[BluffTHIS!]

Mason,

I am very glad to see you make this post, as I too have always felt that Dr. Al was way too pessimistic about people being able to make it as a pro. I have played full-time for several years now and almost exclusively online these days. Once a player has the technical skills, knowledge and experience to beat various games at various limits, then what separates those who make it from those who don't are two things. The first of course is a lack of degenerate non-poker leaks. And the second is properly managing your bankroll, especially during a downswing. I have watched many otherwise good players who probably started playing somewhat badly, and although properly bankrolled for the limit they were playing, ride that downswing all the way to the bitter end without ever dropping down in stakes or taking time off to reevaluate their own game as well as the game conditions which might have changed significantly without their adjusting. Ray Zee has posted extensively about these things over the years here and spending some time in the archives is highly recommended to everyone who needs to read about such things.

All of this does indeed require a lot of psychological fortitude to make it long term, but that is true in many other fields as well, which is why I think Dr. Al's pessimism about going pro is overstated.