Can You Make A Living Online Poker
If you want to make a living by playing poker online, then you have to be ready to put in the requisite effort. You cannot start making a living overnight. You must not quit your day job or simply dream of having a career in poker without any alternative. Some of the professional poker players started early.
- Can you make a living playing poker online? Yesterday on Fulltilt poker i played in a 10,000 player tourney and finished 212th place earning me (100.00) dollars.I could play in live tourneys but the traveling and the hassell with casinos) Im pretty good so i think i could do this for a living if im able to win big tourneys.
- It’s not easy making a living playing online poker. It requires focus, patience, mental strength and much dedication to improving your game. If you are interested in becoming a professional poker player, there is something you have to be aware of: For every hour that you play, you need to spend an hour training.
- If you want to play poker for a living, you need to have a bankroll that’s large enough to take a beating. The amount of buy-ins (BI) you’ll need will vary depending on what variant of poker you play, and whether you play cash or tournaments. The general consensus is that for No-limit Hold’em your bankroll should be at least 25-40 buy-ins.
- Here’s my definition of what a pro is (at anything). If you make over 60% of your income doing something, you can consider yourself a professional at something. If you make 60% of your income from playing poker, you can consider yourself a professional. To be honest, it really doesn’t matter. It’s just a label that doesn’t mean anything.
One of my least favorite things about being a professional poker player is having to deal with people who simply do not understand what being a professional poker player means. There are certain questions like 'So, what do you do for a living?' and 'Why did you move to Malta?', seemingly casual questions that I hear on a very regular basis, that send a shiver of dread down my spine every time I hear them because I know that the response to my answer will almost never be 'oh, cool' and a change of subject.
Granted, not every stranger I talk to about my job is a pain to deal with, even if they know nothing about poker. There are plenty of reasonable and polite people out there. But here are a few examples of the most annoying types of responses I tend to get on a regular basis (and if you're a professional poker player, too, I'm sure you can relate to this):
1. The wide-eyed awe guy
When this guy hears that I'm a professional poker player, his response is something along the lines of, 'Woooooooowwwww, you play poker? For a living? You make money doing that? You don't have another job? Wooooooowwwww, that's so cool! Are you famous? Have you been on tv? How many times have you been on tv? Have you won the World Series yet? Are you friends with what's-his-face, the really loud, annoying one? Do you know that other guy, the black guy who wins all the time? Is it like James Bond? Do you wear a tuxedo? Do you ever lose? How much money do you make? Can you teach me how to play?' And on and on and on until the cab ride is over or I find a way to extricate myself from the conversation.
2. The I know better guy
This guy tends to fire off a few follow up questions to make sure he heard me right, like, 'You gamble for a living? In casinos? And you think you can make money doing that? How long have you been at it now?' Then the questions get even more pointed: 'So how much have you made exactly? And you don't have another job? You must not have a family to support. Do you have rich parents? Where does the money come from? Right, you win sometimes, but I mean when you lose, where does that money come from?' And then I get the lecture. 'You know you're going to start losing eventually, right? What are you going to do then? Do you ever think about that? When are you going to stop? You better quit while you're still ahead. I had a cousin who lost all his money gambling and he's in jail now. You don't want to end up like him. What does your wife say? Man, if I quit my job and told my wife I was going to gamble for a living, she'd kill me, or leave me, probably both!' Sometimes they're a little more tactful and say things like, 'Haha, well, you never know, I mean, you COULD keep winning, nothing's impossible...' That guy's always a delight to deal with.
3. The I don't get it guy
This guy is someone for whom the words 'professional poker player' just do not compute. He asks questions like, 'Wait, poker? You play poker? Like, the game? As a job? Really? How do you... what do you... where do you go to work? Like, where do you go in the morning? What kinds of hours do you work? Do you get weekends off? Who pays you to do that?' And he'll keep going like that until he eventually gives up trying to understand, scratches his head, look at me in puzzlement, and then wanders away. That guy isn't so bad. He always gives up after a little while and tends not to lecture.
4. The I played poker once, too guy
This guy hears the word poker and immediately needs to tell me all about his own experiences with the game, like how he goes on a cruise every year where they have poker and one time he won, and this other time he lost, and then there was this one time when he almost won but then he lost... Or there's the guy who loves poker but has the WORST LUCK and has to tell me every single bad beat story he can remember... and he remembers them all. But my favorites out of this category are the conspiracy theorists, the guys who are certain that poker is rigged because they lost a hand once... and it was aces! The dealer was out to get him or the online poker sites are all a scam... it's the only way it makes any sense! I mean, he had aces! How could he lose if it wasn't all a giant conspiracy? That guy's the best.
Since my Team Online video came out last fall, I've received a ton of positive feedback, which is always great to hear, but the one thing that has made me happiest to hear is when other professional poker players tell me that they showed the video to their mom or their uncle or their old friend from school who then comes back to them saying, 'Hey, I watched that video you sent me and I think I understand a little better what it is that you do.' It brings me such satisfaction to know that a video about my life could help spread the truth and dispel some of the myths about what it means to be a professional poker player.
If any of you other pros out there have that relative or friend who, like my grandmother, starts every conversation with, 'So when are you going to get a real job, already?', try showing them my video. It might help them understand a little better what it means to be a professional poker player and show them one good example of what the life of a professional poker player can look like.
And if my video can help any of you get that well-intentioned but annoying friend or relative off your back, not to mention cutting down the number of conversations like the ones I describe above that you have to endure per month, I'll be exceptionally pleased. Or, you know, if the video doesn't work, I guess you can try what I've started doing with my incredibly persistent grandmother: tell her you've applied to business school. Works like a charm.
Isaac Haxton is a member of Team PokerStars Online.
Can You Make Money Off Online Poker
Most people have no idea what it takes to play poker for a living.
Before deciding to choose this path, let me warn you of the disadvantages first. Poker has many benefits, but it also has many negative consequences that come with playing long hours.
This guide will allow you to make the right decision by learning from someone who actually plays for a living.
How Do I Play Poker for a Living?
The first thing you need to play any game for a living is patience. Playing every day, all day, can get extremely tiring.
Staring at a computer screen for hours on end can literally drive you insane. In addition, your fortunes online are prone to wild swings. You will occasionally sit down at a table and not get any cards for hours.
Be prepared to take the worst beats of your life along with huge runs that will make your bankroll soar.
Playing for a living requires extreme mental discipline and a steady game plan. It's a good idea to record how many hours you play each day and what your total profit for the day is.
Do this for a month or two before you make the switch to becoming a full-time player. This will allow you to analyze your play and find out how much you make on average.
Cons of Playing Poker for a Living
Can You Make A Living Online Poker Games
1. No set income: Some months you'll actually experience a loss in total earnings. You must be able to cope with this and still have the confidence you need to win. You'll encounter some horrible runs along the way so be prepared.
2. Exhaustion: You'll constantly be tired if you're playing all day. If you're playing really high limits, you may not have to play all day to make a living. The fact is that most of us will need to grind it out all day to pay rent and bills and buy food.
3. Reduced family time: Since you must make your money playing poker, you'll tend to spend less time with your family. When a good poker player encounters a bad run, he or she will grind it out until they prevail.
This may call for some extremely long hours of play. Be prepared to play poker at any time. On losing months you'll need to spend even more time on the computer or at the casino.
Pros of Playing Poker for a Living
Can You Make A Living Playing Online Poker
Can You Make A Living Online Poker Game
There are many advantages that help balance out playing poker for a living. I love that you get to choose your own hours to work on any day you wish.
You can take off as many days as you want and never be hassled to wake up at 8 a.m. - or, god forbid, earlier. You'll also be playing one of the most intriguing games in the world for money. Who could ask for more? It's a great lifestyle if you're a winning player.
The fact is, most people can't handle the swings that are unavoidable in full-time play. Every time you sit at the table you must change your personality and play with ice water in your veins.
When you take a bad beat, you can't let it affect you. You must deal with the swings on a regular basis. You must also be a dedicated soul who will play even when the cards aren't going your way. You must be a very disciplined and winning poker player to play for a living.
Can You Make A Living Online Poker Online
I hope this article hasn't discouraged you if you have dreams of playing professionally. If you believe you can do it, you'll buy every book and read everything you can get your hands on to become a winning player.
See you at the tables.