I've been playing for about four years. Found poker for yourself accidentally killing time on the Internet. Now a lot of time I spend playing. There are days when I am at the poker tables for 14-16 hours a day. I think that this will continue as long as I enjoy the game. Maybe poker in the future will be my main source of income. But for now it's just a pleasant pastime.
For anyone that dreams of poker being their main source of income, Id suggest the following.
1. be great at
bankroll management..set limits on how much you will lose at a particular session and how much you will be happy to win and get up from the table. Most players do not know when to quit , when they are losing, or winning.
2. Always anaylize your own game, and be honest when you play poorly.
3. try to find a player at the table whom you respect the most, and be more like that player. Nobody likes to be around irritating bad losers at the table.
4. live within your means from as financial point of view. Just because you may have a good poker year and win $30,000 , doesnt mean you should go out and buy a new corvette with that money.
5. Understand the importance of GOOD LUCK vs BAD LUCK...these 2 things are the great equalizers in games of chance and skill. Bad luck will cause a good player, to lose money and good luck will cause a weak player to win money. Ive seen this over the last 30 years in live games. Nver underestimate the importance of luck.
6. Understand that to beat the game of poker, it relies on 2 main factors :
HOW MUCH YOU WIN AND HOW LITTLE YOU LOSE.
7. Learn to play a style that best rewards you . For example, Playing like Doyle Brunson or Gus Hansen, may not be a style that rewards you...Find a style of play that works the best for you in the longterm. For me, that style is very tight , but aggressive if I play a hand. Its always best to have the other poker player , fear you, when you play a hand. I play about 2-3
hands per hour, to the river....so when im in the hand, they know I got a solid hand . This also gives me some leeway..to buy hands...for example..if their is 3 diamonds on the river in hold em..and im holding the bare ace of diamonds, I can buy a pot with a strong river bet.
The tighter you play, the more respect you will get when you play a hand or bet big on a hand.