TO: ALL ASPIRING PROS

D

Dayne G.

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
May 30, 2008
Total posts
189
Chips
0
DO IT!!! :)

If playing full-time is a passion of yours, definitely take that chance. Obviously, know exactly what to expect-- BR, emotions, etc-- but go for it! There are many reasons not to, but don't let them affect you... as long as you're passionate enough to work hard, you should to do it!

If you're young, not married, & no kids (that you know of ;) ), you gotta try to live that dream. Don't let anyone tell you that you "shouldn't," no matter what the reasons they give you. Yes, it's brutal, and extremely difficult to make a living... but if you love it, do it while you can!

If you go broke, or can't deal w/ the emotional swings, so what-- at least you tried. No one can take that away from you, but believe me, they'll try. Life is about PASSION, not about "what-ifs," or "I wish I would've tried." If you have the opportunity to play full-time, take advantage of this time--

If I was in my early 20's again, and loved the game as I do now, I would've thrown everything in the middle... and gone for it. Instead, I have to settle for supplementing my current income, by squeezing 55 hrs/wk into 4 days. I don't have the massive pressure of needing to make enough to pay my mortgage, but I also don't know the true freedom that is Full-Time Poker.

Good luck if you try... and I do hope you try!

-Dayne
 
SeanyJ

SeanyJ

Legend
Silver Level
Joined
Aug 21, 2007
Total posts
1,558
Chips
0
I hate how all of your posts titles are in all caps. And I'm not so sure this is such good advice, a lot of people who just start go on a huge heater and think they can do it for a living. Then they start losing but think it's just bad luck since they won so much before, then they max out their credit cards with deposits on poker sites then the next thing you know they're living in a box.
 
C

chainfire98

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
Jun 17, 2008
Total posts
126
Chips
0
I prolly put in 10 or so hrs of poker a week, but i could never do it for a living. Way too much stress, pressure to win and no safety in a guaranteed salary like a regular job. All performance-based. No thanks. I appreciate the supplementary income i have been able to make, but that's as far as this hobby goes!
 
Last edited:
A

Adventurebound2

Legend
Silver Level
Joined
Nov 5, 2007
Total posts
4,935
Awards
1
US
Chips
40
gl Van. we're all countin' on ya
 
CalifNaughti

CalifNaughti

Enthusiast
Silver Level
Joined
Apr 6, 2005
Total posts
44
Chips
0
I can relate to what you are saying! Go for it when you have the chance!! God! Your post was so inspiring!! Maybe I will go for some HL game in Vegas next month!:)
 
Dorkus Malorkus

Dorkus Malorkus

HELLO INTERNET
Silver Level
Joined
Jul 12, 2005
Total posts
12,422
Chips
0
i can't work out who is third leveling in here and who isn't. :(
 
bob_tiger

bob_tiger

Legend
Silver Level
Joined
Jul 8, 2007
Total posts
2,735
Chips
0
I hate how all of your posts titles are in all caps. And I'm not so sure this is such good advice, a lot of people who just start go on a huge heater and think they can do it for a living. Then they start losing but think it's just bad luck since they won so much before, then they max out their credit cards with deposits on poker sites then the next thing you know they're living in a box.

exact same thing comes to my mind, to be a pro poker player you have to have more than just skills and knowing when to call or fold.
 
becomingpoker

becomingpoker

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
May 22, 2008
Total posts
130
Chips
0
I agree, GO FOR IT!! I'm married with one kid, huge mortgage payment, and an heap of debt that I can't see over but I'm in the midst of taking my shot as well. I play 25+ hours a week (usually while the fam is sleeping) and study for 10-15 hours(reading, forums, watching vids). I am in sales as my "real" job so I have a VERY flexible schedule to allow me the late hours at poker. I have a "coach" who I play seesions with about once a week and that has been the most help ever. Still grinding it at at micro limits (50nl) but hope to move up to the next level soon.

I've seen the fruits of this lifestyle and it looks tasty. So I second the notion of if your young with few obligations and dream of being a pro - GO FOR IT!
 
Joe Slick

Joe Slick

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
Feb 27, 2008
Total posts
305
Chips
0
I've seen the fruits of this lifestyle and it looks tasty.

I just hope you're not getting this impression from an ESPN view of the world. Most of the professional players' lives are completely consumed by the game.

I agree, GO FOR IT!! I'm married with one kid, huge mortgage payment, and an heap of debt that I can't see over but I'm in the midst of taking my shot as well.

Keep doing all the things you're doing but don't let it take away time from your family or your "real" job. Get your game to the point where you're averaging a net win of $100 to $200 per day in that 25 hours per week. Pay off that mortgage and debt (and braces, private school, etc.). You won't really be a pro but you'll have a life, a really good part time job, and will probably feel better about your sales job because you aren't depending on it for a living.

The professionals have never had it that good.
 
becomingpoker

becomingpoker

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
May 22, 2008
Total posts
130
Chips
0
I just hope you're not getting this impression from an ESPN view of the world. Most of the professional players' lives are completely consumed by the game.



Keep doing all the things you're doing but don't let it take away time from your family or your "real" job. Get your game to the point where you're averaging a net win of $100 to $200 per day in that 25 hours per week. Pay off that mortgage and debt (and braces, private school, etc.). You won't really be a pro but you'll have a life, a really good part time job, and will probably feel better about your sales job because you aren't depending on it for a living.

The professionals have never had it that good.

No I'm not getting the lifestyle impression from ESPN :p. I have a personal friend/coach that is a pro at 5/10nl online. It is his only job and his lifestyle looks good to me.

I do take care of my family and "real" job first. But for right now while I grind it out I play at night and just sleep less.

Tahnks for your words.
 
CAPT. ZIGZAG

CAPT. ZIGZAG

Legend
Silver Level
Joined
Dec 5, 2007
Total posts
1,032
Chips
0
I just hope you're not getting this impression from an ESPN view of the world. Most of the professional players' lives are completely consumed by the game.

.....and they are, for the most part, poor.


---
 
zachvac

zachvac

Legend
Silver Level
Joined
Sep 14, 2007
Total posts
7,832
Chips
0
I disagree with this topic, for the simple word "ALL". To take the shot I think you should definitely have a back-up plan (ie don't quit your job if you can't get it/another job back if you fail). You should also have back-up money if you're the primary provider in your family (sorry kids, we're homeless now, daddy was following his dream and it didn't work out). You need to be good as well, both at the game and mentally in control during downswings. This can be tested by going semi-pro before taking the final shot. Nearly everyone who dreams of going pro plays poker now. So instead of the 40 hours a week play 20. Play for a few months. Look at your winrate. Can you live on that? If so and you have the above covered, nothing wrong with taking a shot. But when you take the shot you have to know you'll probably fail, and to not have a backup plan would be extremely irresponsible, especially if there are people depending on you.
 
Jagsti

Jagsti

I'm sweet enough!
Silver Level
Joined
Feb 18, 2007
Total posts
5,478
Chips
0
both at the game and mentally in control during downswings.

QFT

Being able to cope mentally, with not only big d/swings, but break even stretches of say like 50k hands. That's the big test for any wannabe pro imo.
 
zachvac

zachvac

Legend
Silver Level
Joined
Sep 14, 2007
Total posts
7,832
Chips
0
QFT

Being able to cope mentally, with not only big d/swings, but break even stretches of say like 50k hands. That's the big test for any wannabe pro imo.

Agreed, just posted in the other thread where Chris_TC posted the graph for letherass. He had a -$20k stretch over around 80k hands. Most people currently get paid every 2 weeks. Imagine paying the boss instead of getting paid after working your ass off for 2 weeks.
 
D

Dayne G.

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
May 30, 2008
Total posts
189
Chips
0
I disagree with this topic, for the simple word "ALL". To take the shot I think you should definitely have a back-up plan (ie don't quit your job if you can't get it/another job back if you fail). You should also have back-up money if you're the primary provider in your family (sorry kids, we're homeless now, daddy was following his dream and it didn't work out). You need to be good as well, both at the game and mentally in control during downswings. This can be tested by going semi-pro before taking the final shot. Nearly everyone who dreams of going pro plays poker now. So instead of the 40 hours a week play 20. Play for a few months. Look at your winrate. Can you live on that? If so and you have the above covered, nothing wrong with taking a shot. But when you take the shot you have to know you'll probably fail, and to not have a backup plan would be extremely irresponsible, especially if there are people depending on you.

The point of the thread isn't about the outcome... it's about the process of trying.

For being so young (no disrespect intended :) ) you sure do worry about future quite a bit. Good, because you're probably very responsible. Bad, because you may miss-out on a lot.

Your strength may be your weakness... sure was mine was I was in my 20's. I missed out on a ton, because I was so "responsible," and concerned about EVERYTHING.

I totally understand your point, but "the unknown" isn't always a bad thing.
 
Last edited:
D

Dayne G.

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
May 30, 2008
Total posts
189
Chips
0
I hate how all of your posts titles are in all caps. And I'm not so sure this is such good advice, a lot of people who just start go on a huge heater and think they can do it for a living. Then they start losing but think it's just bad luck since they won so much before, then they max out their credit cards with deposits on poker sites then the next thing you know they're living in a box.

I agree about the caps... I need to (will) stop that :)

But, the "what-ifs" are why so many are afraid of doing.

He may go broke... he may retire in a $10 million home. No one knows, which is the fun part.
 
I

Inscore77

Legend
Silver Level
Joined
Aug 11, 2007
Total posts
3,511
Chips
0
You have to have the bankroll to make the jump first. If you have it, along with enough money set aside to pay for rent, food, utilities, etc., you can give it a shot. It would be fairly stupid to do it otherwise, unless you want to live on the street.

I myself have no dreams of being a pro, but if I become good enough at the game and make enough money at it I would give it a shot. I am very happy at the time being as I was able to cash out over a grand(lot of money for me) this past month and am looking to do it again
 
regd87

regd87

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
Jan 12, 2008
Total posts
345
Chips
0
best feeling in the world is cashing that check that came via mail from the poker sites. My advice is to just always play within your limit and make sure you HAVE a limit. Use BR management. Nothing like playing a game of cards for some extra cash each week.

My own personal goal is to be able to cash out $300 per week or $1200 per month, while having a job, it just adds some extra cash flow :)
 
zachvac

zachvac

Legend
Silver Level
Joined
Sep 14, 2007
Total posts
7,832
Chips
0
The point of the thread isn't about the outcome... it's about the process of trying.
I completely agree here. You can find past threads where I've been quoted as saying basically what you are, think about what will happen if you DON'T take that shot. But that's if you fit the criteria.
For being so young (no disrespect intended :) )
None taken :)

you sure do worry about future quite a bit. Good, because you're probably very responsible. Bad, because you may miss-out on a lot.
Did you miss the part where I've said I'm definitely considering taking a shot? It's just that I have a back-up plan in case I do fail, I'm pursuing a degree in computer science.

Your strength may be your weakness... sure was mine was I was in my 20's. I missed out on a ton, because I was so "responsible," and concerned about EVERYTHING.
Again, if you're 20, no responsibility, good skill set to fall back on if you fail, love poker, then by all means go for it. But if you're 40, have a wife and kids, a good job, house payments to make, and then you take a shot by quitting your job, you could hurt your entire family if you fail. That pressure alone would make it even harder for you to succeed. Poker requires patience and not relying on instant success. If you're short on money and need to work to make the payments, that's completely different.
I totally understand your point, but "the unknown" isn't always a bad thing.


The bad part of poker is not an unknown, it's going broke, everyone knows what it is and as I mentioned, if I graduate from school, attempt to go pro in poker, and end up not cutting it and lose my entire poker bankroll, I can search for a job and probably be just fine. I don't plan on being married by that point and I certainly hope I don't have kids by then. I will have gotten my degree, so if I fail for whatever reason I can just look for a job and get right back on my feet. Others may not be able to do that. That's all I'm saying. The point is most likely you will fail, and making millions CAN be predicted. If you are currently beating a level for ~3 PTBB/100, going pro will not raise that to 5. You already know your current winrate, and that's only going to go down if you go pro. So you can already estimate your max winrate, take your winrate and project it onto 40 hours a week, 48 weeks a year (gives 4 weeks for vacations, breaks, getting sick, etc.). I highly doubt someone not pro already will see a number bigger than a million.

So basically my point is most likely you'll fail, that's the grim reality. Should that prevent you if you have the right qualities? No. If you can handle failing, take the shot, you never know what you can do until you try. But if failing would ruin your life, cause you to have to declare bankruptcy, hurt your family, or anything like that then I'd say don't take the shot, because you'll probably fail and you'll probably end up hurting not only yourself but the loved ones around you as well.
 
D

Dayne G.

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
May 30, 2008
Total posts
189
Chips
0
I completely agree here. You can find past threads where I've been quoted as saying basically what you are, think about what will happen if you DON'T take that shot. But that's if you fit the criteria.

None taken :)


Did you miss the part where I've said I'm definitely considering taking a shot? It's just that I have a back-up plan in case I do fail, I'm pursuing a degree in computer science.


Again, if you're 20, no responsibility, good skill set to fall back on if you fail, love poker, then by all means go for it. But if you're 40, have a wife and kids, a good job, house payments to make, and then you take a shot by quitting your job, you could hurt your entire family if you fail. That pressure alone would make it even harder for you to succeed. Poker requires patience and not relying on instant success. If you're short on money and need to work to make the payments, that's completely different.



The bad part of poker is not an unknown, it's going broke, everyone knows what it is and as I mentioned, if I graduate from school, attempt to go pro in poker, and end up not cutting it and lose my entire poker bankroll, I can search for a job and probably be just fine. I don't plan on being married by that point and I certainly hope I don't have kids by then. I will have gotten my degree, so if I fail for whatever reason I can just look for a job and get right back on my feet. Others may not be able to do that. That's all I'm saying. The point is most likely you will fail, and making millions CAN be predicted. If you are currently beating a level for ~3 PTBB/100, going pro will not raise that to 5. You already know your current winrate, and that's only going to go down if you go pro. So you can already estimate your max winrate, take your winrate and project it onto 40 hours a week, 48 weeks a year (gives 4 weeks for vacations, breaks, getting sick, etc.). I highly doubt someone not pro already will see a number bigger than a million.

So basically my point is most likely you'll fail, that's the grim reality. Should that prevent you if you have the right qualities? No. If you can handle failing, take the shot, you never know what you can do until you try. But if failing would ruin your life, cause you to have to declare bankruptcy, hurt your family, or anything like that then I'd say don't take the shot, because you'll probably fail and you'll probably end up hurting not only yourself but the loved ones around you as well.

HOLY SHITE!!! WE AGREEEEE??!!

(Don't tell anyone) :D
 
Top