Is pro poker right for me? [LONG]

You only live once man, I say go for it. If things don't turn out the way you expected, you can always do something else.

[Subfallen]

i would be more encouraged about your prospects if you were more competitive.

i think enjoying and being inspired by competition are the most important components of being able to put in the hours as a poker pro. you don't really seem to have that sort of personality.

i could be wrong tho.

[JKratzer]

Go for it. I'm about 6 months into your exact plan and I'm very pleased. I graduated in the spring pre-med and delayed applying to graduate schools. I play poker as my only income and wasn't planning on doing it long term. I just got back from traveling around Europe in November. I will be applying to med schools here in the next couple months.

I was very unsure of my plans when I originally decided to do it when I graduated. Now I am very happy that I went with it, I think you'll always regret not taking a chance and trying something you love if you don't do it now. You will probably never have another opportunity to pursue this so definitely go for it.

As far as what to tell your parents, you could start by showing them your original post.

Best of luck,
JKratzer

[Nomad84]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm about 6 months into your exact plan and I'm very pleased.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks very much for your reply. I'd be interested to hear more about how much you play, what games you play, and your Europe trip, if you don't mind sharing.

[patrick_mcmurray]

hey Nomad

I am a poker pro at the moment but do not plan to do it forever. Like you, I am taking some time out, and doing something that I enjoy doing (on the whole), while saving money and deciding what to do next.

While not wishing to be negative for the sake of it: what concerns me about your post is that you have only played 35000 hands.

I play NL and have been a winning player since I started. HOWEVER I did go through a four month period where I made nowhere enough to live on (say $2000). This was after maybe 6 months of consistent winning, and has been followed by another 6 months of consistent winning.

Bear in mind that it can be quite stressful, especially if you drop a couple of buy-ins. (Easily done!)

But on the other hand I love being my own boss, and my winrate is much better because I am not playing while tired after a day's work.

Anyway PM me if you have any questions as I don't check this forum very often.

gl
Patrick

[Nomad84]

[ QUOTE ]

hey Nomad

I am a poker pro at the moment but do not plan to do it forever. Like you, I am taking some time out, and doing something that I enjoy doing (on the whole), while saving money and deciding what to do next.

While not wishing to be negative for the sake of it: what concerns me about your post is that you have only played 35000 hands.

[/ QUOTE ]

I plan to put in a lot of hands between now and graduation. So far, I've played about 10k this month, and I'll probably shoot for another 10k before the month is over. I'm doing this primarily because I need more experience, but also because I need to know how well I can do at playing a lot of hands each month.

[ QUOTE ]
I play NL and have been a winning player since I started. HOWEVER I did go through a four month period where I made nowhere enough to live on (say $2000). This was after maybe 6 months of consistent winning, and has been followed by another 6 months of consistent winning.

Bear in mind that it can be quite stressful, especially if you drop a couple of buy-ins. (Easily done!)

[/ QUOTE ]

I really don't expect this to get too stressful since I will be overbankrolled and I will also have plenty of additional savings. Downswings are somewhat stressful on their own, but I don't think that I'll feel financial pressure on top of that.

[ QUOTE ]
But on the other hand I love being my own boss, and my winrate is much better because I am not playing while tired after a day's work.

Anyway PM me if you have any questions as I don't check this forum very often.

gl
Patrick

[/ QUOTE ]

I may PM you later on down the road if I decide to do this. Thanks for your comments.