Becoming a professional player

[MicroBob]

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What a dismal way to make a living.

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it might be dismal to some i suppose. but i rather enjoy it and it is quite relaxing to me.

I find MANY of the 9-to-5 (or 8-to-6 or other 'regular' jobs) to be pretty dismal. Guess it depends on your personality.

Other advantages over 'regular' job include:
no long and boring (and costly....price of gas and all) commute.
no evil employers/supervisors. no sucking up required.
vacation at MY leisure....and take my job with me to boot.

Previous jobs I would have to clear my vacation time with my employers. Shortly after my return from Mardi Gras/New Orleans vacation last year my grandfather passed-away and I needed to get to Wisconsin for the funeral. They acted like I was trying to pull one over on them...."well....it's getting really busy around here you know." blah blah blah.


Of course, the biggest advantage of all is that I'm making MORE money with significantly less time and effort than I ever have in the regular work-place.

[Warren Whitmore]

1) What is the largest adjustment you had to make? Moving my waking hours around such that I would always be playing in the softest games. I had thought I would just be able to pick a time slot and punch in and out so to speak. I was wrong.

2) How do you manage your money? On a monthly basis I withdraw half of my earnings to spend. The remaining half went towards increasing my bankroll.

3) What are some unanticipated obsticles that you had to overcome? My ego was the biggest. It was very hard for me (and still is) to quite a game when I am the best player in it because there is an even better game elsewhere. I like a challenge and thats bad.

4) What is considered a good income playing professionaly? I consider $30/hr to be the cut off point.

[Rudbaeck]

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Online is really new to me, so I DO forget that you can be playing 4 tables at once. It seems manic to me--flipping from screen to screen, hopping from one table to another, with scant seconds spent considering what's going on anywhere. The whole approach must end up being completely statistical. Why not just program your pc to do all that and stay in bed--it'll come to that, surely. What a dismal way to make a living.

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Nah, working from home has huge advantages. Yes, playing poker in a cardroom is more fun. But commuting to the cardroom is more -fun than playing in the cardroom is +fun.

As to the statistics part. Yes, most of my plays are rote plays. But so are they in the casino. Once in a while I have to stop and think, but I got 20s to do that. And to us MTV generation kids 20s is an infinity. [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

I don't have kids yet, but hope to spawn two or so over the next few years. And with kids it would be both a blessing and a curse to work from home. Mostly a blessing I think, being there when they grow up. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

And I've come to the conclusion that I must be self employed. I am allergic to authorities.

[Warren Whitmore]

Just curious, are you a libetarian?

[Rudbaeck]

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Just curious, are you a libetarian?

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Nope. I'm a good old fashioned Swedish social democrat. Free health care, free education, full social security for everyone, rehabilitation instead of imprisonment, the whole deal.

To be a bit sarcastic I'd actually be a strong voice for a nightwatch state if I believed that most humans are adult and able to care for themselves. [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img] I'm not a vocal supporter of the nightwatch state, so draw your own conclusions about my views of humanity in general.

[wdbaker]

Wow,
I had never heard of a night watchman state, interesting indeed, I think they also called it minianarchism.

I'll just stick with the good ole USA but interesting reading none the less.

[ QUOTE ]
The night watchman state or the minimal state is the state with the least possible amount of powers; these powers cannot be reduced any further without abolishing the state altogether and instituting a form of anarchy...

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See below for additional info
Night watchman state

One Street at a Time
wdbaker Denver, Co

[dutchgrl]

I have been playing winning poker for about 5 years and went full time about a year ago. I am one of the people that has a couple of college degrees, had great jobs, but enjoys the freedom that playing cards gives you. I am mainly an internet player, I play 4-6 games simultaneously at the lower limits. Again, I love the freedom it gives me, and I have been a consistent winner. Playing like this will not make me rich, but it enables me to make a very decent living.

The biggest thing that I had to learn to deal with is the swings that it brings. It can be very frustrating when you play for 10 hours straight and you end up losing. Or even weeks in a row. You have to be very strong and disciplined to be able to cope with that. Just like that you cannot get carried away when you get a great run.

[mtdurham]

http://www.geocities.com/guysfromraleigh/

i always tend to get annoying responses from this, but its my story anyway

[Warren Whitmore]

Thanks for the feedback, in your opinion how does the system you are presently under work as compared to other options?

[Rudbaeck]

[ QUOTE ]
Thanks for the feedback, in your opinion how does the system you are presently under work as compared to other options?

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I'm sorry, but you're going to have to rephrase that. English isn't my first language, so please be clear. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]