when do you finally give your job up to play poker ?

[DeadMoney6545 0]

At Harrahs... unless the floor was lyin to us... i was playin with the guy the runs harrahs room over at Ameristar and he was sayin it pretty much pays any besides the no-limit... but they change chit it seems like every three months... at both places... at first ameristar said no to letting the NL qualify and then they say yes and a week into the NL payin into it it gets hit at a NL table for 160k.... i was kinda raisin some chit over that one....

[BigMoney74 0]

Yeah, I admit it was quite humerous.This guy reportedly works at BurgerKing and in a trailer park.He also thinks playing N/L at $1/$2 is huge stakes.Funny guy.

Get your mind right pal. I was being honest about going back to school. Unless you are happy with your current wage of course. I don't recall refering to 1/2 NL as 'huge stakes'. And how did you know I work at BK? Wanker

[KDawgCometh 2]

hey risingshark. I would say that for now, keep your job. Do this more to amass cash and start playing around at the casinos in England. I goto the pokerineurope website often and they have many low buyin tournaments that payout real well. I don't know where in England your located. I have noticed though that there are a bunch of casinos in the west midlands and around the london to luton stretch, so I don't know how near those you are. My advice would be to also try to make friends with some pros and talk to them as to how the life is. I would say talk to the Garry Bush types that are more of a grinder than the Simon Tromper types who have lots of cash and live a large life. Ithink I remember Harry Demitriou saying that Gambling income is taxed if ti si your main job over there, so that might be another reason to at least maintain some sort of paycheck job that at least gives you some consistent income so that you can work your waay around the homeland revenue. Hope that helps

[mark33f 0]

You inquired about opinions so here mine is...Dont turn "pro" now because you couldnt nearly have an adequate bankroll to do so making 30grand a year. Even if you can make it playing, which you most likely cant, you have to consider that 85-90% of the population (or around that) work 9-5. Therefore, when you are off what is there to do or who is there to hang out with. It sounds like the life of a pro would be pretty lonely unless you were married or had a "significant other" and even then they may work and with you playing poker mostly at nights you would probably drift apart. There was a good chapter in Poker Nation about how incredibly boring life it is to "grind it out"By the way...if you are making 30K a year you couldnt possibly have had enough education.

[AceOfSpades 0]

I feel like an idiot asking this lol, and I really dont care if you guys make fun but ya no biggy lol. What does the k stand for after the numbers? Like you need to make 300k or something.? :oops:

[NL_Pro 0]

K=Thousand :roll:

[AceOfSpades 0]

K=Thousand :roll:

lol ya thought so, why is it abbrievated like that anyway?

[Erudis 0]

A bit more than a year ago i had a pretty major shoulder surgery; counting rehab, i was basically out of commission for 8 months. i got workmen's comp at the time and if you've ever been on it you know how crappy it is. at the time i went into surgery i had been playing poker casually and for fun money. well, to supplement my income when i couldn't work (and of course i had a lot more time as well) i played poker more and more and moved up in limits. never went back to work.

[Magnet123 0]

Playing poker for a living, (for those players that take the time to learn how to win), is a business. You need to invest time and study into the game to succeed at it. You need to work off your own initiative, be independant in your thinking, and single minded in your need to succeed (just like any aspiring entreprenuer). So if you love the game, have the right sized bankroll, have the abilty to manage your money and 3-6 months living expenses, whats stopping you?****************Okay, lets look at some areas that could be a worry for a pro poker player in England...1. TAX. All gambling income in England is tax free. The tax burden is shouldered by the providers of the gambling, not the gamblers themselves.This means that 13000 per year earnt from poker, is roughly the same as the 16000 you earn from your job (remember, from the 16000 a year you are currently earning, you are paying nearly 3000 in tax). So 16000 per year from poker, would make you financially BETTER off, compared to your current job.2. HEALTH INSURANCE. England is a land of free health insurance. Its called the NHS, and isn't going anywhere for the next 7+ years. Beyond that, depends on economic stabilty.3. FAMILY. If you are single and have no dependants, you're free to do what you want. If you have children and a spouse, then you must err to the side of caution and lean more toward staying at your job.4. EMPLOYABILTY. You have already gained your education. You have a degree, so you are not jepordising your education or future job prospects. If you are truly worried about your how your work history looks, I would suggest taking up a (very) part time job, so that you have something on your resume to explain away the years you were playing poker.5. BOREDOM. Poker can get boring, but no more boring than a 9-5, sat at a desk in a job you don't enjoy. Thing with poker is that you can mix up your play, change the games you play, go to a different casino poker room, or enter a live tournament. You can add change and variety to your work as a poker player. In an unimaginative 9-5, you can be almost gaurunteed a boring work week, if you don't enjoy your job.6. VACATION/SICK PAY. Yes, you can have sick pay as a poker play. Two words... Money Management. Pay yourself 'holiday pay', every time you cash out your profits. So, for example, if you earn a very modest $2500 a month from poker, save 10% of that into a holiday/sick day fund each month. Then when you need a sick day, or holiday, you use the money you have accumalted in there to 'pay' yourself during your time off. 7. SOCIETY CONTRIBUTION. So how does a poker player contribute to the welfare of society? Easy. Give part of your income to charity and join a community volunteer group. Everyone, whether they are a poker player, accountant, lawyer, engineer ect, should be looking for ways to give back. Your job isn't the ONLY way to contribute to society. *************At the end of the day, I love playing poker for a living. And as the saying goes, 'Do what you love and the money will follow'...

[DeadMoney6545 0]

:clap: very articulate and well-said... Are a lurker or first-timer?

[NormanHaupt 0]

Playing poker for a living, (for those players that take the time to learn how to win), is a business. You need to invest time and study into the game to succeed at it. You need to work off your own initiative, be independant in your thinking, and single minded in your need to succeed (just like any aspiring entreprenuer). So if you love the game, have the right sized bankroll, have the abilty to manage your money and 3-6 months living expenses, whats stopping you?****************Okay, lets look at some areas that could be a worry for a pro poker player in England...1. TAX. All gambling income in England is tax free. The tax burden is shouldered by the providers of the gambling, not the gamblers themselves.This means that 13000 per year earnt from poker, is roughly the same as the 16000 you earn from your job (remember, from the 16000 a year you are currently earning, you are paying nearly 3000 in tax). So 16000 per year from poker, would make you financially BETTER off, compared to your current job.2. HEALTH INSURANCE. England is a land of free health insurance. Its called the NHS, and isn't going anywhere for the next 7+ years. Beyond that, depends on economic stabilty.3. FAMILY. If you are single and have no dependants, you're free to do what you want. If you have children and a spouse, then you must err to the side of caution and lean more toward staying at your job.4. EMPLOYABILTY. You have already gained your education. You have a degree, so you are not jepordising your education or future job prospects. If you are truly worried about your how your work history looks, I would suggest taking up a (very) part time job, so that you have something on your resume to explain away the years you were playing poker.5. BOREDOM. Poker can get boring, but no more boring than a 9-5, sat at a desk in a job you don't enjoy. Thing with poker is that you can mix up your play, change the games you play, go to a different casino poker room, or enter a live tournament. You can add change and variety to your work as a poker player. In an unimaginative 9-5, you can be almost gaurunteed a boring work week, if you don't enjoy your job.6. VACATION/SICK PAY. Yes, you can have sick pay as a poker play. Two words... Money Management. Pay yourself 'holiday pay', every time you cash out your profits. So, for example, if you earn a very modest $2500 a month from poker, save 10% of that into a holiday/sick day fund each month. Then when you need a sick day, or holiday, you use the money you have accumalted in there to 'pay' yourself during your time off. 7. SOCIETY CONTRIBUTION. So how does a poker player contribute to the welfare of society? Easy. Give part of your income to charity and join a community volunteer group. Everyone, whether they are a poker player, accountant, lawyer, engineer ect, should be looking for ways to give back. Your job isn't the ONLY way to contribute to society. *************At the end of the day, I love playing poker for a living. And as the saying goes, 'Do what you love and the money will follow'...

VERY well said, and welcome to the forums bro. Zizzolf, I don't mean to get personal.. but how is your relationship with your wife, and kids? this is coming from someone who didn't grow up with a father- they certainly miss you. Maybe you're there a couple times a month, but not all the time.Also if you don't sink a lot of time into a marriage it'll go sour. Again, this coming from someone who had a fiance who'd do anything for me- and I lost her because of idiocy.I'm now single, working a temp job. I have no health insurance because I like to live dangerously (and its so ****ing out rageous). I know I'll be getting laid off this summer and I plan to make a stab at playing seriously then. I have a backup plan- as corny as it is.. the government pays unemployment when I get laid off. So either way, I got 2-3 months of giving it a shot and having a great safety net incase I fall.I really recommend if you're going to try it, RISINGSHARK, and seriously try it, Don't drag children and your woman through it. If you fall, you're going to lose a lot more than money.Good luck, and welcome to the forums.

[hotdog da 2rd 0]

when u find urself brushing ur teeth in a casino bathroom. that was the turning point for me. =[

[TJ_Eckleburg 0]

K=Thousand :roll:

lol ya thought so, why is it abbrievated like that anyway?

K= Kilo-, Greek prefix for 1,000. It is derived from the word "khilioi," meaning 1,000. After that comes Mega- for million, Giga- for billion, and I believe Tera- for trillion (not to be confused with the Latin word for Earth). After THAT comes Peta-, Exa-, Zetta-, and Yotta-. Making a yottabuck a year would make you worth 1 Septillion dollars, or a 1 followed by 24 zero's. Greek prefixes are used for things that have very macroscopic or microscopic scales. The most common use today is in talking about computer specifications, for how many bytes you have. On the other end, the microscopic scale is most often used in theoretical or experimental laboratory sciences. Electron microscopes can measure "instantaneous" reactions and how they proceed by the femtosecond, or 10^-15 seconds. There are One Quadrillion femtoseconds in one second. Very cool stuff, but in no way related whether you should quit your job and play poker.I have a flexible day job and poker supplements my income. I think the key is balance. I too tend to get depressed if I'm playing TOO too much poker all the time, and I think my day job makes me a better semi-professional poker player because I'm not so fixated on poker. You can only 4-table so many hours a day each day before you go crazy.

[The Dude 0]

Ok shark, heres my 0.02cWhat are you planning on playing? Ring games, limit, NL,PL? multi tourneys, s'n'g's?If it's tourneys your planning DONT! The varients are to large, you may win a couple of $$$k one month and then hit a real bad spell of 2-3 months. If it's ring games and NL or PL you're gonna need more than the 300bb's people talk about. The swings hit you more at NL and hurt more when it's your sole source of income. IMO limit is the only viable option if you're gonna go pro, with MTT's as a side game.I'd also recommend studying at the same time, something you wish to do, as it keeps you sane. Maybe learn a new language? It keeps the boredom at bay and need not take up too much time. It will also get you away from your monitor and keep you socializing. If you don't want to do this, at least become a regular at a local casino. Human interaction is so important. I did what you are planning for 18 months, but the boredom took hold and I took myself a 9-5.

[RISINGSHARK 0]

The Dude,Yeah I take your points on board. Was you making a lot in your 18 month stint and what did you play mainly ?I currently play mainly N/L SNG's and I agree that there are going to be swings but currently I seem to be able to do no wrong.I need to assess this over in my opinion 6 months to get a real feel for how much I could make.Cheers mate.

[justblaze 0]

risingshark im still waiting for you to tell me what site you want to donate a HU SNG buyin to me on...

[The Dude 0]

Shark,I don't really like to discuss monetary matters, suffice to say I was making four times my 9-5 income. The boredom really is that bad and then the depression sets in. I'm much happier these days and making much less, I also enjoy my poker more. If money is really more important than being happy give it a shot, but it is hard. I wouldn't recommend it if you have dependents though. My main games were 15/30 limit and $200 s'n'g's on Party. It's the softest site by far and always a game going. I stopped enjoying them and don't really play there now. I only play for fun these days so I play MTT's at Paradise and Golden Palace mainly. Then, when my BR takes a big hit I'll play a few s'n'g's to get back up.Poker should be about fun, if you're not enjoying it whats the point? It's just another job!

[WhiskyRiver 0]

risingshark im still waiting for you to tell me what site you want to donate a HU SNG buyin to me on...

How much weed do you have to smoke before you think it's an awesome idea to use a reference in your screen name? It's an honest question, actually, because I've always wondered what kind of people advertise their toking up. Is it people who smoke SOOO much that it defines who they are, or people who think it's really cool that the smoke so they want people to know?

[justblaze 0]

risingshark im still waiting for you to tell me what site you want to donate a HU SNG buyin to me on...

How much weed do you have to smoke before you think it's an awesome idea to use a reference in your screen name? It's an honest question, actually, because I've always wondered what kind of people advertise their toking up. Is it people who smoke SOOO much that it defines who they are, or people who think it's really cool that the smoke so they want people to know?

or is it people who enjoy the music of the producer whose producing name is 'justblaze'? How much whiskey do you need to drink before you think its an awesome idea to use a reference in your screen name? is it people who drink soooo much that it defines who they are? or people who think its really cool that they're alcoholics and they want people to know? or am i making inferences about your personal life based on a completely meaningless posting name in a poker forum?

[WhiskyRiver 0]

Ok then, you clarified, nice. Great way to distinguish yourself from all the people who love to announce when they're playing high or think any name with 420 in it is sweet. Do you deny the fact that, while playing online, you DON'T see reference after reference to weed, and that it DOESN'T have anything to do with their love of a music producer (who, apparently, would have been a more apt target for my question, but I digress). My question still stands, I have no idea why people still put those references in their names. And as to the assumptions about one's personal life, 9/10 times that assumption is correct if we're talking about a weed reference in a screen name. Plus, do you or do you not smoke? If you do, then my assumption is correct. If not, the 9/10 statement still stands. Further, my name has nothing to do with DRINKING whisky. Actually, I take that back. The subtle dropping of the "e" is a reference to the traditional spelling of Scotch Whisky, a nod to my enjoyment of the single malt scotch. You're rebuttal was entirely expected, but if you were educated in the art of the spirit you would have realized that if I were an alcoholic who wanted nothing but to get drunk I wouldn't appreciate the subtleties enough to care what kind of whisky I was drinking, which I do. Again, I digress. My name is a reference to Willie Nelson. You should give him a good listen.

[justblaze 0]

Ok then, you clarified, nice. Great way to distinguish yourself from all the people who love to announce when they're playing high or think any name with 420 in it is sweet. Do you deny the fact that, while playing online, you DON'T see reference after reference to weed, and that it DOESN'T have anything to do with their love of a music producer (who, apparently, would have been a more apt target for my question, but I digress). My question still stands, I have no idea why people still put those references in their names. And as to the assumptions about one's personal life, 9/10 times that assumption is correct if we're talking about a weed reference in a screen name. Plus, do you or do you not smoke? If you do, then my assumption is correct. If not, the 9/10 statement still stands. Further, my name has nothing to do with DRINKING whisky. Actually, I take that back. The subtle dropping of the "e" is a reference to the traditional spelling of Scotch Whisky, a nod to my enjoyment of the single malt scotch. You're rebuttal was entirely expected, but if you were educated in the art of the spirit you would have realized that if I were an alcoholic who wanted nothing but to get drunk I wouldn't appreciate the subtleties enough to care what kind of whisky I was drinking, which I do. Again, I digress. My name is a reference to Willie Nelson. You should give him a good listen.

i do smoke weed, but my name is a play on words, due to the two possible meanings. i am purposely vague about it. I get messages all the time saying "justblaze sucks, the green lantern is a way better producer" and also "hey justblaze i smoke weed too". I let them think whatever they want about me. The reason i post under it here is that i use it as a name on some poker sites and my regular posting name which i post to RGP under carries with it some notoriety i wish to avoid here. Your average 14 year old DOES think its cool to smoke weed, you are right. I am not educated in the art of spirit, but i am somewhat knowledgeable in rock & roll and did catch that WN reference. You see my point, though? While your name is a clever double entendre, it could easily be used to make broad generalizations about your personal life, which would of course be wrong.

[WhiskyRiver 0]

I do see what your saying. I think the problem is I chose the wrong person for my query, since you obviously do have meaning behind your name other than the herb. And as to the broad generalizations, I stand by what I said earlier: you are most definitely the exception. 9 out of 10 people with a weed reference in their name fall in to the generalization of my first post, and I apologize for incorrectly inferring that you do too.

[drocpdp 0]

I'll be deathly honest.I thought of giving up my day job. Poker is so exciting. My job is so not exciting :-PRight now, I am addicted to poker. The bad days crush me. The good days exhilirate me. I haven't gone to work in 2 weeks. Luckily, I work in govt, and go to school, and my job specifically is a co-op designed so that I have the flexibility to work whenever i am "free".You NEED an escape from poker. If you play poker 24/7 it gets boring. It gets frustrating. You NEED TO PLAY WHEN IT'S FUN. Only then can you have the mental and psychological capacity to enjoy it and take the beats easier, have the patience for good hands when needs be, and have the spirits to outplay someone. If you're playing poker to make money, it takes the fun out. You become obsessed about making money, not enjoying it. You'll make calls with the hope of cashing out big that should NEVER be made when you know they shouldn't be made.Whenever I have a layoff from poker, (recently a family death, schoolwork, etc.) and i come back, i am UNSTOPPABLE. Then i become enthralled with the money i'm making and gradually i lose my gains. Then I know it's time for a break. You MUST HAVE A MIND HEART AND PSYCHE of STEEL in order to play full time. You must LOVE IT. Unconditionally.Unfortunately, I do have a life that i need to attend to, which brings me back to earth. I am glad i have not quit my job. I am glad I have not abandoned my friends or social obligations. This is what you must do to play poker full time.It's a sacrifice that I would SEVERELY RECOMMEND you put a TON TON TON TON of thought into before you make the leap. IN CLOSING, here's an excellent analogy. I love cooking. I think a lot of people love it. Why? I enjoy the feeling (ESPECIALLY WHEN TRYING TO WOO GIRLS) of cooking a nice romantic meal that i did with my own hands from scratch. The perfect combination of flavors, the presentation. It's a hobby sort of. If i ever became a professional cook, everything is mechanized. The sous chefs prepare the onioins, potatoes, etc. and chop up the stuff. The other sous chefs prepare another step. It becomes professional, and the self-pride you get is not the same. It takes the fun out of it. It unromanticizes it in a way. When I get home, I probably wouldn't enjoy cooking as much. ...............Think about it, my friend.HARD. think about it hard.Read some of Mr. Negreanu's journal entries. A few weeks ago, a lot of his posts cite how he just wasn't in some tournaments mentally. Sometimes he even mentions how he got so bored of a tournament that he just wanted to go home. I believe i read an interview about Karina Jett and now she has a baby, she was glad to bust out so she could go home to her baby. It's hard man, very hard. Anyways too, look at most of the converted poker pros. Former internet broker, former Yale graduate, former this and that good stable jobs. You need that. Balance your life. A life of 100% poker is DEPRESSING. I can't do it. I'm glad i didn't.Some mental food to ponder over. Hope it helps.-dave

[justblaze 0]

I do see what your saying. I think the problem is I chose the wrong person for my query, since you obviously do have meaning behind your name other than the herb. And as to the broad generalizations, I stand by what I said earlier: you are most definitely the exception. 9 out of 10 people with a weed reference in their name fall in to the generalization of my first post, and I apologize for incorrectly inferring that you do too.

/shrug, its ok. I purposefully allow people to make those kinds of inferences, its very profitable at a poker table. Uh oh, he checkraised the turn, but hes a pothead so ill call. aw crap, hes got the nuts. damn potheads. And probably the reason you chose the wrong person is that i happen to be one pothead who has exceptional debating skills, and can quickly turn an argument around your average pothead is much worse at this, usually resorting to the ole' "fuck you, loser, ill do what i want" argument.

[BPV 0]

Today.