B
Bhzrd588
Rock Star
Bronze Level
Exactly! Here is another esencial skill to master during the game: Ability to not just stay calm and play but stay calm, play and observe carefully!
Exactly! Here is another esencial skill to master during the game: Ability to not just stay calm and play but stay calm, play and observe carefully!
Lipki3
Visionary
Bronze Level
willjosp
Rock Star
Bronze Level
The difference between a professional player and an amateur, the professional has more discipline, has more sponsors, They usually have more money to spend they can also travel all over the world some don't even have a wife and children In many countries you cannot live from professional poker 
Chebchoub
Legend
Platinum Level
I believe three main qualities differ pro player from amateur one.
1. Knowledge; they have a better insights of ranges due to long playing and cards performaces depending on positions.
2. Disiplice; they play a steady game no matter player, looses or bad beats.
3. Money; they have money that they can loose without worring for it;
You are welcome to name other qualities that you believe makes the difference
I think that a professional player can sit at the final table, or at least he can reach the winning seats with a percentage that may exceed 75%
As for the amateur player, if he is lucky, he can win in a few cases, but not always, and also he cannot reach the winning seats, even by 40% of the majority.
Alizona
Visionary
Bronze Level
I'm an American so I'll give you my informed American opinion on it...
...there is only ONE difference between a "professional" and an "amateur": it is a TAX classification.
First of all, the US Tax Code states that the one requirement to classify yourself as a "Professional Gambler" is that you have no other primary income. This means that if you work a full-time day job, you CANNOT file your taxes as a professional. Even if you are the greatest poker player in the world, you will only qualify as an amateur.
The main difference in this classification is that professionals get special tax treatment. It gets technical to explain, but professionals can deduct their losses against their winnings. Amateurs cannot do this, which means amateurs get screwed by the US Tax Code.
Let's use two examples, two identical players except one is able to call themselves a "Professional" but the other works at a factory and can only file as an "Amateur".
Each player has a break-even year. They both have significant tournament wins during the year, but those winnings are offset by their losses. They both enter $100K in tournament buy-ins during the calendar year, and they both win exactly $100K in payouts. Thus, they each "net" zero income - $100K in winnings with $100K in losses.
The Professional can sum these up on their tax return, and end up paying zero in tax to the government. The Pro has no income which means no tax is assessed.
However, the Amateur is not able to do this. The Amateur must claim the $100K they won as "income" and pay the full tax on that income (generally from 25% to 33%, so they owe the government anywhere from $25K to $33K). Amateurs cannot deduct losses from these totals, except for the very small "standard deduction" which is almost insignificant. Amateurs must add their poker winnings to their income from their day job and pay tax on that entire amount.
Disclaimer: I am not providing tax advice, some of my information here may be incorrect so do your own research. However, pre-Black-Friday (April 15, 2011), I held a full-time day job and thus I had to file as an amateur poker player so I learned the hard way just how terrible the tax code is on us. I actually quit my "real job" to play poker full-time as a "Professional" so I could obtain the tax advantage for that status... and believe it or not, my last day on the job was April 2011... after the government took away our freedom to play online poker that fateful day, I never made any income from poker, so I never actually became a professional.
These days, I call myself a "play chip pro" which is a comical joke about this whole subject. I've been angry for the past decade about how they stole my dreams, but I did have the option to leave America and move somewhere I could play poker and follow my dreams... I chose not to do so, and still live here despite it all. I grind the play chips on poker stars and rose to the highest ranks there. At least I became a baller somewhere, even if its more of a joke than anything. I like to poke fun at the whole thing, its maddening of course but I'm not gonna give myself an ulcer and ruin my health over it. It is what it is, this is our world, its not fair but oh well... and so it goes. LOL
Hope this explanation helps.
...there is only ONE difference between a "professional" and an "amateur": it is a TAX classification.
First of all, the US Tax Code states that the one requirement to classify yourself as a "Professional Gambler" is that you have no other primary income. This means that if you work a full-time day job, you CANNOT file your taxes as a professional. Even if you are the greatest poker player in the world, you will only qualify as an amateur.
The main difference in this classification is that professionals get special tax treatment. It gets technical to explain, but professionals can deduct their losses against their winnings. Amateurs cannot do this, which means amateurs get screwed by the US Tax Code.
Let's use two examples, two identical players except one is able to call themselves a "Professional" but the other works at a factory and can only file as an "Amateur".
Each player has a break-even year. They both have significant tournament wins during the year, but those winnings are offset by their losses. They both enter $100K in tournament buy-ins during the calendar year, and they both win exactly $100K in payouts. Thus, they each "net" zero income - $100K in winnings with $100K in losses.
The Professional can sum these up on their tax return, and end up paying zero in tax to the government. The Pro has no income which means no tax is assessed.
However, the Amateur is not able to do this. The Amateur must claim the $100K they won as "income" and pay the full tax on that income (generally from 25% to 33%, so they owe the government anywhere from $25K to $33K). Amateurs cannot deduct losses from these totals, except for the very small "standard deduction" which is almost insignificant. Amateurs must add their poker winnings to their income from their day job and pay tax on that entire amount.
Disclaimer: I am not providing tax advice, some of my information here may be incorrect so do your own research. However, pre-Black-Friday (April 15, 2011), I held a full-time day job and thus I had to file as an amateur poker player so I learned the hard way just how terrible the tax code is on us. I actually quit my "real job" to play poker full-time as a "Professional" so I could obtain the tax advantage for that status... and believe it or not, my last day on the job was April 2011... after the government took away our freedom to play online poker that fateful day, I never made any income from poker, so I never actually became a professional.
These days, I call myself a "play chip pro" which is a comical joke about this whole subject. I've been angry for the past decade about how they stole my dreams, but I did have the option to leave America and move somewhere I could play poker and follow my dreams... I chose not to do so, and still live here despite it all. I grind the play chips on poker stars and rose to the highest ranks there. At least I became a baller somewhere, even if its more of a joke than anything. I like to poke fun at the whole thing, its maddening of course but I'm not gonna give myself an ulcer and ruin my health over it. It is what it is, this is our world, its not fair but oh well... and so it goes. LOL
Hope this explanation helps.
pavel1111111
Legend
Platinum Level
the difference between the amateur and the professional player is the workplace ), the amateur goes to work every working day and wakes up in the morning , and the professional wakes up at noon , after which he plays some poker and makes money
), the amateur goes to work every working day and wakes up in the morning , and the professional wakes up at noon , after which he plays some poker and makes money
offshore11000
Rock Star
Bronze Level
I think the basic difference is that the so-called professional players have more studies about the game, mainly the math part, and they are much smaller than the amateurs who appear sporadically in the field, usually on weekends. As for money, I think there are professionals and amateurs with a lot of money or little, what happens to them after a table is another story lol
pljosko
Rock Star
Silver Level
A professional is one who has poker as a job, earning a living by poker. To succeed in this he must have psycho-mental abilities and constant learning and practice, much more than amateurs. But that's the way it is in every business, not just poker ...
BetterThanAvgButNotByMuch
Visionary
Bronze Level
Its a business to them and they do everything to get into the green and stay there.
They are constantly upgrading their skills through educational materials, looking for advice from professional players and outside professionals that can help them run their business such as accountants (jab at the post with the accounting stuff, lol) and dedicated to one thing and that's turning a profit.
They are constantly upgrading their skills through educational materials, looking for advice from professional players and outside professionals that can help them run their business such as accountants (jab at the post with the accounting stuff, lol) and dedicated to one thing and that's turning a profit.
H
Hsac
Rock Star
Bronze Level
Hi Bhzrd588, you seem to almost have a mythical view of poker professionals. Publications regarding ranges are everywhere. They can be easily learned. Many a pro who gets stuck, and everybody gets stuck from time to time, are often not on their best game while trying to win their money back. This gives the other pros at the table an advantage. This has nothing to do with bad beats. A good many of the pros are playing on the cusp, some good self-promoters resorting to playing with OPM, while others are negative millionaires who resort to borrowing money to play. This is the lifestyle I was a part of back in the eighties, and it hasn't changed much.I believe three main qualities differ pro player from amateur one.
1. Knowledge; they have a better insights of ranges due to long playing and cards performaces depending on positions.
2. Disiplice; they play a steady game no matter player, looses or bad beats.
3. Money; they have money that they can loose without worring for it;
You are welcome to name other qualities that you believe makes the difference
gustavofuentes2
Visionary
Platinum Level
They also have more luck than the amature players. After all no one can really win a tournament without having a couple of lucky hits. But it seems the pros get a little more than a couple.I believe three main qualities differ pro player from amateur one.
1. Knowledge; they have a better insights of ranges due to long playing and cards performaces depending on positions.
2. Disiplice; they play a steady game no matter player, looses or bad beats.
3. Money; they have money that they can loose without worring for it;
You are welcome to name other qualities that you believe makes the difference
M
miriancastro
Rock Star
Bronze Level
I think the main difference is the studyI believe three main qualities differ pro player from amateur one.
1. Knowledge; they have a better insights of ranges due to long playing and cards performaces depending on positions.
2. Disiplice; they play a steady game no matter player, looses or bad beats.
3. Money; they have money that they can loose without worring for it;
You are welcome to name other qualities that you believe makes the difference
okeedokalee
Glory To Ukraine
Loyaler
The pros can re-evaluate value during a hand and that separates them from the amateurs.
They are able to make the big calls and folds.
The amateurs like us, see our cards get excited, and become married to them.
They are able to make the big calls and folds.
The amateurs like us, see our cards get excited, and become married to them.
ratbat615
Legend
Platinum Level
The professional has been doing something so long that there’s no situation they haven’t seen so making the right decision at every situation.the Amateur just haven’t seen everything yet.that’s my analysis 🧐.I believe three main qualities differ pro player from amateur one.
1. Knowledge; they have a better insights of ranges due to long playing and cards performaces depending on positions.
2. Disiplice; they play a steady game no matter player, looses or bad beats.
3. Money; they have money that they can loose without worring for it;
You are welcome to name other qualities that you believe makes the difference
xOneCoolHandx
Legend
Bronze Level
I believe three main qualities differ pro player from amateur one.
1. Knowledge; they have a better insights of ranges due to long playing and cards performaces depending on positions.
2. Disiplice; they play a steady game no matter player, looses or bad beats.
3. Money; they have money that they can loose without worring for it;
You are welcome to name other qualities that you believe makes the difference
I think there are many differences. Professionals have more knowledge because they study constantly and improve their own game. I disagree with the money part. I know plenty of pros who have to scrape together their bankroll to get into a game. I think one quality that you overlooked is that they are very observant. They watch the other players and the action and notice every little detail and every situation and they file that information away in the recesses of their mind to use when appropriate.
10gerka
Visionary
Platinum Level
I think the difference is very clear, the professionals are those who study, are consistent in their game, and take their work seriously, most recreational players do not study and play poker for fun and have a good time, we must identify them to take advantage of that.