question for you online semi-pros

[speedz99 145]

Do you ever cash out, or do you just keep moving up limits? For example, I know Smash makes about 40k per year multi-tabling $3-$6. Do you all just stop at a limit so you can cash out for a regular income, or are some of you just trying to move up as much as possible until you hit the bankroll for $100-$200 or whatever?

[PhishForChips 0]

I like to think of my poker account as a savings account with a much higher interest than any bank could ever offer.

[wannabe 0]

I stay at the same limit ... $2/$4 pot limit, and cash out every monday... How much, I keep to myself.

[Dlink 0]

If you aren't cashing out you aren't a pro semi or otherwise. By definition to be a "pro" of any sort you need to be generating income. Having said that I'd love to be able to stop cashing out and build my roll for a while but don't see it in the near future.

[jack24bauer24 0]

If you aren't cashing out you aren't a pro semi or otherwise.  By definition to be a "pro" of any sort you need to be generating income.  Having said that I'd love to be able to stop cashing out and build my roll for a while but don't see it in the near future.

Quite the ridiculous statement.

[FOOSE1 0]

I cash out once I reach a certain amount over my "bankroll". I keep my entire bankroll in my online account so I know exactly how much I am over/under. Not using exact numbers (I agree with the previous poster about keeping it private) but let's say My bankroll is $1,000 and I play at .50/1 NL Holdem. I keep $1,000 in my account and once I reach $1,100 in my account I cash out $100. I do this to keep myself disciplined. I may cash out daily or several times a day depending on how things are running. Also, if I feel I want to move up in limits I follow kind of my own rule which is 10 times the standard buy in. So for example, if I buy in to the .50/1 table with 100 I need to have atleast 1,000 as my bankroll. If I want then to move up to 1/2 and buy in with 200 then I need 2,000 as my bankroll before I move up. This rule is actually a little higher than most I think but playing mainly No-Limit the swings are a little greater. I hope this helps.

[Dlink 0]

If you aren't cashing out you aren't a pro semi or otherwise.  By definition to be a "pro" of any sort you need to be generating income.  Having said that I'd love to be able to stop cashing out and build my roll for a while but don't see it in the near future.

Quite the ridiculous statement.

Let me qualify it.... unless you are independently wealthy. I agree reading the statement I made is ridiculous, what I am attempting to allude to is the fact that most people who claim to be semi-professional (an oxymoron by the way) are just winning players who like the idea of doing it for a living but for whatever reasons aren't.So to sum up -- I was wrong; there is no such thing as a semi-pro; even if we give it a loose definition of our own it should be based on one who derives income as opposed to creating an asset (ie savings account) to meet the criteria

[jayboogie 0]

I would qualify someone as a semi-pro if they make a significant income from poker while doing it part-time, what's significant? I guess that's debatable, but I'd say somebody that's a winning player at 10/20 and up could probably say they're a semi-professional.It's obviously a loose definition though as I could probably call myself semi-professional since it's my only source of income right now, but I'm not living on my own and supporting myself. I look at it as a job though for the most part and it's not really a hobby. I'm fairly lucky that I can build a bankroll while not having to pay for too many expenses, at least not expenses like rent and etc.

[SabaAba 0]

I don't know why beating 10/20 game makes you semi pro. To me semi-pro is anyone who plays and semi makes a living doing it. So if you have a job and then play poker and are making about the same in both, you are semi pro. JMO

[Guest Anonymous]

Do you ever cash out, or do you just keep moving up limits?  For example, I know Smash makes about 40k per year multi-tabling $3-$6.  Do you all just stop at a limit so you can cash out for a regular income, or are some of you just trying to move up as much as possible until you hit the bankroll for $100-$200 or whatever?

wow if that's true how many hours a day average does that take to grind out 40k a year? 3/6 !?!

[wrto4556 0]

Do you ever cash out, or do you just keep moving up limits?  For example, I know Smash makes about 40k per year multi-tabling $3-$6.  Do you all just stop at a limit so you can cash out for a regular income, or are some of you just trying to move up as much as possible until you hit the bankroll for $100-$200 or whatever?

wow if that's true how many hours a day average does that take to grind out 40k a year? 3/6 !?!

Most decent players beat the game for 2BB/100. 4-tabling you see 250 hands per hour. $30/hr. You do the rest.

[TimmyOne 0]

Do you ever cash out, or do you just keep moving up limits?  For example, I know Smash makes about 40k per year multi-tabling $3-$6.  Do you all just stop at a limit so you can cash out for a regular income, or are some of you just trying to move up as much as possible until you hit the bankroll for $100-$200 or whatever?

wow if that's true how many hours a day average does that take to grind out 40k a year? 3/6 !?!

Most decent players beat the game for 2BB/100. 4-tabling you see 250 hands per hour. $30/hr. You do the rest.

To defend "speedz99" ... If you're "smashing" a game online you're probably beating it for much more than 2BB/100 ... Something like 4-6BB/100 seems to be reasonable at limits like $3/6 online (translating more into $60-$90/hr) ... Although I'd be curious to hear from "speedz99" himself ...

[TimmyOne 0]

... on another note: what's up with all this debate over the definition of a "semi-pro"????Who really want to be known as a semi-pro poker player? or a $3/6 poker pro? etc. ... There was another recent thread about this too...I don't understand the appeal. And I don't understand why someone would try to begrudge someone this title if they wanted it. If your making a quarter-million a year playing poker, then it's pretty cool that you're a poker pro, but less than that?!?!?! If I'm missing something, please explain.Thinking about this more. I'm curious how someone like Dan Harrington refers to himself. I don't know that much about him, but from my understanding he runs his own business full-time now. Is he a pro? a semi-pro? or an amateur? ... and maybe more interesting, what does he consider himself? Too me at least, that's an interesting question.

[SplashMaster 0]

... on another note: what's up with all this debate over the definition of a "semi-pro"????Who really want to be known as a semi-pro poker player? or a $3/6 poker pro? etc. ... There was another recent thread about this too...I don't understand the appeal. And I don't understand why someone would try to begrudge someone this title if they wanted it. If your making a quarter-million a year playing poker, then it's pretty cool that you're a poker pro, but less than that?!?!?! If I'm missing something, please explain.Thinking about this more. I'm curious how someone like Dan Harrington refers to himself. I don't know that much about him, but from my understanding he runs his own business full-time now. Is he a pro? a semi-pro? or an amateur? ... and maybe more interesting, what does he consider himself? Too me at least, that's an interesting question.

dan harrington is definetly an amateur :wink:

[Erudis 0]

I used to try and split it up where I kept half of my winnings to increase bankroll and cashed the other half of winnings out every sunday night. but then I sort of hit a... *place* where the next real jump in limits would require such a substantial increase in bankroll that I'm just not ready to commit to moving up (I play NL, so moving up in limits is kind of a big to-do). in the meantime, since I'm not trying to increase my bankroll right now, I cash out all my winnings each week (rather than half, as before) and it's been really nice.this summer, however, I might try and take that jump up in limits. my wife is going back to work this summer and because of some weird complex I have, I decided to pick up a part-time 'real job' for the summer while my wife is working. so I'm thinking I might take it as an opportunity to start increasing my BR again. also, i was starting to get a little burnt out on poker (typically play 1k hands or more per day) so i took a break and started doing some casino-wh0ring and i'm planning to keep all profits from that and adding it to my poker BR when I get it done (get it done meaning having all the juicy ones done and then only doing the good monthlies after that on the side).of course, soon I'm going to start entering a slew of WSOP main event satelites until I get my seat, and then after winning the WSOP (yes, winning!) I'll have the BR to do anything I want

[ddudley 0]

I kept all of bankroll in my poker account until I could play any limit I wanted (30/60 is the highest offered on Pacific). That was made a little easier when I had a big tournament cash a few weeks ago. Now I transfer a chunk to my bank account on a regular basis because I don't get interest on anything in my poker account. Also, I read a couple horror storys recently about people who got their accounts locked. Getting my account locked at this point would be a huge disaster. The money is still part of my poker bankroll, I just keep it in an interest bearing account now. I would like to accummulate enough to play 100/200 before I start spending any of my poker winnings.

[SOWhatKid 0]

I don't cash until I hit 7,000 but if make alot of money you should really cash it out

[Rocketwadster 0]

I'm a bonus whoare. Sign up to a site offering a bonus, deposit $50 to $100, play 0.25/0.50 until I cler the bonus, cash out. Successful bonus cashout on 6 sites. Unsuccessful on two sites. Easy money.

[Fourhead 0]

I cash out a monthly "salary" and let the rest of my winnings sit in my Neteller account. I've been moving up in limits over the years as soon as i reached a 400 BB bankroll.Your bankroll is your tool for making money, so it needs to be managed with discipline.

[speedz99 145]

To defend "speedz99" ... If you're "smashing" a game online you're probably beating it for much more than 2BB/100 ... Something like 4-6BB/100 seems to be reasonable at limits like $3/6 online (translating more into $60-$90/hr) ... Although I'd be curious to hear from "speedz99" himself ...I'm not quite sure I understand what you are asking. "Smash" is a member of this forum, not a description of how bad I am beating a game. I think there is some confusion here. I personally am still playing $1-2 until my bankroll goes up.Thanks for the responses. I think I will probably just keep pushing my bankroll until I hit $3-6, and then I'll take a break and cash out half of my winnings every month.

[NickSurran 0]

... on another note: what's up with all this debate over the definition of a "semi-pro"????Who really want to be known as a semi-pro poker player? or a $3/6 poker pro? etc. ... There was another recent thread about this too...I don't understand the appeal. And I don't understand why someone would try to begrudge someone this title if they wanted it. If your making a quarter-million a year playing poker, then it's pretty cool that you're a poker pro, but less than that?!?!?! If I'm missing something, please explain.Thinking about this more. I'm curious how someone like Dan Harrington refers to himself. I don't know that much about him, but from my understanding he runs his own business full-time now. Is he a pro? a semi-pro? or an amateur? ... and maybe more interesting, what does he consider himself? Too me at least, that's an interesting question.

It's not about the title, it's about the lifestyle choice. Believe it or not, there are those like me that hate the corporate world. To me, a job is like a vampire just sucking the life out of me day in and day out. I'll be much happier making 30K/yr. playing poker than I was making 65K/yr working for a major US corporation. And poker has a tremendous upward potential that shouldn't require that much ass kissing to reach.I treat poker like my business. A business that I was able to start for $300 playing .5/1 and working up to playing 3/6 now, with almost enough to make the move to 5/10 comfortably. This is a business in which I was able to make a profit my very first month, because I was disciplined enough to study the game, seek advice from other successful players, and protect my bankroll. There are very few "traditional" business that make a profit in their first year, let alone their first month.Most "traditional" businesses have the same risks and rewards that poker offers. I manage my BR like I would manage my inventory and working capital in my business, bringing my risk to a level I am very comfortable with.As far as cash-outs go, I'm looking to continue moving up in limits to at least 15/30 before I start taking a substantial amount of money out of my BR. I am, however, cashing out each month in order to contribute to our family budget. My wife has a good income and is very supportive of me, in fact she thinks its very cool that I'm doing something I love (finally). However, I like to eat on a regular basis and do some fun things, and that is what my contribution to the budget buys.

[speedz99 145]

... on another note: what's up with all this debate over the definition of a "semi-pro"????Who really want to be known as a semi-pro poker player? or a $3/6 poker pro? etc. ... There was another recent thread about this too...I don't understand the appeal. And I don't understand why someone would try to begrudge someone this title if they wanted it. If your making a quarter-million a year playing poker, then it's pretty cool that you're a poker pro, but less than that?!?!?! If I'm missing something, please explain.Thinking about this more. I'm curious how someone like Dan Harrington refers to himself. I don't know that much about him, but from my understanding he runs his own business full-time now. Is he a pro? a semi-pro? or an amateur? ... and maybe more interesting, what does he consider himself? Too me at least, that's an interesting question.

It's not about the title, it's about the lifestyle choice. Believe it or not, there are those like me that hate the corporate world. To me, a job is like a vampire just sucking the life out of me day in and day out. I'll be much happier making 30K/yr. playing poker than I was making 65K/yr working for a major US corporation. And poker has a tremendous upward potential that shouldn't require that much ass kissing to reach.I treat poker like my business. A business that I was able to start for $300 playing .5/1 and working up to playing 3/6 now, with almost enough to make the move to 5/10 comfortably. This is a business in which I was able to make a profit my very first month, because I was disciplined enough to study the game, seek advice from other successful players, and protect my bankroll. There are very few "traditional" business that make a profit in their first year, let alone their first month.Most "traditional" businesses have the same risks and rewards that poker offers. I manage my BR like I would manage my inventory and working capital in my business, bringing my risk to a level I am very comfortable with.As far as cash-outs go, I'm looking to continue moving up in limits to at least 15/30 before I start taking a substantial amount of money out of my BR. I am, however, cashing out each month in order to contribute to our family budget. My wife has a good income and is very supportive of me, in fact she thinks its very cool that I'm doing something I love (finally). However, I like to eat on a regular basis and do some fun things, and that is what my contribution to the budget buys.

That's fantastic. At what point were you able to make the decision to play full time?

[AC BillP 0]

The $10-$20 cutoff for pro vs. recreational was made a long time ago as the lowest limit you could play live in a csaino. Now online w/multitables--who knows what's a semi-pro!! To answer your move up question, I went from $3-$6 up to $50-$100 live in Hm games, then dropped back to $10 or $15-$30 limit Hm for 5 years as my optimum level. Basically there's enough money now from investment/ bond interest income from old poker bankroll, to play when I want online or in AC where we have a cheap condo. Withdrawls? I'm not filled with trust by Gibralter/etc. based Corporations so I leave no more than I need to play for a few sessions. And might as well use the bunus stuff too. So withdrawls have zero to do with income, its safty and bonus.At 20-30 hours now I'd call myself a retired semipro actually- but categories don't mean much to me.

[AC BillP 0]

BTW-- The guy who wants to give up the corporate world is admirable and has some clear goals.. My only caution is that there really is a mathematical calculation of variance that demands a solid untouchable bankroll of $10,000 to $12,000 to play $10 or $15 limit holdem over the long run. And to play with confidence more is better.There are so many really bad new players, for awhile I think you will do great. There's nothing wrong with building it up so high you can buy your own business/real estate property that will be another cash stream for a long while too!!

[711Buddha 0]

More than 2BB/100 - certainly and even for long periods of time, but over 20,000 hands? Variance is a MF'r. Even when you play well and you're down for a month or two. Let the over 2BB build your bankroll in advance of the downturn.