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Trying To Make A Living Off Of Poker, Any Chance?


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(I can't write very well, apologies in advance)

 

Hello,

 

I turned 16 a month ago.

Poker really interests me, I am nowhere near decent but understand the basics.

Now a very recent idea has been going through my mind alot and has been motivating me; what if I try to learn how to play poker very well, read storys, blogs, strategy's, theories. Watch tournaments and play myself (no money, just for experience), I think that should end up making me able to make a profit. Now I know online poker (my main goal) has become way way harder, and now I'm wondering; can I make a living off of it? I have 2 years to learn alot and become more experienced. And of course I don't want to become the next Dan bilzerian, but my goal is around 2-5k a month (of course not immediately but eventually). I don't particularly have a passion or talent or job I want to do (I really don't want to work 9-5). Is what I am trying to achieve realistic? At first I was really motivated and was certain this would be my path, but then I realised that it's not as simple as I made it to be. I mean of course I won't be any more good than any other person studying poker a bit. Is there any chance for me to achieve this dream?

 

Thanks very much for reading, have a good one :)

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  • 4 weeks later...

Think of any professional sport. Only around 1% are anywhere near good enough to be pro. I think the same applies to Poker.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...

It's still doable. I gave up work 6 years ago, and it was tough enough back then.

 

Best advice that most will give you is to finish your education and treat poker as a serious second career. If you reach midstakes and can hack it for a year or two then obviously you have a serious choice, but until then don't rely on it grinding 10NL to buy cheeseburgers.

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  • 4 weeks later...

I like your passion for the game. But first get an education. Study the game constantly. Play as much as you can bet better.

 

But get that degree.

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  • 1 month later...

(I can't write very well, apologies in advance)

 

Hello,

 

I turned 16 a month ago.

[...], but my goal is around 2-5k a month (of course not immediately but eventually). [...] Is there any chance for me to achieve this dream?

 

Thanks very much for reading, have a good one :)

 

Yes, achieving $24000 per year before taxes and no benefits is quite achievable. I did it delivering pizza and later by waiting tables.

Forget that degree for now. Once you get into the real world, there is no more summer breaks. And if you get a degree and then try to interview for that 9-5 job 6 years later when your Poker days winds down, employers are going to be curious about that gap. One things I do well is hire.

Live within your means and have a solid BankRoll plan and discipline. Get a side job delivering pizza to help offset the variance.

 

cheers

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  • 2 months later...

Many people gave valid reasons to why it isn't a good idea to think of poker as your career, and I'd like to add a bit more.

 

There are a plethora of factors involved when contemplating playing poker pro style, and a lot of these factors have to deal with your work ethic, your living situation and your skill level.

 

It is possible to make a living playing, but that possibility is as little as someone in your music class becoming the next Michael Jackson or Eric Clapton (I'm giving away my age, I mean Justin Bieber or Jusitin Timberlake).

 

If you know in your mind that it is a game of skill and not something that comes from collecting four-leaf clovers, then you may be one of the few lucky ones that make it pro.

 

Usually, it's the single folks that can make it big because they have no demand for their time and no dependents to take care of, but it's still slim.

 

My advice is to get as far as you can with education and get a solid career while playing poker as a part-time gig until you can see which way poker playing takes you that way you will always have your feet firm to the ground.

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  • 2 months later...

You should consider it first after you made enough money to retire.

 

A solid education and career after it will almost for sure be good enough for you till you reach retirement, but with poker you just don't know what the future brings.

You don't know how the poker market is going to evolve in 10 years or so.

How much action you will be able to get, how tough your opponents will be and how good your poker skills are going to be in the future.

It is a huge gamble for you and i would recommend you to gamble with your future if you don't need to.

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First of all, I think you have misunderstood how the game of poker works. Being good in poker, even being one of the best players in the world cannot guarantee you a profit. Poker is in it's base a mathematical game, where players compete against other players and money flows from one player's pocket into another's. Now... If you want money to flow into your pocket, you have to be a better player and make better mathematical decisions. You don't have to be good. You just need to be better than your opponents. If you put the best in the world in one table, money will, of course, come and go around the table, but nobody will leave the game with a profit. Poker is way more solved than it was in the past. You may, as you say, read strategy articles, watch videos, play poker and analyze hands but there are many other inspired players around the world that will do exactly the same. Information is all around the internet, anyone with an internet connection can follow the game just as you. Now, I'm now saying that being a professional poker player these days is unreachable, because it is. Harder that it was in the past, but is still is. The question is: can you put in the effort and probably find out it is still not enough? Can you get that extra edge?

 

I'm not trying to discourage you, I'm really not. My opinion is that you develop your character as a whole. Get educated, get a job, make relationships, find hobbies, grow as a person. And, at the same time, nobody says you can't play and study poker. If you find that you have what is takes to be a pro, then it's your choice. But don't just rely on poker solely, especially in this age.

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