How would you define Poker Pro?

i know there is not a definitive answer here, but i thought it might be interesting to hear people's thoughts

i never really thought about it, but i guess some things that i would use to define a poker pro would be

Poker would have to be the person's primary way of, at least, trying to make a living ... i think you can be a losing player for awhile and still potentially be a Poker Pro if it is, basically, your occupation ... obviously any endorsement money would be considered poker profits

the player would have to be somewhat recognizable, at least, in poker circles

any "real" endorsement deals would immediately define somebody as a Pro

any player that consistently enters a few big events every year

having said that, it appears easier to be a Pro as a tourney player, but a cash player that sits down at high profile and/or high stakes tables would certainly also be a pro

any player that is staked to play in an event for TV ratings or to draw attention to the event would certainly be a Pro

if the player has written a book and sold a decent amount of copies

any player that has had a big payday in a big, televised event would be considered a Pro, now if they were simply an amateur that quickly went back to obscurity, then they would have a short Pro career

i guess the irony is that somebody with an endless bankroll could become a Pro in a few months even without success

whereas, somebody that has managed to grind out a living online for several years would still not be a Pro until they were willing to enter some big televised events

thoughts?

IMO you are confusing poker celebrity with professional.

A professional poker player is someone who makes their living from playing poker. It has absolutely nothing to do with whether or not they are well known or have been on a television show. The vast majority of poker pros are largely unknown and want to keep it that way. Also, the majority make their living in cash games, as thats a much better route than donkaments where variance is king and even great players can go long spells without cashing.

professioanl means doin it as priamry source of income your job, you dont have to be famous, well known, or even make tv apperances ever you just have to make your money playing poker, wether your a rakeback pro or winning player it doesnt matter, if your playing for your only source of income your a pro.
thats my main job so i class myself as a pro although I dont take myself to serious when i say that since I do feel like have to be more successfull to call myself a pro, but I do play for my only source of income, so technically i guess pro is the right word.

right, well my 1st point addressed doing as a living, but i wanted to go beyond that because clearly there are pros that have multiple sources of income, yet are still pros b/c they are recognizable, etc.

but, yeah, to my last point about having to come out of obscurity, i would say that you guys are right ... you can be an unknown pro ... but i do think that you have to be winning and supporting yourself in obscurity to be a pro, whereas, if you are known you can be a pro without winning

i would say that someone winning the lottery and deciding to play poker in obscurity and lose in obscurity would be a gambler, not a pro (for example)

I would say that you are a pro if you make your living at poker , celebrity isn't really important. I'm sure there are quite a few people totaly unknown making a living online or live playing poker , by defenition they would be pro's.
I don't really think a paid appearance would make you a poker pro , if a celebrity received a payment to play in an event then yes he is being compensated for playing poker but really at the end of that day it is for his name recognition

I think u need to have at least one sponsor. I make all my income from poker for the last 2 months but definitely wouldn't say I am a pro.I think when someone pays u to play,like a sponsor, then u r a pro.u don't have to be well known. But I think u need a sponsor or at the very least be playing high stakes and making ur income from that.

^ this. Paying your bills from playing poker is all that matters - fame and sponsorship don't even come into it.

the players that are "known" to be a pro do get lots of money from sponsers and such, but thats mostly because they are good, if not great, poker players.

Obv I agree with everyone else though. A poker pro is one where poker is his main source of income, it doesn't matter if that includes sponsers or rakeback, etc.

This is an easy one. A 'pro' is anyone who makes a living playing poker. I consider myself 'semi-pro' because about 40% of my income is poker(live). Also I play in every major tourney (WSOP or WPT) that is hosted nearby in Florida or Mississippi.

For me, a pro poker player is someone that can pay all his bills and survive with only the income of poker.

for me i've mainly paid my internet bill with my winnings. and its been several months since i've done that. I'm not a pro. my friend was. now F***tilt has his bankroll so he's flipping burgers. He's less than happy.

If you make a living and pay your everyday bills by playing poker, then you are a pro. Anything else, then you are an amateur. Pretty simple.

Strongly disagree with that. When someone gives up their full-time job and lives off of their earnings from poker they can call themselves a pro.

Can some one become a pro bum?

When a person earns their primary living from playing Poker.

A pro to me is someone who can live off of poker for a long period of time. I see players do it for several months, then go bust....then go get a job. Only to build another BR for another shot at it. To me that's not a poker pro...

RollKnot

What if their only bills are 'Nintendo &/or Xbox games' while living in the basement at Mom & Dad's?

A Pro is someone who makes their living playing poker and wins enough to keep playing.

If your friend is good enough tell him to get staked, I know a staker who might be intrested

A poker pro is someone who makes enough that he or she COULD live on BUT they don't have to exclusively play poker. A guy who makes 40k/yr at poker but chooses to work a real job because he feels that is not enough to live the lifestyle he wants is a pro in my book.

According to the definitive source on definitions Wikipedia:

A Poker Professional Must:

Provide all living expenses from the games played.

Have an admirable and/or debonaire physical appearance.

Be an American Citizen or be studying to become one.

Be able to chip shuffle a 20 chip stack with either hand while staring at 3flush flop.

Must own a minimum of 4 Hoodies.

Finally and most importantly, must have a 10-20 golf handicap, (In range only, no better or worse.)