Poker Pros = SUPER FREAKS, here’s why

Infinity Objective

Infinity Objective

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Yeh, yeh, yeh, this isn’t a put down, it’s a compliment. Ok so let’s get the anomaly out of the way every so often some recreational bozo takes down a big tournament, fantastic you made more than you lost in your life to date, true that, so you’re a pro, YOU ARE DISQUALIFIED, like the lottery made someone a professional gambler. :rolleyes:

What makes the real pros Super Freaks?

Insane desire to absorb their being in non stop poker, thousands of online tournaments, hundreds of live ones annually. Look at anyone one of them, like something out of a circus they all look like they want to read your fortune, and they can, they do. You can dress like a clown, you aren’t a clown; it takes embedded winning skills. :eek:

If I’m not a freak can I become a Super Freak?

NO. Absolutely not. Scintilla of a maybe though. The only way that is happening is if you are a freak and grow into a super one, and if you’re not, one of the super freaks takes you under their wing, and through some fantastic osmosis, collision of the stars, bam, freak jr. is born. Let’s keep a good thought cause 99.9%+ of us aren’t super freaks. :eek:

Have fun though finding out, and who knows if I’m wrong, good for you, doesn't mean I was wrong though, maybe you were one all along and just didn't know it! :D

In the mean time I'll say that very, very generous white line is me :hahaha:
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N

neptun1914

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It is not different than in any other sport or job. Many people do it, a good amount of them do it properly but the ones which are famous and are on the top are few and are there because they have invested all their efforts and skill to become the best in what they do.
 
JBGoode

JBGoode

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I truly believe if you learn to TRULY understand the game like a "Super Freak" then you can make it, anyone can. As long as you have the ability to calculate Opponent ranges, and the math in your head, CORRECTLY without making a single facial expression or even the slightest twitch. (now that my friends is truly the hard part) with that ability anyone can become a pro. As long as they can stay ahead of the evolution of the game.
 
Infinity Objective

Infinity Objective

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I truly believe if you learn to TRULY understand the game like a "Super Freak" then you can make it, anyone can. As long as you have the ability to calculate Opponent ranges, and the math in your head, CORRECTLY without making a single facial expression or even the slightest twitch. (now that my friends is truly the hard part) with that ability anyone can become a pro. As long as they can stay ahead of the evolution of the game.

Nolan Ryan, the first man recorded to throw a baseball 100 mph+ was examined by scientists, head to toe, inside and out. Their unanimous conclusion was that the fact that Ryan found baseball is remarkable, That Ryan's mental and physical abilities / baseball, pitching, was a perfect match.
 
supernuts25

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I think a lot of players can learn to be good enouph to become pro, but I believe there are a select few who are just born with it and will become great. You can learn something but unless you have it you'll never be great
 
Infinity Objective

Infinity Objective

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I think a lot of players can learn to be good enouph to become pro, but I believe there are a select few who are just born with it and will become great. You can learn something but unless you have it you'll never be great

You get the drift, and independently you're absolutely correct. I'm thinking their absorption level in the game will be a double time effort to have that edge, if they don't burn out.
 
hugh blair

hugh blair

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Yeh, yeh, yeh, this isn’t a put down, it’s a compliment. Ok so let’s get the anomaly out of the way every so often some recreational bozo takes down a big tournament, fantastic you made more than you lost in your life to date, true that, so you’re a pro, YOU ARE DISQUALIFIED, like the lottery made someone a professional gambler. :rolleyes:

What makes the real pros Super Freaks?

Insane desire to absorb their being in non stop poker, thousands of online tournaments, hundreds of live ones annually. Look at anyone one of them, like something out of a circus they all look like they want to read your fortune, and they can, they do. You can dress like a clown, you aren’t a clown; it takes embedded winning skills. :eek:



If I’m not a freak can I become a Super Freak?

NO. Absolutely not. Scintilla of a maybe though. The only way that is happening is if you are a freak and grow into a super one, and if you’re not, one of the super freaks takes you under their wing, and through some fantastic osmosis, collision of the stars, bam, freak jr. is born. Let’s keep a good thought cause 99.9%+ of us aren’t super freaks. :eek:

Have fun though finding out, and who knows if I’m wrong, good for you, doesn't mean I was wrong though, maybe you were one all along and just didn't know it! :D

In the mean time I'll say that very, very generous white line is me :hahaha:
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This guy is freaky read this story lol.Hey wifey get the 2 kids we are selling the house so that we can live in a car and I will keep expenses down and have bigger bankroll
to gamble with live the dream.

PN Blog: Life as a Homeless Poker Pro in Las Vegas

August 24, 2017 Andrew Pieper
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98

SHARELINES

  • "I live a happy and content life doing what I love, despite the fact of living in a car." -- Andrew Pieper.

Tap, tap.
I raised my head off the back seat of my 2004 Toyota Prius to see a man in a hoodie standing right beside my car at 5 a.m. The dark tint and sunshade prevented him from seeing me inside. The first thought that popped into my mind was, "Oh it's parking garage security telling me I have to move."
But there was no identifying uniform or badge visible. When the man proceeded to go around to each door, rocking the car back and forth attempting to open a door, I rapidly came to the conclusion he was not a security figure of any kind. Slowly and carefully, I reached under my driver seat where I kept my security figure, a Glock 9 millimeter pistol. Check the magazine: full. Check the chamber: empty. I decided to keep it that way so long as the situation did not escalate further.
I remained laid down in the back seat when a car door shut nearby. Peering out from the rear window, I could see a black car parked right beside me, and the man who had just been testing the security of my door locks sitting there.
"Oh good, he can't get in and is leaving."
Letting out a sigh relief while simultaneously realizing I had been holding my breath, I decided to keep the firearm in hand until I saw the car actually depart. Five minutes passed. Then ten. And then thirty. He was just sitting in his car, sometimes with the door open. A few times he got out of his car and once again tried the doors and the trunk in case they had unlocked while he was waiting.
"AS SURPRISING AS IT MAY SOUND, I'M LIVING THIS LIFESTYLE BY CHOICE."
Glancing at my watch it had been nearly a full two hours since the would-be intruder tapped on the window. Finally, I heard the car next to me crank to life and exit the parking garage. I finally sat up, replaced the pistol to the secure case underneath the seat, shook my head and shrugged.
"Just one of those things I deal with being homeless, I guess."
I've been living life as a professional poker player for eight months now. For four of those, I've called my car "home." Are things really that bad? Am I losing at the tables and under-rolled? As surprising as it may sound, I'm living this lifestyle by choice.
When I first arrived in Vegas, I had a house to live in with a roommate I had known since high school. It was a large three bedroom, three bath residence and for two bachelors, it also came with a higher-than-average rent. But for such comfortable accommodations, I was willing to pay it. My roommate's occupation was with the Air Force and he was scheduled to be deployed overseas. One night, he talked with me saying he was uncomfortable leaving the house with someone living off an unsteady income. I offered many options, even paying the three months that he would be gone up front; however, a mutual agreement could not be found.
We had signed a month to month contract when I moved in and I only had a matter of days to seek out new living arrangements. I nearly moved in with a couple different people but for one reason or another the deals ended up falling through. Moving day came with no place to move into. I reserved a storage unit in town and made the necessary trips back and forth until the majority of my possessions occupied a six by twelve-foot unit. I kept a couple suitcases with the necessary clothing and toiletry items I would need along with the non-perishable food items for a very condensed pantry, and spent my first night sleeping in my car.
The next day was spent mostly online at the library researching if and how living out of my car was going to be sustainable. While a van or something that provides more room is preferred, a Prius was one of the few smaller vehicles that were recommended: the major factor being the gas engine will only run for a few minutes at a time with the A/C running so it's possible to keep the car running overnight for a few bucks a night. I could keep a small cooler with items that needed to be kept cold and having it stocked with ice was fairly easy as most hotels had an ice machine available.
My gym membership was valid at several locations around town, all of which contained showers and lockers as an amenity. Suddenly I had an even better reason to keep up with my gym routine knocking out fitness and hygiene in one. I had never been to a laundromat in my life, but I was soon making a weekly trip to one, which proved to be a great time to catch up on the poker podcasts I listen to. I had imagined receiving mail was going to be a big complication; however, via some quick research, I found I was able to rent a mail box which also provided me with a physical address and not just a P.O. box for 15 bucks a month.
Things such as rake and living expenses are the killers for low-limit players such as myself. Bart Hanson had this to say on low-limit games: "If you're Phil Ivey, you can't beat them because the rake is too high."
I
and he seemed to be in agreement with this.
"The most important aspects...cost and expenses."
When I asked what tips he had for someone like me, he advised: "If you want to move up and build a bankroll, the best way to do that is to lower expenses... I know some guys, who were probably the best players in the game, but they have to buy thirty thousand dollar watches... You're never going to have any money if you keep doing stupid stuff like that."
Living out of your car may not be exactly what he was referring to, but my overhead is kept to a minimum in doing so.
I don't subscribe to the worldview that success in life is having a solid career with a 401k, white picket fence, and 2.3 kids. I left the aviation industry holding multiple licenses along with a security clearance to pursue poker. While I still like aviation, I love poker. Poker affords me the opportunity to live a lifestyle without being tied down to anything or working a set schedule to make someone else money.
Live life according to your passions, not society's: that's the worldview I have. If living in Alaska fighting off wolves and hoping you prepared well enough to survive winter is your dream, go for it. If you find your passion at a desk job in a cubicle, go for it. The world is full of people simply "surviving" and drudging through the day-to-day grind, whatever passion they held in life buried deep somewhere in the past.
As the character of Mike McDermott in Rounders put it: "If you're too careful, your whole life can become a f***ing grind." I live a happy and content life doing what I love, despite the fact of living in a car.
I knew this lifestyle was possible and I'm not totally unique in doing this either. Carlos Welch, a poker pro, has a similar story and lived in his van for years grinding small stakes sit-n-go's and tournaments online. A couple years ago, CNN Money did
, an American pro with currently over $5 million in live earnings on Hendon Mob, who also chose to live homelessly.
I have a solid hourly and a bankroll over 100 buy-ins for the games I normally play in and am considering a transition to moving up in stakes. But when you have so few expenses and are beating the games at a decent rate, there's not a great need to move up right away. I exercise a very conservative bankroll management and really strive to account for every dollar I spend. If I wanted to go back into aviation, I could use a more aggressive line and take the "I'll either make it or I won't" attitude, but I have no plans to work for someone else again.
"You don't gamble, you grind it out." Even as a primary cash game player, nobody is immune to striking the wrong side of variance for an extended period of time. An awful week this past summer which chopped out 5% of my roll had me take a few days off. But the World Series was still going on and there were over 150 games were running around the clock. What was I going to do, not play? Play scared of getting in big pots because I might lose? You can't hack it as a pro if that's your attitude; focus on playing your "A" game and hit that felt.
If you're wondering about my story before I chose to live homeless, you can find it here.
Have you ever wanted to write your own articles about poker? Maybe you've got some experiences or opinions about poker that you'd like to share. PokerNews is proud to launch The PN Blog where you can have a platform to make your voice heard. Learn more here.


 
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