poker and life

The other day I was playing in a 20-40 game with one of the only real true pros at the casino I play at. As for myself I am only 23 and just finishing school, but I am seriously considering playing poker 40 hours a week or so after I finish. At any rate, pro in this particular game gets Kings beat by 52s in th little blind after he called 2 and a half bets cold pre flop. He made a gut straight on the turn and took down a 600 dollar pot. After the hand pro turns to me and says finish school and get a job a job dont be like these guys who are all lonely bitter and miserable. I have talked with him in the past about the pluses and minuses of being a pro. Poker ability aside, my question is, can a person really truley be happy ni this profession? After keeping stats for three years as for myslef I still cant make a big bet an hour over the 10-20 level. But money aside, it seems a lot of the people I know who are putting in 40+ hours a week are indeed miserable. ANy thoughts from those who have had some success and or happyness from this lifestyle?

[Kurn, son of Mogh]

Anywhere you look in life you'll find people who are sick and miserable. The jobs that have guarantees are the ones that'll kill you from the boredom. In the end, you beat yourself up more for NOT taking the shot.

[budman]

I always thought I would like to play poker full time if I were able to put enough money away so I did not have to worry about paying for all of my expenses at the table.

That was before I spent several weeks in Las Vegas. I played every day at some premier casinos, mostly Bellagio and Mirage. The pros I played with (15-30 and 20-40) did not seem to enjoy themselves as much as I did. I was playing for the sport and to test my skills. These guys were trying to pay for health insurance for their kids.

The life of a full-time poker professional is brutal. It seems harder to me than being an entrepeneur and running a small business.

I don't know if that's because I am not a great player, but for me, playing for a living would take a lot of the fun out of the game.

That being said, I do know a young man who plays full time at the highest levels in the Connecticut casinos, makes a nice living, married a nice girl who has a career of her own and has the respect and love of his family. So it can be done.

If you think you are good enough to make it, try it now while you are young and don't have children or a mortgage. You can always quit and get a part time or full time job later on.

[balt999]

Personally, I think professional poker is a tough and I resepct anyone who does it for a living at it and is successful...I think you need to be strong mentally to handle the ups and downs, and hours of lonliness and boredom a lot of pros endure.

That being said, if you treat it as a job....put in the necessary 40 hrs into it, but still leave yourself time to be a well-rounded human being (have other intrests)..I think it can be done.

[oddjob]

some days i think i'd like to play poker professionally, if only i could become a winning player. but on the other hand, i play it for fun now, and it is fun. i don't get really upset over bad beats or bad sessions. i can joke around and play correctly and some days play in a loose wild game and play that style and it's super fun. there's nothing like dragging a huge pot by making some weird runner runner gutshot straight, and have everyone at the table laughing about it.

but i think as a profession, it would no longer be fun. it would be work. it would be long and tedious and frustrating, and stressful. it'd take a lot of discipline and a lot of patience. that's not fun to me.

i'd rather work a job i like now, and play poker for fun. if i lose money, oh well, i didn't bet the rent money, if i break even, great! i can play tomorrow, if i win, even better!

i figure this is all training for when i'm old and retired, and can play poker all the time cause i don't work no more. there's some really nice, fun, older players at the casino i play at.

[Herb N.]

I played casino poker for over 15yrs.I was always a +$20grand a year winner.I sold my busness&toured the country for 3yrs with a Pro of 7yrs.I live in Michigan so I had to drive a min.of 90miles to a casino.My buddy[a great guy&I]Toured around the country together split expences for 3yrs.Chicago,St.Louis,Tunica,El Paso,K.C.,Las Vegas,Albuquerque,Pheonix,Ect,Ect.Was it fun?You betcha!Did I make $$$You Betcha!BUT Did I like being away from my loved ones for mayby 6/wks at a time?Did I like waking up in a hotel then killing time waiting for the better games?How about fighting the crouds?Then faceing the bad beats..O.K all that is realy not so bad..Now the money..I found on tue./wed.the games were not that good,Thr.they got a little beter,Friday&Saterday they were always great.[I took Sun&Mon off]I found my profit at the end of the year confermed this.I played mostly between 6/12&15/30 I never drank,or played tired,I was 99.9%tilt free.In other words I did alot of things right!But my expences were[after spiltting with a companion]8/to10/grand a year.Not counting the rake,plus tips,added up to $18-22grand a year.after the rake I showed:$20-$32grand profit,minus travel expences=around$18,grand.But you gotta pay for your own insurance,around$6Gr.this left me with Mayby$10/15grand a year.And let me tell you I got some flaws,BUT i'm one tough player...If you got a degree,get a job,make some money,play poker on the side...Its realy fun & you have fun Keep records..Accurate Records..Learn how people think...then learn how they think you think..This game is %50 mechanics&%50Feel..Have fun,When your injoying yourself the table will gamble.Gamble:don't play so close that you forget to gamble,but now I'm getting away from the question.....I always injoyed myself,I was never miserable...As a full time job It's just not that a great a deal,As a matter of fact at your age it's for shi...poop....Later on as a additional income IT'S GREAT! [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

Very good point. Try it while you're young and see if you can handle the emotional and financial roller coaster ride, the biggest stumbling block for would be professionals. Later in life, you can then say you gave it a try. It was really tough for me because I had a family and a mortgage when I did it for 2+ years. Now I have great admiration and respect for all you do it for a living.

[Tommy Angelo]

There's more to winning than merely winning. Doesn't much matter what the game or career is.

Whenever I read a post about how miserable it must be to be a professional poker player, it reminds me a little of the pain, but it can't even come close to dimming the joy. What would I give to have absolute freedom for the last 12 years? Well, everything. So I did. Still a good bargain, even with the pain, and even if I crash and burn in the future.

Tommy

[snakehead]

if you can make it work, go for it. I know a lot of young people who are poker pro's, and they live a great life. they drive nice cars, own real estate, and do as they please. I really wish I had done it when I was young.

the toughest thing for you will be building a bankroll. you really need to play 20-40 or higher to make it in this business. and it's almost impossible to build it up by playing 10-20 while paying all your living expenses. I don't know where you live, but maybe you could live with your parents until you save enough money, or maybe get lots of roommates.

of course, this is all assuming you can beat the game. but my experience tells me that if you are determined, you can. las vegas is full of people who make a living from poker, some more and some less, who are certainly not geniuses. you can do it if you really want to.

and if it doesn't work out, you still have the degree.

[Trefo]

The key is you have to love your job. If you love poker and love playing full time then i believe you should go for it. I currently love my current job and play poker on the side a couple of times a month if i'm lucky. Poker to me is a great place to earn some additional cash and unwind. Maybe even play in a tournament whenever one presents itself. I don't think you should be in a profession where you'll end up miserable....life's too short. At 25, you've got to take some risks in your life....If you take your shot and end up not liking it, you'll be what 27 or 28 and still have your degree to fall back on. If not, you'll be asking yourself "what if" and beating yourself up about it.