i'll no longer be living 'the life'... *updated*

[ddudley 0]

After 18 months of playing full time, I've decided it's time to go back to a real job. blek!!I've made 60K (40K/year) while playing poker but ultimately it proved not to be enough money to justify playing for a living. I'll be making 62K with benefits in the new job. So, I figure I need to make at least 75K per year with no benifits to continue playing poker. I just wasn't able to get that done.It's especially been tough this last 6 months as I've only made about $4500. I've been through most of that period getting killed by the cards. I had no idea the cards could be so cruel for so long. I'm sure there has been some less than optimal play on my part and I'm sure the competition has gotten much tougher the last 6 months but it's mostly been sick cards.It's been a tough day for sure... but I'm still going to play part-time. And who knows, after 2 weeks, maybe I'll be sick of it and quit (the job, not poker). I'm not giving up the dream entirely, I guess I'm just putting it on hold for now.If you have any questions for someone whos been through the grind, fire away. I'll do my best to give honest answers about what's important and what's not.***check the bottom of page 2 for an update on working for 'The Man'***

[jayistheman 0]

playing part-time is tough... i found that i stopped almost all together. I played for about a year, during freshman year of school and first summer vacation.... i'm doing internships now, and just really don't have the energy to play well after a long day of work.good luck , and i hope it works out for you.

[missIdaho 1]

Welcome back to the work force. Fell free to come visit the At Work Crew.

[Socrates 0]

Thank you for posting a reality check for all of our young aspiring "pros." Hopefully they'll realize that making $8-10/hr. playing poker isn't enough to sustain a life (see PZ thread).GL to you and hopefully you'll make it back.

[no not baxter 0]

What limits do you play? How many hours a week did you play?Good luck with the new job.

[custom36 4]

Good post. It sounds like you're making the +EV decision again. Good luck in your new career. Hopefully you will find happiness with it.

[ddudley 0]

playing part-time is tough... i found that i stopped almost all together.  I played for about a year, during freshman year of school and first summer vacation.... i'm doing internships now, and just really don't have the energy to play well after a long day of work.good luck , and i hope it works out for you.

I hope I can still get in 20 hours of poker a week. Before I discovered poker, I used to work 40-50 hours a week and play Diablo 2 30-40 hours a week. While Diablo 2 isnt poker, I've done these crazy hours before and hopefully I can do it again.I'm sure I'll find out how difficult it is aftera few weeks of working.

[Stylin_Fish 0]

I can't work for the man.

[Swift_Psycho 1]

GL man, I hope things work out for the best for you.

[Emmser 0]

What limits do you play? How many hours a week did you play?Good luck with the new job.

[PimpRock 0]

Yeah man, I can relate. I quit teaching 6 months ago to have a crack and, in all honesty, I just have not enjoyed it that much. Bad habits are kinda hard to ward off when you are your own boss, losing days are ugly and kinda depressing and, when you play from home, it s hard to truly relax as you always figure to play a few hands that evening when you could be relaxing.I took the step of doing some supply teaching this week which is kinda like a half way house to getting out of the grind. I am a decent player, have made a very reasonable amount of money in a relatively short space of time and, although there are definate upsides, I now realise it is not all a bed of roses. Like yourself, I have not written it off completely, im just taking a run at a real job to either A) Remind myself how lucky I am to be able to have a go at playing pro or B) Remind myself that a real job aint that bad and poker can be a good hobby.

[ddudley 0]

What limits do you play? How many hours a week did you play?Good luck with the new job.

I was mostly playing 5/10 and 10/20. I'd play 15/30 and 30/60 if I could find a juicy table. I'd usually spend 30 hours a week playing and another 10-20 hours a week studying, reading, analysing or watching poker.

[jayistheman 0]

Welcome back to the work force.  Fell free to come visit the At Work Crew.

yeah. its definately not big enough... :?

[PFunk 0]

I didnt see whether you mentioned this or not, but were you primarily an online player, or live?And good luck...jobs can suck, but good in alot of areas...Financially, that being security and benefits-P.

[ddudley 0]

Thank you for posting a reality check for all of our young aspiring "pros." Hopefully they'll realize that making $8-10/hr. playing poker isn't enough to sustain a life (see PZ thread).GL to you and hopefully you'll make it back.

Ya, I thought I should post this after reading a few posts about people quitting their jobs to play poker who are obviously completely unprepared for it.I was making $16/hour playing LHE and $30/hour if you add in a couple big tourny cashes. I really don't like to count the tournament cashes as they are not steady money that I can rely on.While 40K/year is good money in some areas of the country, here in San Jose it's jack didly squat (an average house here costs about 750K).

[mclark340 0]

Am I to assume you are silly enough to report your poker earnings to Uncle Sam? If not, didn't you make the equivalent of $90k after taxes?Either way, I am sure you weighed all of the variables.I dream of making the opposite move...working for the man is my life and unfortunately pays me too well to consider the other options. Plus my wife has grown to like her current lifestyle. I hope that my poker will someday take over as a more lucrative option. Until then I dream of calling all in bets with the nuts.Good luck!

[ddudley 0]

I didnt see whether you mentioned this or not, but were you primarily an online player, or live?And good luck...jobs can suck, but good in alot of areas...Financially, that being security and benefits-P.

I'm primarily an online player even though the Bay 101 card room is 10 minutes from my house.I never liked playing live. I'm not sure why, because I liked getting the extra information from tells. I think it was all those other people, I tend to soke up emotions when I'm around other people and I think there was so much pain and misery down at the cardroom, it was hard not to come away feeling bad myself.

[blueodum 0]

Unless you want the IRS breathing down your neck in a few years, I think it's a good idea to report your income.

[DPRCEO2003 0]

I can't work for the man.

Ha, you said "the man"DPRCEO2003www.danspokerroom.com

[speedz99 145]

Congrats on making a good run at it.Congrats also on knowing when to pack it in for a while.Seriously...I definately respect that.

[ddudley 0]

Am I to assume you are silly enough to report your poker earnings  to Uncle Sam?  If not, didn't you make the equivalent of $90k after taxes?Either way, I am sure you weighed all of the variables.I dream of making the opposite move...working for the man is my life and unfortunately pays me too well to consider the other options.  Plus my wife has grown to like her current lifestyle.  I hope that my poker will someday take over as a more lucrative option.  Until then I dream of calling all in bets with the nuts.Good luck!

I've made too much money this year (50K so far) not to file a tax return and pay taxes on my winnings. If I were audited it would be too easy to trace all that money back to the poker sites.I'm also the kind of person that believes in doing the right thing. Unfortunately for my bankroll, that means paying taxes on my winnings. But, it's more important for me to sleep at night, than pay 10K in taxes.

[guinevar 0]

Getting a real job:+EVVVVVVVVVVVV

[Gene zzz 0]

Sounds to me you could use some self confidence, and goal setting. The poker mags are full of stuff on bad cards and they state that self confidence is the cure. I use goal setting this keeps on course to fulfilling your dreams, if you went into it with" maybe if I earn enough" on your mine and that is what happened I would not blame the cards or the game . Also in my opion and the opion of many grinders rounders etc. no-limit is the game to live by not limit which is a card game just like rummy no more. The odds also of poker leave you with what your bankroll is ;not, one group of bad months. If you are low on money because of only so many bad months of a year which you mentioned quitting is wrong; You could make alot more the next phase. I think the idea is that if you are the better player then quitting is the reason you are losing. I play internet also and what I play is sit and gos nolimtHE that is a real money machine you can then make tournaments very steady.

[guinevar 0]

The real money machine is plo8.

[ddudley 0]

Sounds to me you could use some self confidence, and goal setting.   The poker mags are full of stuff on bad cards and they state that self confidence is the cure.  I use goal setting this keeps on course to fulfilling your dreams, if you went into it with" maybe if I earn enough" on your mine and that is what happened I would not blame the cards or the game .  Also  in my opion and the opion of many grinders rounders etc. no-limit is the game to live by not limit which is a card game just like rummy no more.  The odds also of poker leave you with what your bankroll is ;not, one group of bad months.  If you are low on money because of only so many bad months of a year which you mentioned quitting is wrong; You could make alot more the next phase. I think the idea is that if you are the better player then quitting is the reason you are losing.   I play internet also and what I play is sit and gos nolimtHE that is a real money machine you can then make tournaments very steady.

I didn't quit poker. I'm going back to Architecture and choosing to play poker part-time rather than full-time. It's never been an issue of money for me, I've never even spent a dollar of the 60K I've won so far. It's an issue of opportunity cost and happyness.There is no cure for bad cards other than good cards. Confidence has nothing to do with what cards come off the deck. Confidence may be affect wheather or not I can pull the trigger on a value bet on the river.If you think NLHE is more steady income than LHE you have a lot to learn about poker.