up.

FWIW, I'm still moving up, and have found that there is always somebody smarter than me at each game. The more I learn, the more I realize that I don't really know too much compared to the very best players (which really pisses me off, but also drives me).

I suppose for some players (like Bisonbison) who really did crush the low limit games, there can be some satisfaction, and the game gets easier, however, I don't understand having no desire to move up. Maybe he just got comfortable and bored. Please don't take that as a slam on BB, he added high quality info to the forum, and obviously beat the games, so there is no disrespect expressed or implied, but in my case, I want to keep moving up until I can't beat the competition.

Dogmeat /images/graemlins/spade.gif

[Alex/Mugaaz]

I played DDR for years and competed in the state tournament a couple of times. It eventually got boring though.

[DeanCarl]

A quote from Doyle Brunsen: "Poker is the hardest "easy money" you'll ever make."

Dean

[HajiShirazu]

I used to play a lot, but now I'm in Japan and there are no machines here.

[helpmeout]

[ QUOTE ]
Cool. Because I am also a college student and just want some time for school work (gotta keep the grades up) and a social life. And just like you, I wanted to be a good poker player so I'll have some more time for these things, unlike some of my friends (who are also in college) that have to bust their ass just to make $7.00 an hour.


[/ QUOTE ]

Good luck with that. Just cos BK seemingly does it easily doesnt mean you will.

If it was that easy we'd all be making big money playing poker.

[oompah-loompah]

I have a couple friends who have received products using this site and have showed me how to use it. For anyone who signs up under my link below, I and a friend will sign up for programs for you! This will be 2 signups for you. Just make sure to email me after you've signed up to let me know that you helped.

http://www.FreePSPs.com/?r=16970712

Nathan Logue

nl1001us@yahoo.com