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Server Time: 11/20/2008 1:20:17 AM PACIFIC |
 Deciding to Turn Pro, GeneM, 10. Sep 2003 10:46 | ||
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| Since there are a number of professional poker players on this site, I thought I'd ask: when/how did you make the decision in your life to play poker for a living? Was it after a big tournament win? Was it after an early retirement from a previous career? Did you get to the point where you were playing so often and winning so much that it just made sense? I'd like to turn pro myself someday, but I don't think that I'm financially ready to do so, and I know that my skills aren't good enough yet. I'm getting better though, thanks to sites like this one. | ||
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| Re: Deciding to Turn Pro, Michael C, 10. Sep 2003 13:46 | ||
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| I spoke to one pro that was a dealer in Vegas and he told me to keep my day job - that is before he know how well I did or did not play. We were in a tournament together - he finished out to the money and looked very unhappy. I guess he needed to win the $4000. I would be interested in a real pro's perspective. You might ask Rolf Stotboom at acespeaks@hotmail.com - he did it playing OPL - his articles in cardplayer address this issue. | ||
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| Re: Deciding to Turn Pro, Angel, 10. Sep 2003 14:11 | ||
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| I know this is going to sound ridiculous, but I can't remember when I decided to 'give up the day job'. I believe it was a gradual process of my passion and desire to play professionally overcoming my need for a safety net. I realize that this probably isn't very helpful - but it was a good question and deserved an answer - this is simply the best one I've got right now. Good luck. | ||
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| Re: Deciding to Turn Pro, 4 POKER, 10. Sep 2003 14:35 | ||
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| That's a great response Angel. My feelings were pretty much on the same wavelength as yours. A person may "not" be able to cut it as a pro {after they quit their day job}, but I don't think that it should keep you from 'giving it a go' if that is something that you truly want to persue. If you really have the strong desire {that is so needed} to play poker; and you have shown very good past results; accompanied by the strong discipline that it takes to survive and to succeed in this field......then why not follow your dream? Dave on 10. Sep 2003 14:11 Angel wrote: > I know this is going to sound ridiculous, but I can't remember when I decided to > 'give up the day job'. I believe it was a gradual process of my passion and desire > to play professionally overcoming my need for a safety net. > > I realize that this probably isn't very helpful - but it was a good question and > deserved an answer - this is simply the best one I've got right now. Good luck. | ||
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| Re: Deciding to Turn Pro, Mark Gregorich, 10. Sep 2003 18:01 | ||
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| I became a full-time professional in 1995, at which time I gave up my job as a high school teacher, which I had done for three years. Prior to making the switch, I played seriously during summer vacations and other breaks in the school year. I played enough that I was making more as a part time poker player than as a teacher the two years prior to becoming a full time player. I tested myself in Vegas four or five times a year, and felt I could beat the games there should I give it a shot. Eventually, I decided that if I didn't at least try to be a professional player for a time, I would always wonder what might have happenend. So, I moved to Vegas, but I only took a 1 year leave of absence from my job, so I did have that to fall back on. So far, I've been happy with my decision. At the time of the switch, it wasn't that rough - I was single with minimal expenses. If I went broke, I could always go back to my job in a year, and nobody else was depending on me. I don't think I would have made this career leap if my personal situation was different, as there are definite risks involved (as with any career switch, I suppose), and the probability of success is very low (I wouldn't encourage anyone to turn pro without a very healthy bankroll and some fallback options, not to mention years of experience playing winning poker at a level where you can support your existence as a player). You can fib a bit on these standards if you don't mind going broke (ie-you are young, single, and willing to start over). Mark | ||
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| Re: Deciding to Turn Pro, ADAM THE EXPERT, 11. Sep 2003 02:25 | ||
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| DEAR GENE M FOR MOST OF US, POKER PICKED US, NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND!! WE (PROFESSIONAL PLAYERS) ARE FIERCELY INDEPENDENT, AND HAVE A NATURAL ABILITY IN THE IMPORTANT SKILLS OF POKER, AND POKER MANAGEMENT. MYSELF, I WAS AN EXECUTIVE, AND HAD THREE PEOPLE CONVINCE THE VICE PRESIDENT OF MY COMPANY TO ELIMINATE MY POSITION, AND DIVIDE MY DUTIES AMOUNG THEMSELVES. NEVER AGAIN, DID I WANT TO BE IN A POSITION, WHERE OTHERS CAN DESTROY ME!! IN POKER, YOU CAN ONLY DESTROY YOURSELF. NOW, TO CONCUR WITH A RECENT ARTICLE, MY ADVICE TO YOU: NOW MATTER HOW GOOD YOU MAY BE, DON'T GIVE UP YOUR DAY JOB. A PROFESSIONAL POKER BUSINESS IS AT IT'S BEST, WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE TO RELY ON IT, FOR ALL YOUR INCOME. IT'S THE BEST PART-TIME BUSINESS, IN THE WORLD-BUT THE MOST (ALMOST) IMPOSSIBLE FULL-TIME JOB IN THE WORLD. I WOULD SUGGEST THAT YOU HAVE SEVERAL TIMES THE BANKROLL, THAT OTHER'S RECOMMEND. HAVING YOUR RENT, OR MORGAGE PAID FOR A YEAR IN ADVANCE, WILL ALSO GREATLY INCREASE YOUR CHANCES FOR SUCCESS. TAKE AWAY THE PRESSURE OF HAVING TO WIN, AND YOU MAKE IT MUCH, MUCH EASIER TO CONCENTRATE OF PLAYING CORRECTLY. INITIALLY, YOU MIGHT CONSIDER BEING A PROPOSITION PLAYER. THAT WAY, YOU CAN RECEIVE A SALERY, SO THAT YOU HAVE MORE OF A "COMFORT ZONE" BUT REALLY, POKER IS MAINLY GOOD, TO GET THE MONEY TO DO SOMETHING ELSE. I HAVE A FRIEND, WHO HAS MADE SEVERAL MILLION PLAYING, NOW OWNS APPARTMENTS AND CONDOS. OTHERS TAKE THEIR WINNINGS, AND OPEN A RESTAURANT, OR OTHER BUSINESS. NOT THE THING YOU'D WANT TO DO FOR THIRTY OR FORTY YEARS. GOOD LUCK | ||
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| Re: Deciding to Turn Pro, Roy Cooke, 15. Sep 2003 08:00 | ||
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| Hi Gene I quit a job with the intent of getting a new one within 6 months......16 years later I did...... Roy Cooke on 10. Sep 2003 10:46 GeneM wrote: > Since there are a number of professional poker players on this site, I thought > I'd ask: when/how did you make the decision in your life to play poker for a > living? Was it after a big tournament win? Was it after an early retirement > from a previous career? Did you get to the point where you were playing so > often and winning so much that it just made sense? > > I'd like to turn pro myself someday, but I don't think that I'm financially > ready to do so, and I know that my skills aren't good enough yet. I'm getting > better though, thanks to sites like this one. > | ||
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| Re: Deciding to Turn Pro, Bungus, 16. Sep 2003 20:20 | ||
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| How come we haven't heard from any one who quit their day job to turn pro, lost it all, and went broke? ....... I suppose thats because their fishing half eaten cheeseburgers out of the dumpster in back of McDonald's. ....makes an internet connection second priority. | ||
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| Re: Deciding to Turn Pro, NiceFella, 18. Sep 2003 14:35 | ||
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| OK, someone's asked. Here's my story -- I didn't "make it", but I don't feel that I failed. I didn't really decide to turn pro at any point... I'd been playing casually (and slightly winning) for a few years, I had some savings in the bank, and I didn't have a job for the summer. I decided to play full time as an experiment. If I made money, great -- I would be able to delay finding a new job indefinitely. I approached the game very seriously. Every day I put in 8 hours of play, and several more hours of reading and computer study. I committed not to advance in limits until I'd shown several months of steady profit at my current (low) limit. Nothing gives you perspective on poker like time at the table ... endless, dull, frustrating hours at the table. I played 50 hours a week of low-limit poker for 8 weeks straight. I learned things that no book can teach you. Nothing beats experience. And nothing drains the fun so quickly. I slowly, steadily made about $1000 in my first month, and $2000 the next. Not exactly the high life, but I thought this was a promising start. I no longer felt in any danger at a low-limit table, and felt ready to try middle-limit holdem. I started sitting in on middle-level games when they looked soft. There is a world of difference between the two games. I'm not naive; I had expected to find things much more difficult. Over the next month I managed to break even. For a few weeks I went to Vegas, specifically as a learning exercise. This was the best thing I could have done. I played a lot of Bellagio 15/30 and played in some Festa al Lago tourneys. I learned an immense amount, managed to break even, and came home a much improved and more confident player. In the end, I wasn't able to play enough 10/20 to make a permanent switch to the limit because of the bankroll swings. One bad day of 10/20 can eat up a week of 4/8 profits, not to mention your car payment. The problem is, playing 4/8 I was able to meet my expenses, but not get ahead. Without some kind of lucky windfall, I wasn't able to make the transition to 10/20. There's just not enough hours in a day to make a living playing 4/8, and I couldn't afford to move up. And there's no way I want to spend the next year playing low-limit poker, living in poverty. I came away from my experiment with a very different perspective on the game. There is an endless supply of low-limit players which I know for certain pose no threat to me. I can make $10 an hour from these players indefinitely. But there are a great many things in this life at which I can make much more than $10 an hour. That's where I'm headed now. I suppose this all sounds rather naive. Most of what I learned (that pro poker can be dull, stressful, unreliable, and difficult) I had heard before I started out. But sometimes you just have to learn things for yourself. It all seemed rather romantic and rebellious when I started, now it just seems tedious and empty like any other low-wage job. But I'll never forget that wonderful time the other guy went all-in and.... Best of luck, NiceFella | ||
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| Re: Deciding to Turn Pro, Mark, 18. Sep 2003 17:14 | ||
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| Nice story, thanks for sharing Mark | ||
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| Re: Deciding to Turn Pro, Michael C, 18. Sep 2003 17:33 | ||
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| Hey ! Thanks for your story. I make more at my day job than I could at poker, that is for sure. Low 6 figures. My goals have been simple. Be able to play weekends or on trips to Vegas and not lose my shirt, but actually win enough to 'pay' for the trip. I don't know if I will ever get good enough to come out positive at the end of the year. If in a few years, say 2, I can't come out ahead then I will give it up (play much less) and find another hobby. My last trip to Thunder Valley I won $900 playing BJ. Lucky run of cards. I have hit $4300 in slots (+3000) and my poker is a little negative. The $468 from a bad beat on my table helps as well. I did not win that but hey, it is in my pocket. I was at the table playing. I could image working in Vegas at my day job (DBA) and then playing poker on some nights and weekends. I love the game. So the extra wins help offset my poker loses so far. I just started to be serious with HE in the last 4 months. Lot more to learn - table time and book leaning. | ||
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