Turning "pro"

[GodlikeRoy]

bump?

I'm interested in hearing people's thoughts and opinnions on the idea of becoming a professional poker player once again, especially those who responded a year ago and if their thoughts have changed since then for whatever reasons.

I'll add mine after a few responses.

[black_knight6]

The earlier posts were really good.

First: It's a GRIND...I'm not a "pro" because I don't consider poker a "career" but it's been my sole or principal source of income for nearly 2 years. Earlier, though, I didn't absolutely rely on poker for income because I had lots of investments that I could pull from. However, now I don't have that safety net and poker has taken a totally different light - the GRIND has shown up. Before, if I made a big score, I felt AWESOME and maybe would even treat myself by buying something...but now? I could make the biggest win ever (which has recently happened), and I won't feel any better than had I lost...they feel the exact same now...it's just a GRIND.

Second: They're right - if you have a bad month, the bills keep coming and have to be paid. How do you offset this? You have to be EXTREMELY conservative about both your bankroll and your monthly nut. First, be conservative about your projected win rate - drop it down by 20%. Then, make sure that you have a BR of 30+ buy ins. Then, have 3 months of expenses (bills, entertainment, food, etc) BEFORE you go 'pro'. This helps offset the bad months. Finally, when you have a GREAT month...don't spend it! It goes into the bank for when you have a bad month later on.

Going pro takes extraordinary discipline...make sure you're prepared.

Finally...only give yourself a year because the work gap is a real worry. Don't forget that you'll never be able to get credit as a poker player (at least not with ease), so be prepared to buy anything you want with CASH (cars...HOUSES, etc).

[kennyg]

[AlexMR]