Absolutely, I once again wanted to say thank you to all of you! There is a wealth of knowledge here and I appreciate each one of you for taking the time to give me pointers as well as your advice.

I played in my first $4,000.00 guarantee tournament today and finished in the top 10 so I was able to cash my very first online tournament!

I wish I had the time to devote to poker because I know with the right coaching I could really make a living from home one day. Although I have SO MUCH to learn, turning $400.00 into a net profit of $2,810.69+top ten cash in my first $4,000.00 guarantee, it was a fun ride!

I did my first deposit last week and going to post my final stats because I cashed out, got my check yesterday, going to be heading to Atlantic City all next week (comp stay couldn't resist offer) with my time off to play a little 1-2NL (for fun) with the money I won and if I pick up online poker again I can come back to this thread since my trial of Holdem Manager will expire and know where I left off. Thank you all once again!

$1.00/$2.00NL 3,645 Hands $2,323.35 Net Won 31.87BB/100
$2.00/$4.00NL 461 Hands $487.34 Net Won 26.43BB/100

People have been extremely kind in offering their advice without any beheading in the thread. You could at best have potential, but with the stats you've posted there is no doubt that you have a long way to go before you could sustainably beat medium stakes ($1/$2-$5/10) over any sort of meaningfull sample. The top, top online players (top 1%) could probably beat $1/$2 at a tiny bit above 10bb/100 over a large sample size, and you have been running at around 50bb/100, so either you're a god-like genius, capable of insanely good gameselecting, or you've been extremely lucky. I'd bet on the latter. That being said, you got off to a great start, so if you ever decide to reinvest your bankroll online you should follow the advice offered of dropping down to $0.25/$0.50, preferably lower, and play 100k hands, and then reassess. Furthermore, given that you seem serious about wanting to become better, now that you have the cash to spend I would definitely suggest you invest some of it in subscribing to a coaching site online (deucescracked, iveypoker, cardrunners, runitonce, take a pick).

For the thread-title question, the answer is: it depends. Various factors, such as gameselection, playstyle, winrate, ability to move down in stakes and others are all going to contribute to your variance, and thus the bankroll required. Your living expenses will also obviously factor hugely into this. As a general rule of thumb though, I would not go back to professional poker without at least 100 buyins for the main stakes I'd be starting out at (ie $20k for $1/2), as well as rent covered for the next 6 months.

Thank you very much Pastis for your post! I completely agree with you!

I have decided to change plans, I know this is a long shot but the WSOP Circuit Event is in Cherokee, NC and I will be there all this week to play in the cash games they offer as well as the $360.00 buy in tournaments I think it is?

Again I know a long shot but I appreciate each of you giving me your advice and insight. If any of you by chance will be in Cherokee, NC to play in the circuit event, I would be more than happy to cover dinner on me at one of the nice restaurants the casino had to offer.

Thank you to each of you once again!

So much helpful advice ITT, from experienced solid regs.

With regards to OP's latest post:

OP you're a whale on a heater and a ****** for going to the WSOP . Prepare to get annihilated. Inb4 tilt/realisation you're bad and consequently busto.

Unsporting thanks for your post! We'll see what happens! My plans have actually changed ONCE AGAIN! I couldn't get a flight out to Atlantic City as I live in NC, I decided to just go to Cherokee to play.

However I just heard about a program called "Total Rewards Air", it's private chartered planes through the casino and what are the odds? They had a seat left on the plane that flies out on Thursday and I return home Sunday, so I will be playing at the Borgata as I will be staying at Harrah's which is right across the street. The drive to Cherokee is a hauling 7 hour drive and NOTHING else to do but gamble at the casino. I do like to do other things.

I again appreciate your guys insight and advice. I am taking the winnings I have and if I lose it so be it. Again we'll see how it goes. I plan on playing $1-$2NL and maybe a little $2-5NL since I am only there in Atlantic City for a few days. Thanks all!

You will lose heaps.

I don't know about that but we will see. I will be tracking my play for how much I buy in for, stakes and net profit per session if any. If I get destroyed I have no problem coming back to admit you were right and I got my ass handed to me!

But I can tell you, I am not walking in there thinking to myself I am about to get destroyed. I will be happy to update you if your are interested in how it goes!

winning poker marketing team deserves a night out i reckon

please make an awesome poker story and continue posting in this thread GL!

Thank you RH I appreciate that! Although I appreciate everyone's insight and advice, you are the first one to wish me luck and the best when heading up there and actually positive with your post.

So use to hearing you are going to get thrashed, are you really doing that? What a bad idea!

Those comments just make me want to go up there even more focused, avoid getting myself tied up in unnecessary hands just so that I come back a winner! Even if 20+ hours of play I come back a few hundred ahead I will be more than stoked because I am suppose to get "destroyed" up there.

Flying out tomorrow after a quick get together with my family, hour flight up to AC then it's on! Although I have seen it countless times, can you guess what movie I will be watching on the quick flight up? Rounders of course!

You arnt supposed to get thrashed at live. Just online 100 or 50nl+

You are def a winner at live 1/2-2/5, given you dont go on monkey tilt or do random stupid stuff

Thanks Pink, I will be sure to let you guys know either way! Like I said, I have no shame after the trip being completely honest and how I did up there, I am really excited to find out!

I hope all of you have a happy Thanksgiving!

The countdown begins....

If you want a good arena to do battle, try live. Whenever I play 2/5 live, it's just a totally different game from online. Horrible bet sizing, people calling off against the guy who just pot 3 bet 8 people with 22, check calling a draw in an under 0.5 SPR spot (both of those happened to me in my last session; obviously I lost both spots). You can be a bona fide nit and it doesn't matter; they called the first guy's raise to $10 and by God they're calling your three bet to $70 even if they only had a $200 stack to start the hand. Doesn't matter if you haven't played a hand in 3 hours, too.

JDR thank you for your post! I have played live before but didn't keep track of play because it was my first time. I do know for a fact though I left that weekend with more money than I came in with. You are correct, live it does seem to be a little crazier and the calls I see, I just scratch my head (not that I am an expert) but still none the less.

I am not trying to sound like a complete noob to the game, I have always been intrigued by the game of poker. I have followed the WSOP since Chris Moneymaker won. Actually my two favorite movies are Rounders and Runner Runner.

While I got SO MUCH to learn, I don't feel like a complete noob in there and for the most part I am going to pay attention to a few things. Position before I act, pot odds when a bet is made etc.

Oh I also picked up on the forums to play suited connectors depending on position! These forums have been great for pointers when I have been in question about starting hands.

I know people that play live at such a tourist destination go up there to play for fun as I will be doing the same, however I have every intention of not getting myself tied up into hands I shouldn't be in and making some money up there!

Yeah, gotta chime in with the others. You're the typical recreational player that we see in heaps around here. I have responded to dozens of threads like this with your "wait and see attitude", and not once, at least to my knowledge, have the OP then gone on to become a proven winner online.

To be a little more specific, I'm pretty sure I see some pretty big fundamental mistakes in only that small screenshot you provided (x/r folding AK, raising 66 in position on 44Jr etc).

You seem like a genuinly nice guy though, but I'm pretty confident you'll go bust unless you invest a ton (!) of time in studying the game.

GL

Save about 3 months worth of living expenses (approx. 10k) + 10k poker bankroll. This is very conservative. So if you don't mind more risk for going broke, you could go for 1 months living expense saved, and then for the bankroll, have about 5k.

Feel free to pm me if you have any questions.

OldSchool thank you for your post! You poker players must live an expensive lifestyle haha! Between ALL my bills I am right at $1,000.00/month living expenses. Again that's variable from person to person as I am a single guy, no kids and living the bachelor life!

But you are right in the ball park as what I was thinking. I wanted to have about 5 months living expenses saved up and exactly as you called 10K bankroll.

I am having second thoughts though as I know I have had some very respected people in the poker community comment on this thread and after looking at my stats tell me I would be a losing player online even though I am up a decent amount at the moment.

I think I am going to see how it goes up here in AC playing live and go from there if I should get some coaching because I do believe I can be a great player with the right mentor.

I am just going to take it day by day and see what I decide to do!

I sincerely appreciate your post though and the offer to PM you with any questions!

I dont want to seem mean, and maybe I misunderstood you, but there is something extremely naive about how you react to various comments. Some posters have said how refreshing it was to have somebody understanding the criticism of more experienced players, but it seems to me you don't really get much of it.

You keep saying "yes I understand what you mean, thank you kind sir for your infinitely wise words I'll put them to good use". However, you then say things like : "I do believe I can be a great player with the right mentor." "I don't feel like a complete noob" (right after you said your favorite movie was Rounders, as if there was any sort of correlation).

It seems like you at least understood that online poker was tough. But based on what you keep saying, it doesn't look like you have the faintest idea of how tough it could be. To try and illustrate a little better, this whole topic would look like this in another field :

Smart 10-year-old kid opens a topic and states:
"okay folks, so I've set up my telescope and discovered this huge star above my head. What should I call it ? Should I become a professional astrophysicist ?"

Stephen Hawkins chimes in:
"look kid, not to be rude, but astrophysics is tough, people spend thousands of hours studying it and still fail final tests, maybe you should try your hand at arithmetics first because it seems you have no idea what you're talking about"

"Aaaah yes Mr Hawkins, thanks so much I deeply deeply deeply respect you I will do as you say. I'm pretty smart for a 10-yo though you know, maybe as smart as a 13-yo, so I guess I'll take quantum mechanics right away and see how it goes . After all my favorite movie is Good Will Hunting !

Once again, thank you for your invaluable feedback! xoxo"

There is no way you could know about your "poker potential" before being an experienced player. You should consider yourself a huge noob, because there is very little difference when it comes to being a good player between somebody who only knows the rules, and somebody who's been studying and playing online poker for less than 50.000 hands lifetime.

+1 just echoing what others have said, within 2 seconds of looking at your stats I can tell you are way over your depths. You have a fundamental misunderstanding of how to play, but I'd imagine you'd only be a small loser at .5/1+ just because your style seems to be tight and mostly I imagine you'd bleed a bit money to regs. Keep your head up though, just make sure to listen to all of the regs who are telling you that you are not ready yet. I have a lot of friends who I've told similar to, and despite them agreeing to stick w my recommendations, they use a small heater to justify unrealistic winrates, and they are bust in a number of weeks.

I recently had a friend who would probably be in a similar situation as you where he ran hot over a very small sample live and online and decided his winrate was much higher than what it actually is. He has since lost likely all of the money he won during said heater. Especially online, you have to study and become a real student of the game. Read the archives, real old 'best of' threads in SSNL and MSNL and all of the links within. Find good winning posters and breathe every word they say with regards to responding to a hand. Evaluate why they recommend what they recommend and how it fits within their overall game strategy.

As a quick tip to you, you are likely losing a lot of money limping hands that should be played more aggressively. Your VPIP should never be more than 25 or so % higher than your PFR. Maybe read some archived material to see why that is the case.

Buff thank you so much for pointing out VPIP and PFR. I really had no idea what those terms meant and how important they are to the game.

I just did a little research on the forums and how these numbers play such a critical roll at the table! After looking at my own stats again after reading into detail what they each meant, I was like huh...My PFR to VPIP is WAY to low. As you pointed out, I am LOSING money by being to passive limping hands preflop that should be raised. It was my first time playing online, I was playing pretty tight so I could protect my bankroll.

But I DEFINITELY need to work on the HUGE gap between my VPIP and PFR. 50% PFR to VPIP which is about where my numbers are at is just WAY to much of a spread difference. I am going to work on my game and get more aggressive preflop on hands I should be raising with and pay attention to my position at the table for value betting.

Thank you!

Sure no problem. My advice assumes you are a winning player. I speak from experience. The first time I went pro I quit my job with no notice, and had about 1 thousand dollars to my name. It was an adventure, but I found myself broke a few weeks later, after losing my rent money at the poker tables. I had to get a job loading trucks for a few months. Kind of like Mike Mc D. from rounders haha The next time I quit my job I had 50 thousand dollars in the bank. I never had to get another job again after that, which was over 10 years ago.

It would be nice if you can play 100k hands online to get some experience, and get a better idea of your win rate. As for live, I don't know how long it takes cause I haven't really ever made a living at cash games online. I'm sure you can get a lot of good advice from the posters here.

My take - Poker really is a tough way to make an easy living. But if you are very passionate about trying it, you should give it a try. The best way is to do it slowly and part time while you are working a steady job. When you are winning at poker consistently for a year, and keep your day job, you can just keep saving and building up your bank roll. I think that's the best way to do it.

Good luck and try to have some fun with it

Those were the golden days. You'll most likely need a job in the next 10 years.

I would say anybody who could start into online poker and become a winner at decent stakes right now should do something else because your a ****ing genius. How many new winning players beating 2/4+ have started playing poker in the last 2 years? I have no idea but I wouldn't be surprised if it's less then 5.

It depends on what your definition of a "job" is. If living on a beach off of passive income is a job, then you are completely right)

Yeah, the games are a lot tougher now. This is true.

Well good news and bad news!

The casino comp'd my flight, room and food for the weekend and I accidentally bumped in my casino host in the lobby. She goes I just checked your play, where are you playing? As you know they don't comp trips for you to have a poker adventure!

Long story short I lost a few grand at the tables to get them off my case and today I played 1-2NL at the Borgota all day. Bought in for $300.00 and cashed out for $1200.00 and didn't go bust once in 12 hours of play. I was walking around and I never would of guessed 2-5NL gets as crazy as it does live! After watching a few hands at a table I decided to stay right where I was at!

Next trip up I will be paying for flight and room so I can only play poker! I hate I had to donk off money at table games but it is what it is! I will be back up here soon enough!

troll lol lol looool