Living Off Of Online Poker
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- Living Off Online Poker
Life of an Online Gambler
If you’ve ever dreamed about getting away from the drudgery of working all day long to make some other guy rich, poker just might be the answer. But be warned; playing poker for a living isn’t all roses and lollipops. Playing poker for a living needs to be treated like a serious job because your livelihood depends on it. I can speak from experience when I tell you that as nice as it is not answering to a boss, playing poker for a living can be a stressful job. At the same time, it can also be an extremely well-paying job.
In this article, I’m going to tell you a little bit about what it’s like to play poker for a living. This article won’t cover things like expenses, health insurance and rent.
Typical Day as a Professional Poker Player
Img source: online-roulette.casino. Play at Single Tables for Starters; Live poker only allows you to play at a single table not because it’s the rules of the casino but because you can’t be at two places at the same time. However, gaming online is another story. You can actually play at up to five tables at a single time on different tabs. One of the biggest decisions that you’re going to have to make when becoming a professional poker player is whether you’re going to be predominantly an online player or live player. Most players do a bit of both, but for the most part, they have an area they specialize in. This is a guest post from an Anonymous Professional Poker Player (sexy!). Update: Part 2 is now live. There is an old saying, 'Poker is the hardest way to make an easy living.' After playing full-time poker for 4 years, I can't think of a better statement to describe it. There are obvious benefits to poker: You set your own schedule, you work when you want to work, and your performance is. Or maybe online poker is just another scam and you will never win? Can you trust online poker rooms like Pokerstars, Full Tilt Poker or Party. How to Switch from Live Poker to Online Poker If, on the other hand, you're trying to dive into online poker after mostly playing live, you'll find some equally important rules to abide. Shorthanded No-Limit Hold'em - or 'six-max' - is by far the most popular game being played online today.
During my best months (earning more than $10,000 / month), I treated poker like a real job. I woke up early, ate breakfast and took a shower before hitting the tables. It was important for me to approach the tables feeling awake and refreshed.
I would typically play poker for 3 or 4 hours in the morning and then go make something for lunch. In the afternoon, I would find something else to do, like clean the house, meet a friend somewhere or whatever. In the evening, I would start another session to catch all the recreational evening players. I’d play for as long as I could stay alert. If I started to get distracted or groggy, I would log off and call it a day.
That all sounds nice and dandy but not every day went totally according to plan. Sometimes I would start out and immediately hit a downswing and have to spend the rest of the day digging myself back out of that hole. Even though I understood variance and knew downswings happened to everyone, it was frustrating to start the day off like that. What I had to do was learn how to put those hands behind me and continue on playing like normal.
Benefits of Going Pro
The best part about being a professional poker player is the money. The freedom was also nice, but there are few ways for a college student to make ten or twenty thousand a month from home. It was nice having more money than knowing what to do with it all. I got to go on trips, buy anything I wanted and save money for my future. There’s nothing more a young college kid (or anyone else) could ask for.
The freedom was important to me as well because I couldn’t stand working for other people. It sickened me to work for such pitiful wages when I knew the owners of the places I worked at were pulling in several thousand dollars a day off the fruits of our labor. It was also good to be able to take off work on a moment’s notice to attend to any emergencies or check out a fun event.
Drawbacks to Going Pro
As nice as being a professional poker player is, there are several drawbacks that you need to seriously consider. First, the future of the career is unknown. Do you think you’ll be able to play poker for 20 years and retire from it? There are many unknowns there including government regulation and abundance of strategy resources for the fish.
Secondly, if you go pro, you’ll have a major gap in your resume if you ever decide to return to the working world. The general population is astoundingly ignorant when it comes to poker so if you tell a future employer that you were a professional online poker player, the odds are they will assume you were some kind of degenerate. It’s frustrating but that’s how it is.
If you have a family that depends on you to make a living, going pro is even more stressful. Not only do you have to worry about yourself, but you also have to worry about your family. If you have a major downswing, you need to have a back up plan in place to feed your family. Otherwise, you and them will just be out of luck.
Going pro also puts a major strain on your bankroll. When you constantly cash out for living expenses, it makes it harder to keep a steady bankroll. It’s difficult to move up in stakes and improve your winrate because you are constantly taking money out of your bankroll. When you play recreationally, you can keep that money in your bankroll for as long as you need.
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Speaking of strain, being a professional is a seriously stressful job at times. No matter how great you are, you will experience the occasional monster downswing. During those downswings, it’s difficult to stay positive. If you hit an exceptionally vicious downswing, it can easily affect other areas in your life. It takes a special mindset to be able to separate your job from your personal life.
Should I Go Pro?
Only you can answer that. In the vast majority of cases, I recommend players against going pro. Your living expenses will constantly eat away at your bankroll unless you bring in a nice chunk of money every month.
Even if you have a good month or two, it doesn’t mean you should go pro. As a professional, you need to be able to win month in and month out. Every single month everything starts over and you need to win enough money to pay your expenses once again.
By not going pro, you can treat poker as a second income. If you work all day at a job and bring in extra money from poker, it’s like having two jobs at once. You’ll also get benefits from your job like health insurance and retirement. When you play poker for a living, you have to figure those things out on your own.
Poker is riding a wave of popularity thanks to major tours and televised games keeping it in the mainstream. Those who want to try poker by gambling online before heading to the casino will find some benefits to this strategy. Here’s a look at some of the advantages of playing poker online versus in a casino.
1. Learning the ropes – Many new players are a bit uneasy about jumping into a live poker game at a casino with a table full of what they may perceive as real poker sharks. Playing online offers a chance to cut through some of those fears. Players can jump in low stakes games for pennies (or even play for free) and get a grasp of the game before moving up in stakes as they feel more comfortable and confident.
2. Easy access – Who likes to wait? A trip to the local casino may require a wait before being seated at a table. When playing online, there is almost always a table available for any bankroll. Joining the action is as simple as a mouse click. Not waiting also means no major gambling temptations like that nearby craps or blackjack table. Save those dollars for poker, where there is some real skill involved. Play your cards right and you may walk away a winner.
3. Tournament time – For players who enjoy tournaments more than cash games, playing online is a delight. Most sites feature constant tournament action with buy-ins of every size, from only a dollar or two up to thousands. Even lower buy-in events offer a chance at a nice score. Some sites also offer major tournament series with some added incentive to take on a big event with a nice payday.
4. No time crunch – Even an average multi-table tournament online may only take a few hours to play. Don’t have that much time? Sit and go tournaments allow you to play a single table of six or nine players or even heads-up. Some tournaments may only feature two or three tables. There are numerous options to suit a player’s mood or preferences.
Living Off Of Online Poker Real Money
5. Games offered – While the vast majority of poker games offered at casinos and online tend to be No Limit Texas Hold’em, playing online offers plenty of others. Maybe you’d rather play Omaha or Seven Card Stud. Those options are regularly available, as well as many others. Players also can choose limit, pot limit, and no-limit variants as well as games with a high/low split. Some sites even offer more games like Badugi or Razz. Players looking to try something new have a chance to learn the games at lower stakes.
Living Off Of Online Poker Tournaments
6. No real table required – One of the great things about playing online is that you can play anywhere. Got some free time while away on business? Pull out that laptop or mobile device and log in for some action. There’s no need for a casino — simply an Internet connection.
7. No smoking, no problems – OK, so this really depends if you smoke or where you’re playing. But beyond smoking, online players don’t have to worry about noisy slot machines, slow cocktail service, or an unruly drunk at the table. Players may be able to chat by typing on screen, but if someone is annoying it’s easy to hit the mute button. And with no dealers at the tables, there are no worries of a misdeal.
8. Few tells – A tell is a physical movement or verbal cue that gives away the strength of a player’s hand. Good players can pick up on these and use them to their advantage. While there are certain online tells poker players can pick up on, for the most part players don’t have to worry too much about giving off tells to opponents.
9. Money management – Players who have booked a trip to a casino may feel more of a need or urge to hit the tables. Despite some losing sessions, it may be hard to get away from that urge. Players at home can easily log off and find something else to do after a losing session. Stepping away from the action may be a bit easier away from the flashing lights and colored chips.
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10. Lower rake – Players more accustomed to playing in a casino may notice that the rake, the amount taken by the house for each hand or the fee for playing a tournament, is traditionally lower. Players looking to win consistently not only have to overcome the other players at the table, but the rake going to the house. With lower rake online, players have a better chance to profit.
Living Off Online Poker
Whatever your skill level or bankroll, online poker can be a great way to work on your skills, learn the game, have some fun, and hopefully make a few bucks.