Good Afternoon 2+2,

I haven't logged in since 2010 and lately, I just can't get the game off my mind. I watched Chino win the 2019 PCA, which was fun to watch. I read Daniel Strelitz's 3-bet and eyes confidently for pocket queens moments before the hole cards were shown and my competitive side kicked in. I started to think back on the old adage of 10,000 hours. It takes 10,000 hours to perfect your craft. I think back on the 7k+ mtts I played online, all of the countless road trips and hours I've spent at the live cash and MTT tables. How the game becomes flash cards at a certain point and it's like riding a bike, you just have to get back on.

I used to play ss-mid stakes MTTs on Full Tilt Poker under the alias "wilLplaY4mOnies". I was used to keeping a 100 buy in bankroll online and playing 9-12 tables, buy ins ranging 3r to $26 freeze outs to make extra money while I worked my oil and gas job. I was late to the party, but I started taking the game serious in early 2010. With an avg buy in of $20, I was able to make just under 40k by the time Black Friday hit. It's not a lot, but it was a start and I can't help but wonder what I could have become moving up stakes if I would have started playing in 2003.

When the online poker boom crashed in 2011, I started playing live poker on the WSOP circuit. I had some early cashing success and almost won a $1,675 Main Event in New Orleans for 200k in 2012. I was a monster chipleader heading into the final day with 72 players left, but I was unable to close. The PokerNews articles haunt my dreams. I didn't have a 100 buy in bank roll to keep up with the volume of buy ins on the circuit to break out, so I gave up and went back to working oil and gas.

I'm at a point in my career where I just want to do what makes me happy. I was way more energized to jump out of bed in the morning when I was playing online MTTs for a living. I had no problem getting to the gym, fueling up with a meal and sitting in front of my set up for a dozen hours and counting on myself to make money. These days with the oil and gas business crashing, I don't even want to get out of bed and start my day. That's usually a sign it's time to find something else to do, preferably something you are good at.

The point of this thread is to get advice on how to reboot a poker career. I want to do it on my own but the best chance I have to make that happen is to leave the US and get back to where I started. Playing ss-mid stakes MTTs online.

Honestly, I don't know what the temperature of the state of online poker is and I don't know what kind of profit people are making these days at mid stakes. I would want to stay in North America and would be willing to play those weird hours with the other side of the world, but I don't know if chances of making a living are better by staying in the US and grinding 1/3 2/5 nl and playing the $365's on the live circuit (40-60 online buy ins). I just have no idea where to start, so if I could get some feedback, guidance or support it would be much appreciated!

hey man, interesting post. i think most people would agree that the live scene is much softer than online rn. online is very barren and hostile, but if you moved out of the country and dedicated yourself to playing MTT's i think you could make it work. i believe you would have a higher RIO playing high-value live events in the US, and grinding some cash on the side.

Cool post and if you do end up playing full-time again I wish you best of luck. The only advice I have would be to invest into a good MTT course, the game has changed so much over the past few years.

I think it would be impossible to make 40k playing those stakes. Also there isn't Fulltilt anymore, american players injecting money, etc.

But playing mtt live lowstakes, your hourly would be brutal and a slave to variance. You probably would have to get a stake to get by.

I think if you put in the work and hours, 15-20k would be easily achievable with your experience. Let's not forget that absolute psychos like BigHuni or Ruinf only have an EV of 200-400K per year, and they play the highest stakes online. Those who win millions live are running well above EV, and many only have a percentage of themselves.

If you have some money saved and no obligations (children, loans to pay), why not move to Mexico for a few months and try your chance. You only live once, if you truly love playing you'll regret it later never trying it again. But go with realistic expectations.

Exactly how ive felt, what i did: got a coach, joined runitonce worked wonders