Trying pro play tommorrow: What to know?

[shant]

Hey guys,

So yesterday my contract was not renewed at the company I was working at. It wasn't much of a surprise because I was a contract employee, but I wasn't exactly planning on not having a job just yet.

Anyway, since I'm a designer, I can freelance from home. Before I jump into that though, I was going to give this pro thing a try. I know there are at least a few people on here like QTip and I'm not sure who else who play pro.

So, what do I need to know? I'm not talking about table selection, etc. I know that already. I'm just trying to get an idea for how many tables you play for how long, number of hands per day, what time of day do you play, etc.

Also, any tips for what type of beverage bottle to piss into would be great. Thanks in advance.

[Yobz]

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Also, any tips for what type of beverage bottle to piss into would be great. Thanks in advance.

[/ QUOTE ]

Capri Sun

[Pokey]

I'm not a professional, but from what I've seen, some good advice is:

1. Get a really comfortable chair. You're going to be in it for a long time.
2. Get a great monitor. Something with lots of real estate for all the tables, and with a very high refresh rate so you don't get sick from the flicker.
3. Tell your friends that you're likely to be a bastard every few days, since it's going to be hard not to take the variance to heart when you're living off the profits.
4. Devote a specific block of time to poker every single day. If you make it the same time of day every day, you're more likely to get a great read on the "regulars." Also, it helps to put you in the "pro player" mindset if you think of this as your business hours.
5. Take a break frequently; say, every hour take a one-orbit break, or every three hours take a 30 minute break. It helps to keep you fresh, and that makes your decisions better in general.
6. No phone, no TV, no books, no web pages, no alcohol, no stereo, no magazines, no fellatio while playing. You need to be concentrating on the game.
7. Don't withdraw 100% of your winnings. Leave a significant chunk for rainy days and bad swings. Ideally, you would live off 50% of your winnings and use the other 50% for a buffer.
8. If you're doing this for a very long time (i.e., years), plan for your retirement. You wouldn't treat a traditional job as your destiny until you died; why would you treat a poker career as permanent until your death? Start saving in a 401K or Roth IRA. Also, remember that social security won't be as big for you if you don't have at least 34 (37? can't remember off the top of my head) years of income at a job that paid into SocSec. Your government retirement income will be lower than that of a traditional worker, so that means more savings you'll have to do on your own for retirement.
9. Don't forget about health insurance, dental insurance, etc. You're self-employed; that means you'll need to cover all those things that an employer would do otherwise.
10. Don't stop reading the boards and the books. Continuous improvement is your watchword.

As I said, I'm NOT a professional, so these are just general suggestions. Hopefully, they're good ones.

[cnfuzzd]

make sure you have the roll. Traditional thought is 500BB's depending on your game and your living expenses. Make sure you get rakeback. Dont fret when you go through your first, second, and fiftieth swing. Relax.

peace

john nickle

[meep_42]

And take time to DONK DONK DONK DONK DONK DONK DONK DONK DONK DONK DONK DONK DONK DONK DONK DONK DONK DONK DONK DONK DONK DONK DONK DONK DONK

-d

[cnfuzzd]

Is john nickle going to have to donk a b[/i]itch?


peace

john nickle

[QTip]

Dude...thanks for the post. I'm sweating I was laughing so hard!

[PokerBob]

I'm not a pro, but have requested a leave of absence for a year from my job, so come Sept. 1, my income will be soley from poker. Now, my situation is a bit different in that after 1 year I can go back to my job, so take that into consideration. Here is my plan, I have no idea if it is "correct", but it's what I am going with.

-I will have 5-6 months living expenses set aside in case all hell breaks loose.

-I will have a bankroll (for 3/6) of over 1500BB. I don't want to bat an eye at a 300BB downswing.

-I have good rakeback deal.

-I make sure to bonus whore at least $200 a month.

-I spend a lot of time at 2+2 reading, responding and hopefully improving.

-I have tried to keep my winning expectations conservative, so that if things don't go my way I am not in trouble. I think it is improtant to honestly assess your ablities, and make your assumptions based on that. If anything, underestimate yourself. At least when it comes to financial planning.

-I will have health insurance through my job, but I gotta pay. Get some sort of health insurance, even if it is just "I got hit by a bus" insurance that protects you from disasters.

-Run good.

[QTip]

Big Daddy Q plays semi-pro....keeping a junker car available in case he has to start delivering pizza...

My word of advise "try not to think about it, just play your game."

My first 200BB downswing, I actually had a dream about delivering pizza...no joke, it was bothering me.

[That guy]

just curious if the non-renewal of the contract had anything to do with too much poker interfering? if so, then you a player now, my son.