The Pros and Cons of Playing Poker for a Living

[AtlBrvs4Life]

What does everyone think are the pros and cons of playing poker for a living, whether in cash games, or tournaments?

[Nick B.]

What is the meaning of life? Your question has been asked a lot on the boards. You can do a search to find past threads but basically I think everybody would say the pros are having all the freedom you could ever ask for, and the cons are not having a paycheck you can rely on.

[AtlBrvs4Life]

I searched, but I couldn't find anything. The reason I ask is because I have to make a list of the pros and cons, and it needs to be as insightful as possible to win the contest.

[Nick B.]

Here are some links

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[sumdumguy]

The pros, in general:
You have no boss.
You suffer no interference from other employees.
You have no customers (in a manner of speaking).
You work when you want or can.
You can play from home or casino.
You can vacation anytime you want
Your first date is usually impressed by your calm, collected and calculated expertise.
If you're held-up, more likely to retain id and credit cards
With at least 4,000 mouse clicks per day you begin to appreciate microsoft quality.
The neteller debit card is a great conversation starter with cute waitress.

General and Online cons:
A strong work ethic a necessity.
You will realize that patience is a virtue.
Delusional individuals need not apply.
Talking to the keyboard becomes boring after awhile.
Aliens will wonder why your monitor does not respond to cursing.
Your neighboors think you're screaming at an imaginary friend.
Your neighboors wonder who is, and why their cats are always being run over.
Your girlfriend is not so impressed after watching you scream uncontrollably at an inanimate object - the monitor.
Your girlfriend's parents is not so impressed with your proposal.
You begin to realize that pushing monitors off the patio can cut into your earn rate.
You notice that pushing the neighbour's cat off the patio can cut into you new found freedom.
Losing your neteller debit card is worse than losing your passport.. credit card.. wife..

B&M cons:
You will notice that many customers wash their hands enroute to the toilet.
You will also notice that few customers wash hands enroute to the table.
You will come to realize that you have more friends than you originally thought. And that many of your new poker buddies need loans desperately.
You will eventually discover that you don't have anymore time for your friends.
At only 30 hands per hour, you're content with 1BB per hour.
Then you'll realize the dealer makes more per hour than you ever will playing.
Nobody is interested in the bad beat stories of a professional - not even his friends.

[BeerMoney]

Braves, I don't think you're ready for it.

[HDPM]

If you can't make a living, there are obvious downsides. If you can make a living at it, you must ask yourself whether poker is enough for you; whether it satisfies your deepest values about life and making a living. For some it is enough. For others it is not. Nobody can make that decision for you.

[AtlBrvs4Life]

Thanks guys. Yes Beermoney, I know I'm not ready for it. I'm not even considering becoming a professional poker player.