If you play mostly online, socially your life will decline. It is important to make time to get out hang out with people, and I don't just mean the degenerates you see at the casino.

The game becomes less "fun". I can't call poker "fun" anymore but more "interesting". I can think of three interesting hands from yesterday, but not a single fun one.

The opportunity to travel is there, how you make use of it is up to you. I like playing satellites that might send me to far away and interesting places, and try to see something besides the casino while I'm there. I have only got to travel for free once but it was a very rewarding experience.

Rhound is right about women, this may change if you win some big tournament and are viewed as a rock star of sorts, but with the cash game player, which is the bread and butter of daily earning, this is unlikely to happen. My rate of random booty has dropped since I started playing, but i'm not spending as much time in night clubs as my last job dictated, and I had some sort of false status which looks attractive.

Your family may draw sides to your choice of activity if this is going to bother you don't do it. Unless of course you don't mind the wedge in your family life. It is good to be open and honest with your family about your activity even as an adult, especially as an adult.

Losing always sucks, but it sucks even more when you need the money which can spawn a downward spiral of confidence shattered play. Sometimes no matter how you play it, for weeks it will seem like you get your ass handed to you, nut straight at the turn, two pair fills up, you can't win as a favorite or dog, overlay doesn't matter, you lose. It is gambling, granted there is a lot of skill to this gambling, but hand for hand luck is king. Can you stand the short term luck that seems to stretch out for weeks? It is truly mind boggling when you re-raise KK 15x the blind and flop comes 533 and the knuckle head raising 83o UTG scoops the main pot, and the chuckle head with 34s takes the side pot. There really is no other feeling of despair like it when you play for a living and this starts happening consistently, it is easy to forget that it is a game of skill instead of a stupid game of chance.

Winning is great. Getting overly cocky about your skill level, and playing beyond it is a real danger. I've seen this one happen a few times, where the player moves up too fast for his roll and skill, and winds up tossing a roll away.

Setting up a reasonable plan to manage your money, which the real game of poker, that accounts for your weekly salary, bankroll building, tucking money away for dry times is necessary. If you never have to touch your bankroll except for emergencies then you are in much better shape for building up a massive roll to take on this endeavor. I started way too small, it is easy to start too small, what is right for you might not be right for another, but more is better for all.

Overall I say if you enjoy the game, can handle the good and the bad, can't think of anything you would rather be doing right now, then poker is great as a job. If you become disillusioned with it as work for whatever reason it is time to move on and find something new to do. In todays climate if you took a few years off to play poker, it wouldn't be frowned on so badly as maybe five years ago. Poker is mainstream now, and unless you are working for ultra religious conservatives probably not a mar on your resume, or no more so than taking a year or two to travel the world.

I just viewed the first part of the, I forgot what it's called but I think its the world cardplayer cruise player seminar. It had Mark Gregorich on there talking about the pros and cons of being a pro, it was quite informative. I'm in a rush so I can't get into details about it now, but I'm still considering the option.

JJSCOTT,

What have you got against the British NHS? As a Brit many things can be seen as a problem with our country, but a universal health care system for all? what's the problem? It's the one things I think that's a total positive about the UK.

Molina

Molina, with you 100% on that issue, Canada is the same way and I wouldn't have it any other way