How Long Does It Take To Get Good Enough To Make A Living?

How long do you think it generally takes a decent player to get good enough to make the minimum to live from playing poker, say $20,000, assuming you work hard at it and play loads?
To any pros on here how long did it take you?

It depends....

What 20k a month? I could tell you some stories if i know an exact $ number a month, but dont know if it will help you in any way tho cos its a small sample

What does it take to be an Online Poker Pro

If you have ever thought about becoming a professional poker player, you are not alone. In fact, just about every lover of the game thinks about living the lifestyle of a poker pro. In order to do this a few years ago, you would really have to get up and go to Las Vegas or Atlantic City. Unless you already live there, that can be pretty tough. In order to be a pro player, you would have to risk everything and leave your current live. All of that has changed since the rise of online poker. Now, just about anyone “can” become an online poker professional.
Is it easy?
When we say “can” become, in online poker that means that the possibilities are endless, but it still takes more than you would believe. Not everyone can be a poker pro (not even online), but it is much easier than the old fashion way. Technically, you could start with $1 and make your way all the way up to high stakes poker and be a pro in no time. Still, it takes a lot of skill, discipline and patience.

Treat Poker like a Business

Poker is a business in addition the the great game you love. If you are going to be a pro you must be able to manage your game as if it were a business. You must be able to properly manage you bankroll, money and everything else that goes along with the game. That is probably the biggest set back for most that try to do this. You can be the greatest poker player in the world, but if you are not able to manage everything properly, you do not have a chance.
Another thing is that becoming a professional poker player really takes balance. It can be very easy to play poker 24/7 if you love it enough, but that is only going to hurt you in the long run. You are talking about something that is going to run your entire life. You will be relying on poker as your full time income which is a lot of pressure. Without the balance, you are going to get overwhelmed and drained out. That is why so many players do well at first but end up going down hill a year later. Keep a balance in your life and that will not happen.

Track your Poker Stats

If you are going to be a poker pro online you must track everything. You are going to need to keep track of your statistics and hand histories. Improving your game nonstop is what it will take to get to where you are trying to be. Even once you are there, you will still need to be constantly trying to improve your game and get even better. The statistics will help you understand what you need to improve on. That is the hardest part, the improving is easy. Once you figure out what the problem is, you can fix it.
Becoming an online poker pro takes a special person. It is definitely possible for anyone to do it without ever leaving their home. You really do not even need a significant amount of money if you start off low and manage your bankroll. Just remember, it takes many different attributes to become a professional online poker pro. The reward is that your job is something you love to do, and that is priceless.


Info found at link below. X

http://www.aintluck.com/strategy/online/pro/

I'll let you know when I get there.

Why do so many people ask this? Its not like you just read a couple books and instantly you can play like a pro. It depends on how quickly you pick up the game and understand the necessary concepts of being a consistent winning player, much like going pro at anything.

Actually, Los Angeles would by my preferred city to turn Pro. More variety of poker games than any other city. And a quick flight/drive to Las Vegas.

TheWall said:

Why do so many people ask this? Its not like you just read a couple books and instantly you can play like a pro. It depends on how quickly you pick up the game and understand the necessary concepts of being a consistent winning player, much like going pro at anything.

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What he said ^^

Question for ya... ."how long does it take you to become a good enough lead guitarist to be playing at big venues, or to be backing up famous acts at concerts? How long til' you're actually making a decent living at it?"

My answer: "well... .hmm... that 'depends' "

Just to chime in, it is true that so many want this lifestyle and that is a good thing.

Like everything else TAKE IT IN STEPS.

Your first goal should not be to make $20,000/year. Chances are you want more than that but that is way too large of a goal at first.

Start tiny and work your way up. That can even mean starting playing .01/.02 tables. Just set a standard goal with your money and apply it to all blinds you are playing (like never playing blinds for more than 4% of your total bankroll). Whatever it takes.

If you have to ask you might have to accept the fact that you're not going to. Like most of us you better not quit your job just yet.

Cynical answers aside, the question is one that many newer players have asked. I like KevinLush's answer the best, take it in steps. If you want a real shot, study, learn, open your mind, look for leaks and how to plug them, set small accomplishable goals, practice good bankroll management and practice your game. That of course isn't even close to a complete list, but it's a good start.

If I ever hit pro status, I'll give you some better advice!

KevinLush said:

Start tiny and work your way up. That can even mean starting playing .01/.02 tables. Just set a standard goal with your money and apply it to all blinds you are playing (like never playing blinds for more than 4% of your total bankroll). Whatever it takes.

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that's what i'm doing. no real aspirations of becoming a pro but one of these days it would be nice to get a little bonus check from it all and that's always been my goal. they tell you as a kid "aim big! aim to be president! aim to be lord of the gods!"...i say eff that. life is situational, after you stop being 5 and wanting to be a fireman, your goals can no longer be realistically "big"...i was all conference in track and cross country, i even went to virginia tech on account of that with a little help...but i never thought "olympics"...it was always one step at a time. (never made olympics either...flunked out of college too, woohoo). some friends and family crack jokes i play poker "online"...and that's fine, because it makes me happy. i've joked friends because they play WoW...that is pretty lame though seriously, and i'm a nerd too, i beat nethack before for god's sake and i got 3 unix boxes sittin on the floor beside me.

goals should be set in increments. that's always given me the most success, whether it's recreational or professional. it took years of playing on various unix operating systems before i truly felt i knew what the hell i was doing at all times...its a whole god damned world of crap you could make yourself learn every day, you can't just say "i'm gonna be a master of it all...tomorrow". one little thing at a time. if you can't beat micro-stakes poker to any degree, then you can't beat low stakes. doesn't mean you can't eventually but it does mean you're not a poker pro. still haven't been playing free and micro poker for a very long time in the grand scheme of things, at least not online. so no expectations of winning the wsop or a million dollars every other week from me. i can see how so many people can get sucked into it...think they're fairly intelligent, make a deposit, and get taken to the cleaners though

Did you ever have a tourn where you are just "in the zone"? Like every move you make is the right move, every fold was a good fold, every raise was golden? I think you would have to be "in the zone" for about a year straight, lol
But, when we see some of those that DO make it - I think sometimes every player has the thought that: if he can do it, so could I!
Like in the 2Months/2Million show...I think they had great potential to do it - but they spent more time on their pranks than on their poker. Not the way to reach the goal.

Xavier said:

How long do you think it generally takes a decent player to get good enough to make the minimum to live from playing poker, say $20,000, assuming you work hard at it and play loads?
To any pros on here how long did it take you?

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Most people will never be able to beat the game significantly, no matter how much hard work they put into it. Most people can't become an engineer, a doctor, a rocket scientist, a professional athlete or a supermodel either, even if they try hard. Life is unfair.

For those who do have the ability, the answer is "it depends". Personally it took me about 18 months to get to the level of income you specified. But I don't really work hard and play loads - about 50 hours per month on average - so obviously it can be done a lot faster. Also, i'm not a pro. Poker is just a hobby.

I think some people grind it out for years before really becoming a "pro". Look at some bios of the famous guys you see on TV. Some of them seem to have been beating the game since their first hand, others took years.

But, I think maybe what the original poster was getting at is sort of something not too many ppl here seem to discuss...if you are a pro, how did you get there? what do you make? How long did it take?

Of course, these are all personal questions and not that many ppl want to answer them.

BelgoSuisse said:

Most people will never be able to beat the game significantly, no matter how much hard work they put into it. Most people can't become an engineer, a doctor, a rocket scientist, a professional athlete or a supermodel either, even if they try hard. Life is unfair.

For those who do have the ability, the answer is "it depends". Personally it took me about 18 months to get to the level of income you specified. But I don't really work hard and play loads - about 50 hours per month on average - so obviously it can be done a lot faster. Also, i'm not a pro. Poker is just a hobby.

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Do you play cash games or tournaments, and at what level or buy in?
Are you exclusively an online player?

Xavier said:

Do you play cash games or tournaments, and at what level or buy in?
Are you exclusively an online player?

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Cash only. A mix of 100nl and 200nl. Online only.

I think it's obvious there's no direct answer to your question, just a myriad of guess if you're willing to oblige.

It probably depends on:

1. How long you've been playing
2. How good you are now/Skill
3. Ability to improve
4. Willingness and desire to improve

Start to win small buy-in tournaments, or beat the 0.05/0.10. Later we talk about k's...

Dam Yankee said:

Did you ever have a tourn where you are just "in the zone"? Like every move you make is the right move, every fold was a good fold, every raise was golden? I think you would have to be "in the zone" for about a year straight, lol
But, when we see some of those that DO make it - I think sometimes every player has the thought that: if he can do it, so could I!
Like in the 2Months/2Million show...I think they had great potential to do it - but they spent more time on their pranks than on their poker. Not the way to reach the goal.

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Just so you know the 2 monthes 2 million guys have made loads of money playing online poker, this was just one two month increment, the show also didn't show all the poker they were playing.

It takes 4 years, 3 months to become financially independent with on line poker are your sole support. Add another month if your female and married, another 24 1/2 years if your male.

take it slow, climb up the stakes ladder, have a lot of patience and be disciplined. treat it like a business and be prepared to invest a lot and i mean a lot of time, and in a couple of years you could support yourself from poker

BelgoSuisse said:

Cash only. A mix of 100nl and 200nl. Online only.

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So how many tables do you play at once and do you use any software like Pokertracker?
By the way is that your photo on your posts?

Xavier said:

So how many tables do you play at once and do you use any software like Pokertracker?
By the way is that your photo on your posts?

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Anything between 4 and 16 tables depending on the style i go for.

Holdem Manager

Lol no. It's the playmate of the month from November 1972. Lena.

There are people that have paid there dues and still never make it. I know people that have been playing for 20 years very solidly but dont have what it takes to turn pro. Its not something you can just wake up and do, and its not something you can train your whole life and do, sometimes you just dont make it. Not trying to rain on any parade here or anything, but its just the truth.