How much $ per day for you to turn pro?

[J-Lo]

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I figure it this way.

My salary is ~$70,000. Adding 20% for benefits gives $84,000. To switch I would wand a raise, so add 15% to that for $96,600/year.

I currently have 17 paid days off, which is 3.4 weeks off. Round up to 4 weeks off, or 48 weeks working.

With commute time I average 52.5 hours/week, would want to work less, say 48 hours/week.

$96,600/48 weeks/48 hours = $42/hour minimum needed playing poker to make the switch.

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48 hrs/week is very very hard (i wanted to say, "not possible" but i chose not to). try 30hrs/week for the normal person who won't burn out.

Me? I play poker ane make, sustainable, $101/hr. Last month (november) i played 95hrs, 950 SNG tournies (10 tabling), and made $10,600 with bonuses. This is WHILE going to school, having a social life, and enjoyin time w/ family. When i graduate in May, i plan on playing ~30hrs/week and traveling. Saving money, and living the dream. I already AM living the dream, but school really stunts my freedom-- my BS in Accounting is my "plan B". Don't know how viable of a plan it really is. END BRAG POST

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48 hrs/week is very very hard (i wanted to say, "not possible" but i chose not to). try 30hrs/week for the normal person who won't burn out.

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Maximum hours is something I'm very curious about. There seems to be conflicting opinions. I often play 15-20 hours per week on top of 50+ at the job, so to me, giving up 50+ and adding 28-33 sounds pretty easy. You played ~22 hours per week on top of school last month. Without school, would 40+ be that difficult?

Something nobody mentioned: you may be able to make $500/day now, honestly. HOWEVER, what happens in 5 years when poker isn't as popular as it is now. Ok. 10 years? Let's say in 10 years Player X will be 31 and has made enough money from poker to live for those 10 years between 21 and 31. Now you're 31, online poker is nowhere near as profitable. You have to go out to interview for a job. They say "What have you been doing the last 10 years? You have no job listed." When you respond, "I was a professional online poker player," you will be laughed at and not hired.

Going pro is not for everybody. Nor is it for 95% of the players who play currently. If you somehow take down one of the big online tourneys on Sundays, or a WCOOP, or even a WSOP/WPT title, then MAYBE you could live for a long while after the boom dies. But looking to make $100/d at poker's peak is a very bleak (I like to rhyme all the time) outlook.

[MyTurn2Raise]

a single man in Champaign, IL lives very nicely on $100 per day.

It's a beautiful world

Right! Precisely my point! [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

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To be blunt, a career in poker is stressful...

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No, not if you have already have a long record of winning and a large enough bankroll. Most normal jobs are more stressful.

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...unstable...

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Depends on what you mean. If you know you are a winning player, you don't have to worry about not making money. Unstable in the sense that the games may not always be there... yes, but it will be years until this happens.

I agree that a lifelong career in poker could be tough and it's probably something that just a small group of people would be interested in.

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...unhealthy...

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No, why? As a poker pro I am able to spend less time in front of the computer than I was able to do when working a normal job. Whether it is unhealthy or not is completely up to yourself.

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...and socially isolating.

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Again, completely up to you. Play 5 hours day, go out and meet people the rest of your time.

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I find it stressful that there in a career of poker, there is always the risk of ruin, however small that percentage may be. Working a normal job, you never have to worry about working 30 hours a week for a month and somehow end up down $2k. Even winning players can go on insane downswings, believe it or not.
I disagree that sitting on your ass and staring at a computer screen is a healthy or social activity, as to what activities someone pursues away from the table is irrelevant to my point.

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Some good articles by Ed Miller on the subject.

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good stuff, thx

[jzpiano14]

Kinda off topic but anybody here a teacher full time and with their summers off play poker? I've thought about taking this routeand it has always seemed very appealing to me, because you have the benift of the full time job+benefits, but still are able to play poker 3-4 months a year

[raze]

Guys, I'm 21 with zero expenses. I've been playing a year online, and I am a consistent winner. The past few months I have been making around $15-20/hr, and that figure has been increasing steadily. I have friends who live on their own who go out frequently, spend all their spare $$ on booze, etc, and they live off minimum wage ($7.45CDN)!!

Am I stupid to think I can move out and live off online poker? I play 3/6. My rent + food + expenses should only come out to 700-900 / month, if I live cheap. I plan on moving out in February with about 6-7K for startup (bankroll, rent, food, new computer). All comments appreciated

[Fabian]

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Guys, I'm 21 with zero expenses. I've been playing a year online, and I am a consistent winner. The past few months I have been making around $15-20/hr, and that figure has been increasing steadily. I have friends who live on their own who go out frequently, spend all their spare $$ on booze, etc, and they live off minimum wage ($7.45CDN)!!

Am I stupid to think I can move out and live off online poker? I play 3/6. My rent + food + expenses should only come out to 700-900 / month, if I live cheap. I plan on moving out in February with about 6-7K for startup (bankroll, rent, food, new computer). All comments appreciated

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You're well on your way to be able to becoming a pro, but don't do it yet. You'll need to trust me on this. You need to make more/hour before going pro.

You wouldn't leave a lot of room for bad runs etc with those numbers you mentioned, so you'd constantly be living on the edge, money wise. While this might be ok (though not good) for normal jobs, it's completely unacceptable as a poker player.

Build a bigger bankroll. Become a better poker player. Move to 10/20 and play 50,000 hands. That should give you a good idea whether you're suited for this or not. Also remember, all monetary considerations aside, poker is so much more enjoyable when it's secondary income, rather than a full time job.