Question for the Pros

[BobboFitos]

kagame 50k is very little for nl600, consider adding tables + hours.

[DrFeelgoodRC]

not if you hire people to come and hang out with you while you play.

[kagame]

i havent been playing 600NL for very long

its been a gradual increase in stakes, and im going to school so im playing extremely part time

but yes i suppose it is low for that size of a game, ill update at some point when ive been playing it full time for an extended period

[kagame]

is there a story there?

[AZK]

[ QUOTE ]

I figure I can start making a decent living playing NL $400 and $600 online

[/ QUOTE ]

Most of the people on this board first started playing on the internet...then they went BM, back and forth etc... So they have no problem playing on the internet. As a primarily BM player who then went on the internet, it has been very difficult for me to play well. I just want you to be aware of how hard it could be for you. Some of the major problems I have:

1) All I have to do to reload is click a button, this is very deceptive. For example if you ship two stacks of green across the table live, you feel it immediately, wow I'm stuck a thou, this is not the case online (at least for me), be wary of this.

2) I have a harder time figuring opponents out online becuase I can only see a name. Maybe I'm a visual learner or something but it is so much easier when you have a person, a voice, a smell, attitude, etc... Half the guys that walk int he casino you can already figure out how they play before even sitting down. Even with PT, I still don't play as well against people.

3) It is INCREDIBLY boring. Sitting in front of the screen for hours sucks. I tried music/tv/internet, but then I'm not focusing enough on the play. I tried 4 tables, but then I'm responsible for studying 36 players, can't make moves, open up my game, forced into the shell of weak/tight play etc... Right now, I play 1 table which seems to be working, and I go back and forth between limits, full ring, 6 max etc... seems to help, keeps the game "fresh". Rather than being a robot I set goals (win/loss limits, time limits etc) so that I don't kill myself due to boredom. At first you will not have this problem, you will love it like I did, after a while, it gets old...

It's funny because a lot of people say how could BM not be boring, you get 1/3 of the hands someone gets online. But there is so much interaction and so much more information out there looking to be snatched up that it's easy to keep yourself busy, I haven't found that yet online without interfering with my game concentration...

If I had to pick and bankroll wasn't an option (relatively speaking), I would go for a higher NL live, than 400/600 online. I bet you could make a very decent living playing the commerce 10/20 30 hours a week but only the best times, probably nights and weekends... I think this would be much better than the online grind...just my thoughts though...

[kagame]

definitely loved that commerce 10/20, so much more fun than playing on empire, no cap, interesting characters at the table, bobby hoff sitting 20/40 a table over, james woods getting creamed at another 10/20 table, great times

thats one reason i dont play as much as everyone seems to think i should, i burn out really easily at just about anything, but if i love something and its fun im pretty much awesome at dedicating myself, as i would assume many people are

id much rather play 1 table of $1000NL and pay attention and even possibly be creative than 5 tables of $200NL and just be a robot

i hope he doesnt mind me mentioning this, but limon burned out on poker recently, *possibly* due to multitabling PLO

extremely uncool

[AZK]

limon was playing online poker? Shut the [censored] up, I can't believe it.

[kagame]

*shrugs*

[bobneptune]

hello stankybank,

i am not a pro poker player, but i have been a pro horse player and semi pro black jack player for years, so let me make 3 generally points that will decide if you will be successful in this endeavour.

1... you have to have the clinical understanding of the mechanical game itself. you must have proper understanding of all the things that make a winning poker player from a theoretical sense. starting hands, pot odds, implied odds, changing speeds , reads, etc. understanding we all get better over time, but you must have the technical ability to play a winning game against the players you will be playing.

2... discipline. to gamble successfully for any extended period... you must have it. you must be able to make the correct theoretical play even though you've just gotten your ears boxed in the last four hands. you have to have a plan and stick to it an be virtually tilt proof.

you have to have the discipline to get up when you feel yourself getting tired or when the character of the game changes for the worse. you have to play the game like an assasin with tunnel vision. you are not there to get your rocks off or to make yourself feel like a big shot... you are there to get the money.

3... most importantly.... you must be adaquately bankrolled. you have to have enough bankroll to withstand the standard deviation of the game. in blackjack, the standard deviation is easy to calculate and your risk of ruin if you define the game you are playing, the bet spread and your lifetime bank.

poker is a little different, but you still need a big bank relative to the level you play to withstand the standard deviation of the game (luck).

for instance, say you have 88o and you are positive single opponent preflop has AKs. the AKs pushed over your raise. what do you do ??? you are a 52.5% to 47.5% favorite.

many will say you can find a better spot to get your chips all in, but this is the correct answer if you have a small bank that you cannot replenish. if you have a large bank where you can last long enough for the 5% edge to rise to the top, the obvious answer is to push. a short bank will force you to violate the fundemental theory of poker and play sub optimally.

so, if you have the technical skill, the discipline and the bankroll to withstand the standard deviation of the game and the heart for it... why not ????

[stankybank]

Thanks for all the responses guys. I know it's not gonna be easy but I have so much passion for the game, especially no limit, that I often find myself thinking about the game every waking moment and sometimes during my sleep. I truly want to be a successful pro. Maybe I'll make it, maybe I'll fail, but at least I can say I tried. To be honest, I feel a little different now that I've proclaimed myself a pro, perhaps it's a little nervous bug inside me now that I'm depending on my card skills to support myself. I don't have many expenses but it would be nice to throw down some money to my mom every once in a while. I know that once I get in the groove of things, it'll be okay, but it would really help if I could get off to a good start. I'm thinking about setting up some type of goal in the beginning to help me progress my results a little better. I want to post them here so that I have you guys to assist me, whether I'm heading in the right direction or not.

Anyhow, once again, thanks for all the replies. Good luck to all of us that seek a different path in life.