In the words of the Great Doyle Brunson “Poker is a hard way to make an easy living.” Only a true Poker player will know how very true this is, in this post, we are going to explore the many different parts of what “Going Pro” actually entails.
Lifestyle
The biggest change can be having no nine to five to get you in check, for some people this complete freedom can be a blessing that keeps on giving, however, others can slide into unhealthy patterns of partying and excess.
It can be a good plan to have something other than Poker that will keep you in check, like take a few classes weekly on a new language you want to learn or learn a musical instrument. As strange as it sounds, having a commitment as small as it might be that isn’t just gambling will give you some kind of grasp on the real world that isn’t just online gambling and card rooms.
Poker players can become disconnected from the real world a little in either big winning streaks or downswings alike. Try and remember that there are other things out there than just Poker!
Bankroll
Probably the biggest factor to someone being able to successfully play Poker professionally is how large their bankroll is.
If you have a large bankroll you can absorb any variance you may incur on the long road ahead without stressing out too much about if you will be able to pay your bills.
You are going to want around 40 Buy-ins to play No-limit Hold’em, so if you are playing $2/$4 you will want around $16,000 as your roll to make sure you are adequately rolled.
Players looking to play games with more gambling involved like PLO will want around 80 Buy-ins.
If you are a tournament player you will want around 200-300 Buy-ins depending on how large the fields are you are trying to beat. so for a grinder playing a buy-in average of around $55, you will want around $11,000.
You will want to drop your buy-ins as you go through downswings, so if you are losing at 400NL then you will want to drop stakes until winning again and then move back up once you have corrected your amount of buy-ins.
Play Live Games
These are going to be some of the biggest edges you will find after homing your skills on the digital felt.
Take some shots from your bankroll, qualify for some events and take your game to the big money prize pools of some of the many live circuits that are in play. You won’t regret it! The players are softer than your average $20 online tournaments and you can bag huge money to boost your bankroll, doing all of this whilst seeing the world by qualifying for packages on the online card rooms.
Don’t make any hasty decisions
Many Poker players will tell you that when they first got involved in playing for their living they were underprepared and just on a huge upswing thinking that Poker was very easy.
Track your results and work out if you are going to be able to sustain yourself over a long period of time and still be able to pay for your lifestyle with the chance of building your bankroll and moving up stakes.
Sum Ups
- Maintain a healthy lifestyle and remember to take breaks from playing
- Manage downswings wisely and remember to drop stakes if needed
- Only keep playing professionally if you are improving your life from doing so if you find lifestyle slipping down the wrong paths, talk to people and think about whether it is really for you. The emotional toll of having to rely on your game to make a living can be a tough thing to deal with. Even the best of the best have gone broke many times, so there is nothing to be ashamed of.
- Review your sessions and keep looking to improve, join training sites and analyse your hands from losing sessions and look to plug leaks in your game
- Remember to have fun! Life is short, play Poker to have fun and if it gets stressful, try and think how lucky you are to be alive, healthy and in action!
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