Becoming A Poker Pro

Professional

floatingflops
almost 6 years ago

Although I agree that you have to treat poker as a business if you are going pro, let's paint a more realistic picture of what expenses really look life for those that don't have their own personal chef.

Poker pro tips

I have been playing poker for 3 years (mostly 6max cash game), but have had some breaks, because of school, friends, my free time activities etc etc. Currently playing nl50 6max on pokerstars/gg. I used to dream to become a poker pro, so I hope that one day, my dream come true! So how does a professional become a professional? Professional poker players do not graduate from Poker Pro School, and there is also no guild that bestows the 'pro' status on players. It is entirely a label that one adopts for himself. Even some people who lose money at.

I’m not saying becoming a poker pro can’t be done or is a foolhardy endeavor – after all many have made a successful crossover to professional poker and prospered. I am saying it takes some thought, introspection and honest evaluation of your talents, motives and determination to assess whether you are resilient enough to succeed in this. As the old saying goes, being a poker pro is a hard way to make an easy living. If you want all that freedom and the ability to play a card game for a living, then you need to earn it and respect it. How to become a professional online poker player in one easy step would be to quit your job and use poker as your sole source of income. While this instantly makes you a poker pro, it is not.

Rent for a one bedroom in Las Vegas: $700
Utilities: elec, internet, etc. $300
Food: $400, less if you eat with your comps
Car + insurance + gas: $400
Total: $1800

If you make $20 hr x 2080 hrs (full work year) you get $41,600
Taxes are not 30% in this bracket but for sake of argument we will use it. Gross after taxes: about $29,000
Monthly income: about $2,400.
Income - nut = $800 disposable income every month.

Playing Poker Professionally

Anyone working their tail off now at a job they hate have an extra $800 at the end of every month? Me neither.

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Becoming A Professional Poker Player

trentbridge
almost 6 years ago

Except floating flops - if you worked at a regular job that pays $20/hr - you get a paycheck every two weeks - the income tax is already taken out and your employer pays half of your social security. (6.65%) Plus you might even get two weeks paid vacation to go to the WSOP in Las Vegas.

Self-employed as a pro poker player, you aren't guaranteed any income and you owe 15.3% self-employment tax in lieu of social security.

You can't reduce a decision like this to accounting - you have to be comfortable making your living in a skill/talent based business that has nine folks at your place of business who believe they are as talented/skilled as you are - all wanting to take your money. It's the same world faced by writers, actors, musicians, comedians, artists, and professional golfers. The rewards at the top are extreme but there are no guarantees that more than 2% will ever reach those heights. Even established players are eager to take on sponsors - write books / do commercials/ sell teaching videos etc to make some income away from the felt.

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Becoming A Poker Pro

skippy01
almost 6 years ago

How Long Does It Take To Become A Poker Pro

$1,000 per month for food? And you are a vegan?
http://www.amazon.com/Eat-Vegan-4-00-Day-Conscious/dp/1570672571