Random thoughts about going super pro (long)

[sirio11]

Well, as some of you already know, I have 2 jobs, my main job is to play poker, basically tournaments with a $100 or higher buy in and sometimes to play some 30-60 holdem. My 2nd and "official" job, is a full time lecturer position at UTEP, teaching 4 classes a week, this is 12 hours.

I have been playing poker now for 8 years, with a little recess between 2001-2002 to finish my masters degree; and I have always had a winning year. The last 2 years I started to play in the internet and things only got better. This last spring semester, I was really tired doing both jobs, and I thought maybe it was time to make a decision. I decided that if I have a successful WSOP, then the decision should be clear, leave the teaching position and dedicate full time to poker. Well, I had a successfull WSOP, but still the decision is really hard. I have an appointment next week with the head of the Math Department at UTEP, and my thoughts right now are all about telling him I'm not coming back for the Fall semester. But damm, it is hard ...

Lets see, economically, I won about 3 more times a year playing poker than teaching, if I had more time to play poker, odds are I'm winning more money; but this could change in the future. The present is like the golden era of poker.

Professionally, I have developed successful carrers teaching and playing poker, but it is clear than I'm closer to a world class status playing poker than teaching. But then, your contribution to society is way more important teaching than playing poker.

Family: I have a very supportive wife, and she's ok if I decide to leave the teaching job and just play poker; some things are going to be difficult if I decide to travel the tournament circuit but we can work them on. In the present I have 2 sons, 2 years and 4 months old. I feel that I can spend more time with them as a poker player, but I don't know what is going to be the impact in their lifes for them to have a father that is a poker pro, or a father that is an University professor.

General hapiness: In this days, I love to play poker, and I like to teach, I used to love teaching, but it is more and more difficult for me to enjoy teaching classes like Math for Social Sciences where most of the students don't want to be there. And with poker, well, all is up to you; if you want to play, you play, if you don't, you don't; and there is always happy people willing to play with you

Stability: The variance in the poker world is a bitch as you know, with the teaching position, you have a security, you have always a positive check payment at the end of the month, with poker, sometimes your monthly payments are negative, and not only you, but your family have to deal with it.

The future: Right now I consider myself a pro poker player, but I want to go super pro, this is, playing full time and traveling to play in the most important tournaments in the world, this means a higher variance and a greater risk of ruin. I think I have the bankroll to do it, I even consider to sell a percentage of my action for all the WPT events, so I can minimize the variance, I think this is a great time for poker and maybe this is not forever, so, I need to take advantage now, but again, my conservative nature tell me to proceed cautiosly, as I have always done; I have never been broke as a poker player, ever!, and right now with a family it would not be a good time to know what it is like.
And also, what is going to be life in 10 years?, playing poker day after day, Am I going to miss teaching? Doing something productive?

Well, I posted this in OOT, but wanted to post it here also, since I think this is the forum I belong to; I hope you can help me out with some comments, from the very experienced people in life, because of the years, or because the life you have lived, from some of you that know what is like to be a pro for many, many years as well as from the really clever young guys in this forum, some of who, even if don't have the experience, have the cleverness to anticipate thing in the future.

Regards

David