A Note to "WannaBe" Pros

[LostMyCaseMoney]

I've played pro for two years. I'm now going to start college next semester.

I'm not going to comment much on this just because so much simply depends on the individual. All I will say is that right now it's so easy to make a living playing poker anybody can do it. Just eight tabling 3/6 you can easily make over 80k a year which for a young single person is a lot of money compared to if they were in the workforce. When the bubble bursts you won't be making nearly as much as you are now. You will have to play much better, much longer, for less money. No one is going to talk someone out of attempting to go pro but keep in mind the reason so many people fail to go pro sucessfully is because it's a tough gig. Right now it's cake but in a few more years that won't be the case.

[Mr_J]

Poker is just a way for me to put capital together, so it wouldn't bother me if the 'bubble' did burst in a few years time.

"When the bubble bursts"

That is just your opinion. Saying 'bubble' makes it sound like online poker is a fad, and it's not. It's popularity may not increase as much as it has done recently, but there's no reason to expect anything extreme.

"You will have to play much better, much longer, for less money"

Again, you're assuming things will get MUCH tougher. Much better, much longer and for less money?? Are you serious? You're acting as if our hourly rates will be cut 75% or something.

"Right now it's cake but in a few more years that won't be the case. "

That's what they were saying a few years ago.

You're being a bit dramatic there.

[11t]

Yah I am a college student and I make enough to make poker better than working at a fast food joint, however that does limit my bankroll. Once I get my engineering (true love)degree, I'll be making enough money that poker will become a nice recreational activity that happens to make me money.

I don't ever plan on going "pro", I just don't think that life would hold enough meaning for me (not to try to take anything away from those who are professional poker players), but I've heard in interviews about how many players feel unaccomplished since they have spent their lives playing cards. Of course, this is true of many people throughout all walks of life. I just remember hearing John Juanda say that he wanted to go back to college and graduate and get a degree in medicine to become a doctor.

But yah, playing poker is hard, and taking big swings when you have bills can crush your soul. This is why it is hard to play your A+ game for like 40 hours a week consistently over the long term.

[tewall]

Wise thoughts.

[jeffraider]

Going pro is a great fit for some people, a good fit for other people and a terrible fit for most people. It looks appealing to a whole lot of people though.

[ QUOTE ]
Going pro is a great fit for some people, a good fit for other people and a terrible fit for most people. It looks appealing to a whole lot of people though.

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So true!! So many people think it's fascinating that I'm a professional gambler. They have no idea.

I came into gambling strictly by accident. Eking out a small edge from the casinos. Slowly built a bankroll while working a small business as an independent contractor.

Started in 1996, by 1998 my gambling income matched my work income, after that gambling exceeded work income. Guess it was early 2000 that I realized I could really make some money. Kept reinvesting my earnings into my bankroll so that I could up my stakes and up my earnings. Began to think about the possibility of going full time. Two years later, house bought with cash, a substantial bankroll (necessary with an approximate 1% edge at high stakes in a volatile game), money to buy a new car with cash, I quit my business.

Though I love my freedom, it took me about a year to get over it. I missed my colleagues and clients terribly. Your world gets very narrow as a gambler, you have to really make an effort to connect with the world.

You can go where you want when you want. Most people cannot. It's difficult to find people with the same flexibility in their schedules, except other gamblers.

You must be able to adapt to change. In my case, once a casino in which I "worked" realized they were losing money, they changed things. Whoops, no income. Back on the road, find another opportunity. I had a casino basically steal $38,000 from me.

My freedom and autonomy mean the most to me. But basically this is a non productive endeavor, it can leave one feeling empty. I believe it's important to have other interests and friends for some balance in life.

So if you really wanna be a pro, plan for it, make sure you have enough money and no debt. You don't want the inevitable downswings to cause you too much stress.

[skipperbob]

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agree 235,000%

i am very disturbed at the 'i'm dropping out cuz i had a badass month!!' trend

college is more +EV than any of you students on heaters can possibly know

great article by Ed Miller on the topic


edit: fox i did, i ran a company for about a year before 'going pro'...i like playing about a million times better overall, its a whole lot less like having a job and a whole lot more like personal freedom. even if you 'own' your business you still can't do whatever you please, you can't just not show up etc. with poker you can take a month off if you aren't feeling it, or do your job from another country or whatever. there may be companies that allow these perks but mine was not one of them.

aside from perks and drawbacks...i think the skill sets are very very similar...you need a profound trust and faith in yourself and a complete disregard for the opinions and input of others (many times from people close to you). you also need money management, time managament, discipline, honesty with yourself and a bit on insanity to make either of them work IMO.

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Hard to Believe that you were once the "hated" GauchoFish [img]/images/graemlins/shocked.gif[/img]...Good Post [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[vinyard]

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college is more +EV than any of you students on heaters can possibly know

[/ QUOTE ] This is a broad generalization clearly and its very likely to apply better to the population in general than people who would/could be successful as Poker Professionals.

In general, I think Ed should limit his writings to things he knows well and stay away from general life advice. And as somebody who occasionally works in higher education the notion that people who were good or better students and leave to pursue other oppurunities never return to get their degree is much less true now that it was ten to fifteen years ago. And it was *never* all that true. Bein able to make six figures at a job that stimulates you intellectually and allows you to make your own hours is a very good opurtunity especially at a young age. Further I think its a huge waste to drift around a college campus rudderless with no bettter idea of why you are there than because that is what is expected of you. Its flat out stupid.

[gumpzilla]

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Bein able to make six figures at a job that stimulates you intellectually and allows you to make your own hours is a very good opurtunity especially at a young age.

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This is going to be a very small subset of people that skipperbob is addressing. I think he's more interested in reaching the audience that only thinks they can do this.

University has been -EV for me. Don't get me started on Student Loans. Wish I had just done self-study.