Going Pro?

[SpeedKills 0]

Because now it is just a job and not for fun anymore? And OP i am the guy they are talking about last month that was "asking if i should go pro" which wasn't wwhat I was asking at all, I already play poker for a living I was just looking for advice on what would be the best place to move to with a family and be able to play full time, they all thought I was insane because I was talking about buying an RV and living in it instead of getting an apartment(which I still havent decided against) , I am going to play full time but the difference with me is I have nothing to lose, my life can only get better, it sounds like you already have a decent job and stuff going for you, I have never been one to tell somoene not to follow there dreams and aspirations, the basis of my love of poker is the freedom. That is why I thought moving to vegas in an RV might not b a bad idea, what If I want to go to LA and play for a while , I can just take my whole house and go. My advice do whatever the hell you want and don't let a bunch of anonymous pixels on a computer piss on your dream.

So what did you end up deciding on doing?

[zoo 0]

Because now it is just a job and not for fun anymore? And OP i am the guy they are talking about last month that was "asking if i should go pro" which wasn't wwhat I was asking at all, I already play poker for a living I was just looking for advice on what would be the best place to move to with a family and be able to play full time, they all thought I was insane because I was talking about buying an RV and living in it instead of getting an apartment(which I still havent decided against) , I am going to play full time but the difference with me is I have nothing to lose, my life can only get better, it sounds like you already have a decent job and stuff going for you, I have never been one to tell somoene not to follow there dreams and aspirations, the basis of my love of poker is the freedom. That is why I thought moving to vegas in an RV might not b a bad idea, what If I want to go to LA and play for a while , I can just take my whole house and go. My advice do whatever the hell you want and don't let a bunch of anonymous pixels on a computer piss on your dream.

Ok Cousin Eddie. Maybe you can find a nice cheap piece of land in the old nuclear testing area to park it on too.

[NoSup4U 0]

Ok, I am sure this is a much covered topic but I am looking for some updated advice from players who play for a living as to some of the pitfalls to watch out for and some tips that might be helpful along the way to making the jump from novice to pro. I have the utmost faith in my skills and I very rarely have a losing session (not trying to be cocky or anything like that just stating what I have tracked over last year). I have traveled to many casinos and smaller games and have come out on top about 80-90% of the time. I can easily bring down about $3000 to $5000 per week playing nothing but 2/5 NL and I am making the next jump to 5/10 with great success as well. I truly feel that I am ready to make the jump to full time player (I know I have a lot to learn that is why I don’t like using the word "pro" ) but any added advice would be appreciated.Thanks in advance!

For a thread that from the start seemed like such a troll thread, this post got a lot of good responses.[X] OP account is brand new[X] OP name is pokerjoker[X] OP knows this is a much covered topic[ ] OP searched forum and read the many previous threads on this topic[X] OP is easily the best player in the world because he very rarely has a losing session (85% winning sessions!)[X] OP can easily win $4000/week playing 2/5NL (or around $190K/year)Mark

[cubsfan44 0]

Because now it is just a job and not for fun anymore? And OP i am the guy they are talking about last month that was "asking if i should go pro" which wasn't wwhat I was asking at all, I already play poker for a living I was just looking for advice on what would be the best place to move to with a family and be able to play full time, they all thought I was insane because I was talking about buying an RV and living in it instead of getting an apartment(which I still havent decided against) , I am going to play full time but the difference with me is I have nothing to lose, my life can only get better, it sounds like you already have a decent job and stuff going for you, I have never been one to tell somoene not to follow there dreams and aspirations, the basis of my love of poker is the freedom. That is why I thought moving to vegas in an RV might not b a bad idea, what If I want to go to LA and play for a while , I can just take my whole house and go. My advice do whatever the hell you want and don't let a bunch of anonymous pixels on a computer piss on your dream.

lol Whitetrashaments

[dms26 3]

See there is where my problem lies. I make great money doing this but, I currently dont claim taxes (which I will this year though for sure) and not to mention I "normally" dont loose. I am not saying it wont happen because I am a realist and I KNOW it eventually will, hope not, but I am sure I will hit that really bad month or two. Also, I have to take into consideration that I have a family (for which I am sole supporter). This worries me alot, but this is also one of my biggest reasons for making the jump. More money and more time with the family (at least daytime hours). I also will have to pay for insurance myself as well because my current employer does this now. All in all I would stand to make around 60 - 80K a year. My problem, I currently make about 70K with my job.......... That is why I am looking to move forward\high limits as well. If the 70K was enough for me I would stay with the stable job. Plus I pretty much eat, sleep and breath poker anyway.

I wouldn't make the full time jump if you are going to be making roughly the same amount as your current job. I don't think it's worth the risk. Grow your BR and give higher limits a shot while still pulling in a guaranteed check every 2 weeks.

[HollywoodAFD 0]

$150K-$250K a year should be enough. Although after taxes you will net closer to $80K a year.First thing I would do if I were you is put on a flame suit.

Very nice....lol$150k per year? Why take a pay cut to play poker?

[Vandees 0]

If you have a family (wife kids etc) I would keep the job. Insurance is a must.If you are talking about other family (mom, dad, sisters, brothers), I would suggest you go for it. You get 1 life. If that is what you want to do, you're passionnate about it, and you are smart enough to handle the swings and live modestly (at first, before you TPMM obv) then give it a shot.Viva las vaginas.

[mtdesmoines 3]

I do, and let me tell you, I was not ready to be a pro, when I quit my job. I was lucky though, because I had very few responsibilities, very low living expenses, no family, and I was lucky enough to have friends who were willing to lend me money at times of need.I would never ever want to go through that again, though. The stress of small downswings was immense, because you feel like you need to win to pay that bill, etc. It's not fun.I mean, I think I would have given it more thought if I had a real job, where I made real money, but I was only quitting a min wage job, so our situations are a little different.If I had a job that paid me well, and a family to support, there's no way I'd be a pro poker player, before I knew a few more things about myself.I'd need to know, deep down, in my heart, that I'm a very winning player. 6 months of playing live games is probably not enough of a sample size to determine that. I'd also want to make sure I have a substatial savings, in case I have losing or breakeven months. I'd also want to make sure my poker bankroll is much much larger than the numbers people claim for whatever game I'm playing.I've been a pro for about 14 months, and just in the last couple months am I finally able to say that I've got a bit of savings, and I'm overrolled for my game of choice. Not having either of these conditions fulfilled before I quit my job only hurt my development, and set it back quite a bit. If I didn't have such a short roll, I think I'd be where I am now, at least 6 months ago, if not more.Poker is not an easy living. It's swingy, and it takes a special type of person to deal with this, and it is very important that your loved ones understand this. You seem to have the loved ones part down, but how are they going to react when you have a 3 month losing swing? It happens to the best players on earth. From time to time, we all run worse than we can ever imagine.How long have you been playing, and charting your records? How many hours have you played?I know you stated in a post already that you don't play online, but I want to urge you to seriously consider that option. Live poker is mind numbingly boring a huge portion of the time. Playing poker 40 hours a week will fry your brain very quickly. Have you ever consistently put in long sessions, 6 days a week, for months at a time? You'll need to know how you can handle that. Online play offers much more flexibility. You can play way more hands per hour at the game you're used to, grinding ot that 6 hour live session in an hour online, or you can lower your stakes a bit, spend the same amount of time, and make much more money. You need to consider these options. And I don't buy your argument in your first reply to this. All that tells me is that you don't actually understand poker, but rather, you understand how to beat an average 2/5 live game. That's all well and good, but you'll be left behind if you don't get a deeper understanding of a game that is so dynamic, and always changing, like poker. Live poker and online poker aren't different. You gather information and apply it to your decisions, while considering the mathematical dynamic (whether consiously or not). I understand that some players have strengths that include reading people face to face, but that doesn't mean that you can't learn to beat an online poker game. You're mostly just using it as a crutch, which will hold you back.Please take my advice to heart, it is completely serious and sincere.Good luck.- Zach

This is pretty real.EDIT: also, speaking from experience, your action dries up pretty fast, too, once people get to know you. you have to keep moving to keep winning big

[finztotheleft 0]

More money and more time with the family (at least daytime hours). I also will have to pay for insurance myself as well because my current employer does this now. All in all I would stand to make around 60 - 80K a year. My problem, I currently make about 70K with my job.......... That is why I am looking to move forward\high limits as well. If the 70K was enough for me I would stay with the stable job. Plus I pretty much eat, sleep and breath poker anyway.

If you have been making $3,000 - $5,000 a week playing part time, wouldn't you make more like $150,000 - $250,000 working the same 15 hours a week x 50 weeks a year ? More if you bumped it up to full time ?

I'll believe that when me $hit turns purple.

If you drink the red/blue swirl slushies at the movie theater, it'll happen.True story

To put it in perspective, we'll say 30 hands per hour, for 700 hours, you're looking at 21,000 hands per year since you've started the record keeping. That's a decent sample, but it is entirely possible for someone to be running hot over that stretch, and it's also entirely possible to run poorly for that number of hands.

LOL.....That's less than 2 weeks of hands for me.....how about you ?

[Zach6668 513]

LOL.....That's less than 2 weeks of hands for me.....how about you ?

lol, 21k hands is a good 2 months for me... seriously. ha.

[Jordan 1]

i still think if u actually are asking this question you're not very close to being ready for it.shit, if you enjoy it, make good money at it, and aren't an idiot and can control yourself and want that kidna life...go for it.but anyone thinking 3-5k/week at 2/5nl LIVE is standard is incredibly oblivious and is about to get donkey punched in the face.- Jordan

[chaosnhavoc 0]

Well too many pages to read so I will just say/repeat thisTP/MMand When your down to your few dollars, lets play some drunkaments!