I mean yes $ 40/hr is sustainable but it is much more likely that you are just running hot than actually playing optimally.

Focus on playing well and let the winrate fall where it may.

40/hr is most definitely possible

50, 60, even 70 too

Don't worry about it too much though just get better

Ok thanks guys. I understand that 120 hours is nothing. I just wanted to know what was doable. I have thousands of hours of playing time and have been studying and what not for years, so I know my game is good. I just don't have much live experience (120hrs. @2/5 and 250ish @ 1/2. Obv crushed 1/2. Lol live players.) I've started getting a really good feel for live 2/5. Def took a while to adjust to live. I kept thinking that 2/5 would be a big step up in skill level from 1/2. Took me a while (and a few BIs) to figure out otherwise.

I mean it all depends on the room etc...

The biggest jump is from the 2nd biggest game in your room to the biggest game and that is a truism.

How many hours does a low-stakes live pro play per year? Is there an estimate?

I was curious because somebody asked that question in the beginners forum and had like 2000h/year in mind.

As draining as poker can be I can't imagine playing it for 2000h/year. A normal office job in Europe is ~1800h/year and less (for most people probably ~1600h). And that's just the hours you are physically present in the office if you know what I mean.

Sorry if this question has been asked before. I searched for it and didn't find a good answer.

The same is true for live poker. If you're spending full time hours at the table (1600+ per year), you're spending a lit of that time coasting in the same way an office worker coasts at his full time job.

It'd be easy to physically sit at a poker table 1600+ hours a year, but almost nobody would be doung everything he is supposed to do for a lot of thise hours.

This inability to focus for long periods is almost universal, and the ability to be productive for longer periods than your peers is a key to success in any job, from construction worker to neurosurgeon.

Yeah like you should probably be spending 40+ hours a week working on "poker" but a lot of that isn't spent playing

I have answered this question before - I play full time in vegas; I have been perfessional for a long time. I work my ass off and log more hours than most. I can't seem to log more than 1500/year. I have been cranking out the hours this year and am on pace for 1800 (I have been doing hrs prop bets, etc. in order to get hours up). That being said I am not sure if I can sustain this pace. I also do quite a bit of work away from the tables. I have several dudes that I discuss lines etc with...and that takes a fair amt of time/energy.

This is playing A to A+ poker...I am certain I can log a ton of ABC standard pokerz in coast mode, but hours for the sake of hours is not my focus

Great post squid face. Definitely agree that it would be tough for any grinder to put in more than 1800 quality hours at the table.

Considering that 50/hr seems to be the ceiling on 2/5 NL winrate these days, the days of making six figures in a year without crushing AT LEAST 5/10 NL seem to be over me done.

This is why I recommend that people give up on playing live poker professionally. Unless you make 100k+/year, the grind of being a poker pro really isn't worth it. And the vast majority of winning players do not have what it takes to eventually crush 5/10 NL.

seems we are in the mutual admiration society my man. I couldnt agree with you more in terms of "going pro". I tell all the young dudes I meet to find something else to do cuz this is in fact a dead end job. I really dont care "how much u love it man". Get back to me in 5, 10, 15, or 20 years. You will not love it I promise you this. It is a lonely, frustrating, NEVER ENDING job. It is a JOB and there are none of the benefits that come with a normal job. My honest opinoin is the ceiling on vegas 2/5 is closer to 60 but that is nit picking.

stampler said it best. You don't choose poker, poker chooses you.

I'll probably play 1500-2000 hours this year and I work full time during the day. Putting in hours isn't that tough if you're single/don't have kids.

eww live life dude

There are counseling hotlines for these type of troubles.

Life is great, no complaints here. I work from home, I'm my own boss, and poker is fun. Don't need the poker money, but the extra $$ for car toys and retirement savings is nice...if I was playing poker as my only source of income I probably wouldn't like it nearly as much.

Some months I'll put in between 10 and 20 hours. At times this can be a bit of a grind, but I've adjusted to it.

I'm assuming you wanna stay single forever?

You posted that like it's a bad thing.

For some I guess not.

Pretty good first 3 months of 2013. +9575 in 138 hours (90% 2/5, the rest being PLO and an uncapped 1/2 home game.) Volume is pretty low, but my work schedule didn't work out as planned. Should have more free nights to play the rest of this year.

What total BS. But keep telling reasonably good players that, so they dont try become pro's, the less people playing the better.

LOL...

squid told the truth.

So you think there is no such thing as passion? A light inside of you that never burns out until your not able physically/mentally to keep up anymore?

One thing I heard when I was younger. "Find something your passionate about and you will never work a day in your life".

That's how poker should feel to you guys. Maybe its just me, but everytime I walk in the casino I still get that anxious feeling. The ringing of the slot machines and the neon lights from this as well. Walk into the poker room and feel's like the floor of NYSE. Just trading chips instead of stocks. I feel blessed to just be there and not the hood looking at the poor, crack heads, meth heads and drama. The poker room is peaceful I can play for 30 years no problem.

ILCD, you can't play for 30 years because you have no bankroll despite all your passion.

Meanwhile, I have no passion for the game, yet I got stacks of money.

Poker is a hustle. Save passion for other pursuits because passion won't help you much at all in poker. Having common sense and a strong character is 1000x more important than passion.

Go work a normal job making 45k a year taxed, which is the median.