Profesional Poker Career: 1 Month Check-In

[absou1ut]

good luck man

[tripledouble]

i'm in total agreement with boot.

there is also this little thing called the paredo rule, you should be learning about this in your business classes right now.

basically 80% of poker players lose when 20% of poker players win.

so 80% of potential pros just aren't gonig to make it.

anyone who internet pokers for a living better be clearing upwards of 100k a year NOW not down the road, not ONCE i get a roll.

the fact that this guy is still in school also makes it a shame..he's never had to live on his own before in his life (hence furnishing apartment expenses)

the biggest reality out of college is that stuff costs money, mommy and daddy aren't there to pay for you anymore.

saying you're going to be a 'pro poker' player out of school is just about the dumbest thing I think anyone could do.

[Art Vandelay]

I echo the sentiments of Subby. As a full time job, hobby playing wannabe poker player I wish you well. However, to play devil's advocate I hope that your grades are not suffering. You are young, and the time to take a stab at pro play is when you are young and in college. I think that applies to most of the 20s crowd that are online pros right now. If you are srewing around in college and getting [censored] grades and/or dropping out playing poker is not a good idea IMO.

I can't believe I'm actually advising someone on grades in college. When I was an undergrad I think my BAL was higher than my GPA most semesters.

Good luck and I look forward to the updates.

[Patrick del Poker Grande]

Let's not forget about benefits and retirement funds either.

[SomethingClever]

[ QUOTE ]
basically 80% of poker players lose when 20% of poker players win.

so 80% of potential pros just aren't gonig to make it.


[/ QUOTE ]

First of all, I would estimate that more like 90% of all poker players lose.

Secondly, do you think this figure holds true for the population of people that would consider going pro?

Think about it.

[GuruCane]

Agree 100% with you. That's why I told him to become a banker. Sorry that I misunderstood you. Your point should be well taken by the shortsighted (I mean the young college age guys who think that they can do it forever).

[soundgarden4]

[ QUOTE ]
I would strongly urge anyone between the ages of 20-27 to please get off your pipe dream and do something constructive with yourselves. Best thing I can offer is play poker part-time at night (which is the best time to play anyway) and work your 40-50hr grind making 30-40k in your entry level job.


[/ QUOTE ]

I am in this exact situation, 23 years old, working 45 hours a week and playing poker at night usually between 2-3 hours. Now that is a [censored] grind. Let alone the fact that my job is extremely boring, and after the hour long commute home, I sit in front of the computer for another 2 hours trying to grind out a profit 4-tabeling. I will say that it's not a very enjoyable life.

My whole week is just a blur of numbers and concentration, which drains my body of all it's energy, until I can get to the weekend where I actually have time to unwind. The reason I play after work is to prove to myself that I can do this as a job, because I plan on quitting my "real" job in the next 3 months. I plan on playing to make money while attending school to get my Financial Planning certificate and eventually be a financial planner as my full-time job.

I have not been following the OP's story too closely, but it doesn't seem like he plans on doing this poker thing for the rest of his life. He's in college and plans on graduating which is more than I can say for a lot of people on these boards. As many of us are, he's probably using his poker skills/earnings as a platform to something more long-term.

He's proven that he can handle a "real" job and go to school at the same time, so if he does fail at poker then he'll just go out and do that. I wish I had found out about 2+2 in college. My life and where I'm at now would be much more enjoyable and much more gratifying. Let him enjoy where he's at and where he wants to go, because this could be his only opportunity at this.

Kevin

[MicroBob]

1. The thread hi-jack that 'turning pro is a bad idea' is rude and stupid. We've had this discusssion many times before. This person said he would post an update after a month and he is doing that.....go ahead and have your "don't turn pro" debates somewhere else.

2. Seems you are turning things around imho. Heard you were getting clobbered at the 15/30. Obviously I've been there too. Hopefully things continue to improve.

3. Your overall outlook seems reasonable....but your VP on the 3/6 game is so low that I have to wonder how profitable a game you are playing. I might recommend trying 4-6 tables for a spell and trying to boost that VP to 17 or so.

Also, as I recall, you didn't have PT and GT+ or PV on the computer that you were playing on.
Not sure if you got it working yet or not...but if you're going to be serious about being a pro and are going to do it while 8-tabling I really recommend getting this stuff in gear.
Of course, there are many players who don't use PV who are doing VERY well...so it's not mandatory. there was a thread in the general forum about this and the number of players who play 6-8 tables who DON'T use these tools was much higher than I would have expected.

I'm also a fan of cutting down the number of tables when on a losing streak. Helps me maintain concentration on what I'm doing instead of looking at the bad-beats add up from table to table. but this is more a psychology trick that I use for my own game than anything.


4. While it always feels like you're just acknowledging defeat when you step down I have to say I am VERY impressed that you did it. I heard that you had a brief stop at 5/10 and then down to 3/6. there are a LOT of players out there who would just be stubborn and stay at the 15/30 and allow themselves to get killed....to the extent of just wiping themselves out. This is stupid of course....but it happens. You lost your BB's at 15/30...you said "no way do i want to risk losing any more up here"....you moved down to 3/6 where you know you can still make a reasonable wage while you regain your confidence and continue to work on your game.


Anyway, keep on plugging. I think it will work out for you eventually.

[tripledouble]

[ QUOTE ]
First of all, I would estimate that more like 90% of all poker players lose.

Secondly, do you think this figure holds true for the population of people that would consider going pro?


[/ QUOTE ]

for guys who think they are going to make a living 8 tabling 3/6 games...absolutely.

I know some of the most successful online poker players around, the ones that have full time jobs as well are getting along in life far better than the ones without.

i guess there is a huge difference between 'going pro' and being successful at it though.

[dacubbie]

I think that all of this talk about college kids who think they're going to be a professional poker player for life is grossly over exagerrated. While, I'm sure there are a FEW people that feel this way, the vast majority are completely the opposite. Think about it, you're in college where a "good paying job" is anything over $10 an hour. Not to mention that these jobs are anything but desirable. Therefor, they realize that hey "I can make over $15 an hour playing poker while I go to school and I don't have to get a job". I, and I'm guessing the majority of other college poker players, see poker playing as simply a short term endeavor. While it's very possible I might be playing poker in ten years, I sincerely HOPE that it's not a serious part of my life. 8 tabling for 10 or more years just might make me go blind. But while I'm in college it seems like a good way to make a few extra bucks to help me out once I get out of college with a masters in accounting and my CPA title. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] Thanks all.