It is a question that almost every poker player asks themselves at some point or another, especially after a successful session. We’ve all wondered how to become a professional poker player. With all the glitz and the glamor, it’s a dream come true, isn’t it?
The chance to be able to make a full time living from a game that they love to play is definitely appealing to so many poker players from all over the world but many fail to make a real go of their new-found dream of becoming professional poker players and find themselves thrown into an financial spiral.
Its easy to identify who has managed to make their living through the playing of poker as their name is soon added to into the world of poker news and either their screen name or real name is served up in a news story for all other poker fanatics to see but just how many players think about making a go at playing the game full time and succeed?
Although making a living playing poker is possible, the lack of research that people put into making the decision to quit their regular day job in hopes that they will be able to make a healthy income playing as a pro poker player, it’s not hard to see the many players who have tried and failed, simply Google the idea of playing pro poker, or how to become a professional poker player, and there are thousands of web pages about how people have lost thousands if not more during their time as a ‘professional’ player.
Check out some professional poker player profiles, the numbers are oftentimes astounding! That being said, there is no reason that an experienced poker player would not be able to make a living out of the game. It does however take time and dedication in order to become a player who can show repeat success, winning one multi table tournament for a first place prize of $50,000 does not mean that your good enough to become a professional player, not by a long shot.
The introduction of online poker has meant that the possibility for players to become a poker professional has increased greatly, offering players the chance to get to ‘work’ from any location that offers an internet connection and the chance for them to be able to play at an online poker room.
Before internet poker made its appearance, professional poker players were limited to playing in live games and tournaments and with a limited amount of availability outside of the United States, players found themselves having to travel thousands of miles in order to be able to try to turn an income.
So, your thinking about giving it a go, well we want to see you succeed, in fact, we can’t wait to write about you. As soon as you win a major event, please do send us all the juicy details, and some neato pics too.
Things to Consider as a Poker Professional
The first and most important thing that you need to remember is that the fun element of the game is quickly extracted from the game and replaced with a feeling of responsibility. Your favorite hobby is now real work.
If you are considering making the move over to becoming a professional poker player you need to realize exactly what your responsibilities are, for example are you a parent, spouse or both?
If you answered yes to the question above, your decision to move into the profession requires a whole new level of thought and consideration, after all, should it go wrong and you find yourself in a rut, its not just you that will suffer. Do you have a plan for supporting the family? Savings in case you fail miserably and land on your ass without a bankroll?
Are You Good Enough to be a Pro?
Before you decide to hand in your resignation at your current place of work, take an honest look at how successful you have been in the past. Have you only won one tournament in the time that you have been playing the game and the prize money mean that you are about even for your investments? Have you been consistently winning tournaments and real money cash games and so find yourself in a comfortable position financially? Do you keep records, or do you just ‘feel’ like a winning poker player?
Coming to Terms With Your Weaknesses as a Player
No poker professional should every leave another job before they are able to analyze their playing ability and the weaknesses that come with it. cloaking your weaknesses will mean that you are setting yourself up for a big fall and remaining blind to them will not only hurt your confidence but also your financial situation. You can’t fix it if you won’t admit it’s broken.
So to find those leaks in your game, start tracking your stats, take a look at how many hands you win, and what you do during the hands that you lose. There are several poker tools available to help you with this process.
Phil Ivey is considered to be the best poker player in the world at this present time and that’s not something that he was born into, even the professionals have to track their stats in order to identify weaknesses.
Once you are able to determine the leaks in your game you need to practice and dedicate time into creating new habits, learning new poker strategies, and building a stronger better game. Now we’re not saying that you cannot go pro until you’re playing a perfect game, there’s nothing wrong with collecting entry level pay for a little while in any game. However, it’s important that you’re analyzing your game, learning your weaknesses and really going at this goal like a professional.