Quote:
Originally Posted by 6bet me
I read part of the thread just then but it was very long so I didn't have time to read the whole thing.
My impression of spirit is that he's a strong poker player but he has mental issues such as depression which makes him unable to grind for more than a few months at a time.
There are plenty of pro poker players that grind for years, even decades, without needing to take more than a few weeks break at a time, so why can't I be like them?
Try it, dude. You have no idea what it's like until you actually do it for an extended period.
Even pros go through periods where they are not playing well, running well, feeling well. It's tough to power through these times. Variance will make you question everything you ever thought you knew about poker. Folding for hours on end, day after day, week after week is mentally and emotionally draining.
Just go at it. See what it's like. If you can make it a month, go 2. If you can do 2, go 3. See what the lifestyle is like. See if you can handle the variance and the stress and the grind. If you can, you can evaluate if you think it's worth it in the long run or if you're good enough to cut it.
Why are you planning five years ahead in this crazy unpredictable game, when you're really just an advanced beginner and haven't been in the grind for any significant stretch of time? If you have to ask others if you should go pro, the answer is a resounding NO.
You have to be a ruthless killer in this game to make any significant money. Do you have the killer instinct? Do you know how to manipulate people into doing what you want them to do? You have to be obsessed with this game and be willing to lose a lot of money and put in thousands of hours of play and study before you get anywhere close to good. Are you willing to do this?
Stop believing everything you see/hear/read about professional poker players. You only hear the successes. You don't hear about the ones that don't succeed or that quit to do something else. You don't hear about the breaks some players take. You only hear about the grind, because that's all that matters in the poker world. As soon as a player takes a break, he's useless to the people who make money from running the games/training sites, etc. You'll just hear about the next up-and-comer until that's old, and then it's the new guy.