Gave my 2 week notice
 

I never thought I would actually do this, but I did. I gave my 2 week notice at my IT job and will try this poker thing full time for a while.

I'm probably the least qualified person to be trying this based on the common advice on going "pro" because I am married and have significant financial repsonsibilities, which is the reason why it took me 2 years of contemplating to finally come to this decision. But now that I finally did, I feel free and excited, and I am also certain that it was the right move.

Leaving my IT job was a tough decision to make financially because I will have to make up for the missing income with poker on top of what I was already doing with it on the side in order to maintain my current standard of living. The most likely scenario is that I will cut back on some of the luxuries I've (unwisely) built up to lessen some of the financial burdens.

I know as well as you guys that the ideal thing to do is to keep poker on the side and continue with your regular job. I wanted to keep it that way as much as possible, but poker has gotten to be more than just a hobby now and as a result, I've beem losing motivation at work, and decided I should focus my energy on one thing. It was also very tough keeping up with 8 hours at work and another 4-5 hours of poker at night.

As I've already mentioned, leaving my job was a tough decision to make financially, but at all other levels, it was an easy decision because I know my heart is not in the IT field anymore. Other than poker, I'm not really sure what I want to do, which is not a good thing, but I hope to use this "break" to also do some soul searching.

Everyone in my life thinks I'm crazy, including myself, but I know there's a good chance that I will make it. I don't have a definite fall back plan, but as much as I would hate to do it, I can always go back to getting another IT job. I've also always thought about starting a small bagel shop or something along those lines (something non corporate) so this will also be a good time to give more serious thought to that.

No one knows me here and most of you probably won't care, but I wanted to mark the start of this new journey with a post here so perhaps one day I can look back at this for whatever it's worth.

Here I go !!!!

Re: Gave my 2 week notice
 

Good Luck buddy. Can I have your old job?

Re: Gave my 2 week notice
 

Congratulations on having the guts to leave the known for the unknown. That you left your job to play poker is irrelevant. That you left your job to pursue a passion...that is what matters.

So...when do you plan to tell the wife? [img]/images/graemlins/ooo.gif[/img]

Re: Gave my 2 week notice
 

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Good Luck buddy. Can I have your old job?

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I see you are in Meriden CT. My job is in Stamford, CT so if you know Informatica and Database programming, go for it. The job sucks tho, but the benefits were the best I've had in my IT career.

Re: Gave my 2 week notice
 

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So...when do you plan to tell the wife? [img]/images/graemlins/ooo.gif[/img]

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Yea... she didn't take it too well, understandably, but she's supportive.

Re: Gave my 2 week notice
 

Yeah I just got Cisco cert. so I am working my up at a software company in Branford, CT

Re: Gave my 2 week notice
 

Good luck man, that's a huge leap to leave a secure gig for poker. Hope everything works out.

Re: Gave my 2 week notice
 

Just curious about the limits/stakes you play and winrate type info.

Congrats on having the stones to make the leap. I certainly dont have them [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] I wish you the best.

KoW

Re: Gave my 2 week notice
 

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Just curious about the limits/stakes you play and winrate type info.

Congrats on having the stones to make the leap. I certainly dont have them [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] I wish you the best.

KoW

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I play 10/20 full and I go at about 1BB/100. That winrate is not spectacular, but based on the amount of hands I play now and what I expect to be playing after I leave, plus the RB I get based on that volume, the numbers work out.

Hopefully, I can up the winrate a bit so I don't have to put in so much volume, but I have no problems pumping out hands.

Re: Gave my 2 week notice
 

Good luck! I'm about 2 weeks behind you I think. I don't have any wife or kids, just a bunch of debt. Can't quite pull the trigger yet, but very close.

Re: Gave my 2 week notice
 

Good luck on your quest. I think it's better to give it a shot, as long as you have done the research and are not making a rash decision based upon emotion. It sounds like you have definitely put in the time. Heck, the worst thing that happens is it doesn't work out, and you get another "real" job. Better to giveit a shot than to always wonder "what if>" I wish you luck. Keep us informed as to your progress, hopeuflly we'll see you on the tube someday.

Re: Gave my 2 week notice
 

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Good luck! I'm about 2 weeks behind you I think. I don't have any wife or kids, just a bunch of debt. Can't quite pull the trigger yet, but very close.

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I know too well what it's like to be on that fence. I was on it for a long time. I don't know what your situation is, but I've wished many times that I had been single when I discovered poker. I don't regret my marriage or anything like that, but my decision would've been much easier if I were single. But you, you are still there, and without knowing anything else about your life, why not.

Re: Gave my 2 week notice
 

Small world. I live in New Haven and work in Milford, but not in IT, so I'll keep my job.

Good luck with everything, and don't let me run into you at Foxwoods!

Re: Gave my 2 week notice
 

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Small world. I live in New Haven and work in Milford, but not in IT, so I'll keep my job.

Good luck with everything, and don't let me run into you at Foxwoods!

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Before I learned to play poker, I use to go up there and dump money on BlackJack all the time. I haven't been up there except for few occasions when I've had guests to entertain in the past 3 years, but I think once I leave my job and do have some extra time, I will start getting into live poker and some tournaments for fun.

Re: Gave my 2 week notice
 

Wish you the best I am also not far behind, I am supposed to be laid off in the next week or two and will have the state subsidizing my early months, I am married and my kids are are almost grown and I worked to long at a job I never liked to make sure I had benefits and things I needed for a family but now my wife is behind me and we will see how it goes. So good luck and post on your progress now and then. Also my wife and I have discussed moving down south to a better cost of living situation if things go well, tough here in the northeast especially in the winter.

Re: Gave my 2 week notice
 

hope you have health insurance,

P. Dirty

Re: Gave my 2 week notice
 

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hope you have health insurance,

P. Dirty

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Dam!, I overlooked that, j/k.
Yes, it is extra cost that I did figure into my decision.

Re: Gave my 2 week notice
 

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Small world. I live in New Haven and work in Milford, but not in IT, so I'll keep my job.

Good luck with everything, and don't let me run into you at Foxwoods!

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Smaller world... I live in Danbury.

Re: Gave my 2 week notice
 

Good luck. You got big cahoonas for leaving your IT job. (I got little cahoonas can't leave my IT job and I'm single).

It sounds like you are buying insurance in NY. How much did they quote you? How long did you work at your job?

Anyway I wish you the best of luck.

Re: Gave my 2 week notice
 

The best of luck to you.

Re: Gave my 2 week notice
 

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So...when do you plan to tell the wife? [img]/images/graemlins/ooo.gif[/img]

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Yea... she didn't take it too well, understandably, but she's supportive.

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Dear Big Red,

There's no doubt in my mind she "understands" and is "supportive".

Signed,

Guy on his 2nd Marriage

Re: Gave my 2 week notice
 

Priceless... Priceless. [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]


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So...when do you plan to tell the wife? [img]/images/graemlins/ooo.gif[/img]

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Yea... she didn't take it too well, understandably, but she's supportive.

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Dear Big Red,

There's no doubt in my mind she "understands" and is "supportive".

Signed,

Guy on his 2nd Marriage

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Re: Gave my 2 week notice
 

[img]/images/graemlins/shocked.gif[/img]

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No one knows me here and most of you probably won't care, but I wanted to mark the start of this new journey with a post here so perhaps one day I can look back at this for whatever it's worth.

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Well, at least one person knows you here. Finally took the plunge, eh? Good luck, man! Keep us updated!

Re: Gave my 2 week notice
 

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So...when do you plan to tell the wife? [img]/images/graemlins/ooo.gif[/img]

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Yea... she didn't take it too well, understandably, but she's supportive.

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And by 'supportive', he means scared out of her freakin' head.

Re: Gave my 2 week notice
 

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[img]/images/graemlins/shocked.gif[/img]

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No one knows me here and most of you probably won't care, but I wanted to mark the start of this new journey with a post here so perhaps one day I can look back at this for whatever it's worth.

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Well, at least one person knows you here. Finally took the plunge, eh? Good luck, man! Keep us updated!

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I guess you do remember... that was like over a year ago. Thanks for the encouragement and I hope to report back with good progress. Right after I leave my job, I'm going to Korea for about 4 weeks so my new "job" won't start until after I get back. I'm going to bring my laptop, but I'm ot sure how connection is going to work over there.

So, what have you been upto? Send me a PM and let me know.

Re: Gave my 2 week notice
 

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Congratulations on having the guts to leave the known for the unknown. That you left your job to play poker is irrelevant. That you left your job to pursue a passion...that is what matters

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agreed

Re: Gave my 2 week notice
 

good luck, BigRed!

i know from experience that doing this with a wife and kids does add significant stress to marriage and home life. it's been 6 months for me now, and it does seem to be getting better, but my life is still more difficult since quitting my job. not so much money-wise, but stress wise.

i get to spend a lot more time with my kids, but i also argue with my wife a lot more.

PM me if you want to discuss.

tripdad

Re: Gave my 2 week notice
 

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good luck, BigRed!

i know from experience that doing this with a wife and kids does add significant stress to marriage and home life. it's been 6 months for me now, and it does seem to be getting better, but my life is still more difficult since quitting my job. not so much money-wise, but stress wise.

i get to spend a lot more time with my kids, but i also argue with my wife a lot more.

PM me if you want to discuss.

tripdad

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I don't mind discussing this here.

I haven't started my full time poker thing yet, but I know exactly what you are talking about because it was as if I was playing poker for full time in the past 3 years. I was keeping a day job while puttnig in 5 to 6 hours at night playing poker, so it really tested my wife's patience many times. She never liked the fact that I was playing poker, but she knew it was helping our finances so she took the good with the bad.

We've had many fights over how I wasn't helping as much with the house chores and the baby as most husbands would, and I know she's right about that. I always came out on the losing end on those arguement. But we have a pretty solid relationship and I'm lucky that she's willing to cut me a lot of slack for me to do this.

When we decided on this move, we reasoned that extra time I will now have during the day will alleviate some of the stuff we fought about. I really hope it turns out that way because I want to do things right. We've been married for 3 years now which is also how long I've been doing this day job night job thing, so she really did put up a lot with my crap.

Do you not find that it is now easier to make time for family since poker is the only job you have? How was it for you when you were doing the day job plus poker?

Re: Gave my 2 week notice
 

i also thought playing full time would allow extra time with the family, and in many ways, this is the case. however, now that i do not have to report to work at a certain time, my wife treats my new "job" with disregard in many ways.

she thinks i can take time off for any reason and at any time, and it has been a struggle to play the amount of time i need to in order to support my wife and 4 kids.

she gets mad when i tell her i cannot do "this or that" because i NEED to play this tournament or log in so many hours of ring play.

before, when i worked, she had help around the house and with the kids (they are all under 3 years old). now that i'm not working, she doesn't want my mom or hers over here as much, and she looks to me to pick up the slack, which makes me mad because i need to play.

tripdad

Re: Gave my 2 week notice
 

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4 kids.

(they are all under 3 years old)

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im guessing you dont fire blanks

Re: Gave my 2 week notice
 

Good luck and I wish you much success. I'm trying to get my debts down (ie. mortgage) before I pull the trigger. Keep us updated, I love threads like these. Sorta living my life vicarioulsy through you.

Re: Gave my 2 week notice
 

wow, 4 children, all under 3!!!
I have one 8 month old and he's already a handful.
God bless you.

Re: Gave my 2 week notice
 

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Good luck and I wish you much success. I'm trying to get my debts down (ie. mortgage) before I pull the trigger. Keep us updated, I love threads like these. Sorta living my life vicarioulsy through you.

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Sounds like you are doing it the right way, getting your debts down. There's no way I could've paid down my mortgage soon enough to do this, so I'm carrying my mortgage into this. It's gonna be a challenge no doubt. Good luck to you also.

Re: Gave my 2 week notice
 

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Good luck and I wish you much success. I'm trying to get my debts down (ie. mortgage) before I pull the trigger. Keep us updated, I love threads like these. Sorta living my life vicarioulsy through you.

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Sounds like you are doing it the right way, getting your debts down. There's no way I could've paid down my mortgage soon enough to do this, so I'm carrying my mortgage into this. It's gonna be a challenge no doubt. Good luck to you also.

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as for mortgages, i have 13 of those as well (we have rental apartments and houses...one of which sustained $20K+ in water damage over Christmas weekend [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]). damn, you guys got it easy.

tripdad

Re: Gave my 2 week notice
 

BTW, i jusr calculated the hours i've put in actually playing poker over the last 6 months. i've averaged 32 hours per week playing, both online and live.

before quitting work, i probably played 15 hours per week, plus worked 38 on average.

tripdad