How You become a Poker Pro

[BUILDMO]

what steps do you take?


money of course helps, but what if you have no money

[iceveins0901]

I assume you win more than enough money by playing poker to quit your job. if you do that, then you are a "pro"

[frob23]

Yeah, to go pro you're pretty much required to have a bankroll that can support your games at a profitable enough level to survive. Now... I don't know that living off the money you play with is a sole indicator of a pro. A long time ago, I spent 10 days in NY living off of money I won each night playing a church's youth group. But I never thought of myself as pro... I thought of myself as desperate and broke and knew that playing with my last few dollars (against that group) was going to make them last longer than if I spent them. Yes, I lived off those profits... but it was only for a week and a half and it was not comfortable living. I just got by.

If you have no money now... work at a job and play at night. Build up your poker money and take what you can afford from the job and add that to your bankroll. At the same time, create a second account for living expenses. When the second account is large enough to support you for a few months... and your bankroll is large enough to play at limits that mean something... go for it... try your hand at being pro. I hear it's much harder than people think... so have a backup plan.

[IFixlexus]

I'm 99.9% sure that being a poker pro isn't all that it's cracked up to be. I know a few people that are and it's a very high stress job if you're not mentally tough. You definetely have seperate yourself from your money. You need to think of your bankroll in terms of buy-ins and not money.
I don't know about where you live, but housing is very expensive here in Northern Ca. That also needs to be taken into consideration. If you build up your roll to a decent size and are serious about turning pro, you might want to consider living some place where your money will go a long way.
Example,
A 2 bedroom apt here in my city is about $1000
A 2 bedroom apt in Washington is about $500 per mo.

There are so many things to take into consideration. To put it more simply, I'm a professional technician. That means I make enough money to survive by being a technician. Same works for a poker pro.
(sorry for the book-I'm in the posting mood this morning)

[liladypokerpro]

I agree. The word "pro" is short for "professional" and the root word is "profession" meaning "one's job" or "one's particular trade or skill" so to break it down English-teacher style, it's pretty self-explanatory...if one makes enough money to pay for his costs of living, then his means of making money is his profession, hence making him a "professional."

So as IFixlexus said, he is a "professional" technician, therefore, he pays for his cost of living through his skill or trade, which is technical repair.

Same would go for a "professional" poker player. You may never see this person on a televised event, or may have never heard his name spoken along with the other "professionals" you always hear about, but if he pays for his cost of living by playing poker, then by definition, he is a "professional poker player."


(Sorry for the book......I wanted to be an English teacher LOLOLOL )


As for not having any money to start out, if you really have your ducks in a row, it is still possible to become a Professional....Just look at Chris Ferguson!

[MikeyInc]

What Steps Would I take to Be a Good Money Maker @ Poker..... Hmmmm . Well Step 1 Would Be Read Read Read... step 2 would be Play as many MTT's for free or low buy-in as i could (build confidence) Then Save Money and GO For the NUTS!

[Vito_Nuccio]

If you do not have any money, you can not play poker. Turning freerolls into a profession is a super long shot. If you have a good poker reputation with the correct persons you may find someone to stake you, but even then, you are giving up half of any earnings. Cash flowing out of your wallet does not make you a professional either. If you can pay the bills exclusively from poker earnings, then you are a professional.

Thanks Mo,

[PokerTransfersOnline]

I have one piece of advice for 99% of 'aspiring poker pro's'.

DO NOT DO IT.

First off, there is more time involved than what the trained eye really sees. Second, there is the on-going "Legislation" crackdown affecting it. It is harder to move funds/access funds on various sites which you need to do if you are a 'Pro'.

Lastly, and what I think is the number 1 factor is family. Whether or not your parents or peers look down on it is one major issue. But the big issue at hand is your partner/kids. I have 2 girls and a wife I absolutely adore. I lucked out by finding a partner who is "numb" to the swings. It was not always like that. Ive had numerous relationships go sour as a result of poker. Poker can cause un-provoked anger, and that is not healthy on a human being. If you are going to do it, you better hope 'She/he' can do it as well.

Thanks,
PokerTransfersOnline

[liladypokerpro]

PTO brings up valid points regarding how gambling can affect family life. Thankfully, my partner is very agreeable with it, and is even participating and trying to learn the game. My mother, her brother, and their father were all successful gamblers in their time...so my mother considers that I "come by it honest" in her own words. She is excited to see that the family line of gamblers didn't end when her father died, and her brother was in a serious automobile accident and could no longer function as before. As for my mother, she runs her household and holds down two jobs in Alabama, where gambling is not even imaginable (Bible belt), so she no longer has the time to play, nor the resources. So everytime I call or email her with another success, she's very excited to hear it. My father is also very supportive, as is my younger sister. My sister and all my friends want me to pursue poker as a career, but I know as well as the next person all the risks involved, and I know that I am not prepared to take that on just yet. I have set a goal for myself of 8 years...so if by the time I am 35 I am not able to pursue a large event, then I will take the hint that it is not meant to be.

[BUILDMO]

I treat poker like a second job
and the better I get at my job
the more money I will make

[TheyNeverLearn]

I don't want to be a pro can you imagine all the crap to put up with having to travel all the time and having all that money they probably have a new long lost family member pop up every week No thanks I pass.

[catch016]

First of all, this is not a "brag post" by any means as I don't have a lot to brag about lol. I am a small stakes "grinder" but yes, I am a pro. I suppose I should tell my story:

I am a college graduate with a business/entrepreneurship degree from USC. I owned a few businesses/real estate over the years since I graduated. The last business I owned was an urban/streetware clothing company which had worldwide distribution in the U.S., U.K., Japan, Australia, etc. To make a long story short, we had a large demand for our product but basically, not enough money (clothing manufacturing takes a lot of upfront money). During the "failure" of this company, I played .50/1 cash games at Pokerroom to help pay my bills. It was during this period that I felt that I could make a living playing poker. Eventually, the business ended and I had $45 to my name. On top of that, the place I lived at for over 10 years (a friend's backhouse) was going to be added-on to his main house. So sadly enough, I had to move back into my parent's house after being on my own since I was 22. Not a good thing for a guy in his mid-30s. As I looked for a job and borrowed from my parents to pay some bills, I decided to take my shot at poker. I deposited the $45 on Pokerroom and four-tabled the .10/.25 game. My first month, I did well so I was pretty excited. In about 6 months, I moved up to .25/.50 six-tabling and stopped looking for a job (in fact, I never went on an interview). Then Pokerroom stopped allowing US customers and I switched over to FullTilt. Luckily, I was smart enough to sign up through rakeback.com (shameless Rakeback.com plug lol). Anyways, this month is my 2 year anniversary as a professional poker player. I moved into an apartment with my girlfriend a year after turning pro and we got married 2 1/2 months ago. Yes, it's true that it takes a special person to accept a poker player as a spouse and I have been VERY lucky and blessed. Right now, I'm eight-tabling at .25/.50. I don't make a lot of money but I make enough to get by in Southern California (rent is ridiculous here). In a few months, I will be moving up to where I started, .50/1.00. I pretty much figure after that, I'll probably never have a regular job (regular job $ = pokerpro $). I am very careful about bankroll management and am not in a hurry to move up. Like they say, poker is a lifelong game. If I hit that big tournament score then great but I am not relying on it (I'm mainly a cash game player). If it happens, it happens. As for living the life of a poker player, I love it. I have never been happier (and I'm a pretty happy guy). Yeah, sometimes I work 24 hours straight (I did this when I owned my business too) but sometimes I'm done in 15 minutes. It's just like owning your own business except that I don't have to deal with customers or employees. It's just me. I have no boss. I get to make myself lunch and my wife dinner everyday. I spend $50 a month on gas and I also save money on car insurance since I don't go anywhere. Plus, I get to watch ESPN and HBO while I work. Not too bad. I know this life isn't for everyone but it works well for me. Again, I love my job and not too many people can say that. I honestly look forward to work and I haven't taken a day off in 2 years (I even played a couple of hours on my wedding day lol). It did take a little to convince my parents that this was a legitimate business and I still shock a few people when I tell them what I do for a living. Just a side note, I am not a degenerate gambler and aside from poker, I have never gambled besides the lottery and a little bit of slots. To be clear, I am not advocating this life for everyone. It works for some and doesn't for others. I think it depends on your mentality and where you're at in life. If you're young and in school, definitely finish college. It gives you something to fall back on. No one can take your degree away from you. Anyways, I have to end this sometime but I just wanted to tell my story. I have often contemplated starting a website dedicated to the poker journey and some philosophies on life but I am not sure if people would be interested. Let me know your thoughts and thank you for hearing my story.

catch016
Michael Dehlinger

[liladypokerpro]

Congrats on your success Michael. Long story, but worth the read. Always good to hear good fortune rather than the usual not-so-good.

[DaGreenster]

im a poker pro. i wont spill my guts... but im doing a bit better than you are michael. whats your FT SN?

-Green

[Vito_Nuccio]

Originally Posted by liladypokerpro ...so if by the time I am 35 I am not able to pursue a large event, then I will take the hint that it is not meant to be.

Setting goals is fine, but if you do not play in a big event (I assume you are talking about 5-10G buyin) by a certain age does not mean it will not happen or that you have failed. You obviously love poker, so I am guessing your passion for it will not dissipate much in the next 8 years. Maybe you will get to the 'Big One' when you are 40 (darn, that was over a year ago for me). The great thing about poker is you do not have to be in pro hockey shape to compete with the best. All you need is your mind and the will to compete.

Keep Playing.

Later