Playing with the pro...

MRBAA · #1 01-25-2003, 01:17 PM

I played live 3-6 last night and the player on my right said he was a pro, down on his luck, trying to build up a bankroll in the small game. In live low limit he games, has anyone else seen professional players? This was a first for me. (I think they are more common online because of the speed of play and ability to play multiple tables).

btw, I thought the "pro" overplayed in this game. It was kind of weak tight pre-flop but loose post flop, so while he stole the blinds once or twice, he could not win by bluffing when the flop missed him and ended up losing several hands to middle pair or overcards.

AceHigh · #2 01-25-2003, 02:11 PM

At the Taj in AC there used to be some players who claimed they were 3/6 and 5/10 pro's. Lived with friends or relatives or some such thing. They aren't around any more. Draw your own conclusions.

JTG51 · #3 01-25-2003, 02:27 PM

I don't think there's any pro's that make their living exclusively from playing 3/6, but I'm sure a pro will play in a 3/6 game from time to time.

Most likely they'd be there waiting for a different game. If the game is beatable, which it should be for a pro, then it beats sitting on his hands while he waits for an hour for a bigger game.

Mike Gallo · #4 01-25-2003, 02:41 PM

I played live 3-6 last night and the player on my right said he was a pro, down on his luck, trying to build up a bankroll in the small game. In live low limit he games, has anyone else seen professional players?

Perhaps you played with a broken down pro. We have one in my room "Bobby" . He used to play 15-30 stud and got busted down to 1-5. Whenever he wins a big tournament or someone loans/gives/pays him back money, he plays a bit higher, say 5-10 or 10-20.

The thing the "pro" probably forgot to mention was that he has a job now, other than playing cards. Bobby had to get a job. He now works as a dealer at a casino down the boardwalk until he can get a bankroll together so he can play full time again.

sucka · #5 01-25-2003, 02:54 PM

yeah, that sounds like a great life...

Sign me up to play poker professionally - the thought of grinding it out 9 hours a day with a bunch of grumpy self-righteous poker players sounds like nirvana to me. [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

MRBAA · #6 01-25-2003, 03:35 PM

I really felt bad for this guy. He said he also played $15-30 but was busted now. He had been a dealer/floor manager at another casino (many in the room knew him and referred to this). I can't imagine playing 3-6 for a living. I do think a good player can make money in these games, though. I think winning 1 bb an hour is very doable for me at 3-6 he and 5-10 stud as long as so many other players play poorly. I've built a low four-figure poker bankroll in these games, and several other posters here have said they have done the same. It's now possible that I will play poker for the rest of my life on my winnings. But live on them? Not happening.

Fitz · #7 01-25-2003, 06:47 PM

The whole idea of being a professional poker player is glamorous. I think we all see ourselves as Mike McD putting the moves on Johnny Chan and KGB. It's a nice idea, but the truth of the matter is that isn't in the future for many of us. I've seen these broken down pros in some of my live games too, and it's sad. I'd much rather keep my day job, which I love, and suppliment my income playing cards which I love to do anyway. If I can pay for a nice vacation or the occasional luxury due to my poker skills, that is just fine with me.

Good luck all,

Louie Landale · #8 01-25-2003, 08:04 PM

Lets not confuse "Pro":

[1] Someone who has no other job and is making a comfortable living playing cards.

[2] Someone who has no other job yet is NOT making a comfortable living playing cards.

[3] Someone who has another job but wishes he could play poker for a living.

[4] Someone who has read a few books and got lucky for a couple months at the higher levels, and thinks he plays well enough to slaughter all you chumps at the lower levels, and has no idea he's bluffing constantly and all the other players know it.

- Louie

balt999 · #9 01-25-2003, 08:55 PM

When I play at the Orleans, I would often see Oklahoma Johnny Hale playing 4-8 HE..usually on the Monday No Limit Tournament...so I was in a hand or two with him...

Haven't been there lately, but I would often see Oklahoma Johnny Hale playing 4-8 Omaha Hi Lo...usually he's shrilling his book, but he's a nice guy.

texag97 · #10 01-25-2003, 10:12 PM

A couple of months ago, I played 3-6-12 hold 'em with Jimmy Tran, a tournament pro. I didn't know who it was at the time, but I talked to some locals the next day about him, and they told me who he was. So I looked him up on the internet and sure enough, he's won some big tourneys and had write ups in poker pages.

If I had to comment on his play in the few hands I played with him, he was very, very aggressive, and in the 3-6-12 game, his aggression was not paying off because of the large number of calling stations. He is probably much more successful at higher limits. Also, I think he was there just to have some fun and play some very un-serious poker. Overall, he was a very polite guy.