Hey everyone! I’m excited to see where this goes. I’m 20 and have decided to forgo getting a traditional job (most likely at Big4, high finance, trading, IB etc.) to play poker professionally for the foreseeable future.

This is a really great time for me.. by this time next month I’ll have completed my undergraduate finance degree with honors and have moved out of my apartment in TX and into one somewhere else. The last three years have been incredible, and while this is an interesting time to be graduating (with COVID-19 and all), I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I’m considering moving back in with my parents in Southern California, as the game selection in the LA area is among the best in the world, and saving piles on rent will certainly help long term, but also have the funds to move anywhere I’d like. I’m still undecided. If I do move home, it would likely be temporary and mostly a business decision.

Since I imagine that almost everyone reading this doesn’t know me (irl or through my posting on here), the title alludes to my childhood chess obsession . I’ve won state titles, national titles, represented the U.S. internationally, become a National Chess Master, coached CEOs- the whole nine yards. I’m hoping I can achieve similar success in poker, this time for piles of cash rather than fulfillment . While I’m proud of my accomplishments wrt chess, and worked incredibly hard for them, it’s time to move on and start fresh. Hopefully this thread is a piece of that puzzle.

Poker Volume Goals for 2020 & 2021 (Combined): Play 2000 hours and study, analyze, watch, post, and talk Poker etc. for 2000 hours as well. I’ll be tracking how much I play. The second half will be a little harder to track considering how many elements there are but I’ll do my best to estimate within reason. While watching a poker vlog or posting on here, for example, isn’t nearly as beneficial as reviewing HHs etc., I do think those things are miles better than watching Netflix etc. and think they can be considered productive. I plan to also incorporate a fair amount of balance in my life, something which I have always struggled with. This will include things like lifting, playing basketball, playing or teaching chess, going out etc.

Life can always get in the way as well, and I think it’s good to be conservative to account for that in some capacity. However, regardless of how I decide to spend my time in the coming years, I’d like to be as productive as my mental health allows me to be. After all, I’m sacrificing a lot of upward mobility to take this career route.. and don’t want to look back filled with regret,

I plan to primarily be multi tabling 40 NL, 60 NL, and 100NL cash and small/mid buyin tourneys on PokerBros until I turn 21 (November). I’ve played practically every stake and have spent a fair amount of time at 100NL and 200NL on bros, but want to now start approaching this the right way... especially as the games get progressively more difficult. I have multiple accounts and access to private clubs in addition to unions such as diamond union.

Starting December of this year, I plan to play 5/5+ at the Bike, Commerce, Gardens, HP etc. assuming I move back home... 2/5+ if I move to Florida, Vegas, etc.

If you know me irl, have pics of me, recognize one of my SNs, know my name, where I went to school etc.. that’s cool! But please don’t post any of that itt. I feel more comfortable that way and this will allow me to be more transparent. I would also really appreciate if we could keep things positive itt as well. Thanks!

GL me. Enjoy!

good luck

In for the **** storm

If you're that much of a lock getting into finance, IB, trading etc why go for a career that likely will pay you less for the same hours worked?

RTP,

you say the best games are in California but I wonder if that is still true during the Corona epidemic. You live in Texas and from what I've seen of the TCH streams those 5-5 uncapped games look pretty good. And I have a few old poker buddies from Houston who play in some other good games in mid-south Texas, including one 25-50 game i know of (which is private so you might have to work on social skills).

And Miami Cheats mentioned the Washington DC area in the chat thread -I don't know how the games are now due to Corona but they were really good at MGM National Harbor as well as numerous juicy private games, if you are determined to move.

But whatever - it's your choice.

As the prior poster said it's likely that your long term EV would be higher using your degree but since it is clear you are committed to giving it at shot, GL.

wow one hell of an intro, gl sir

In. This will be the first PG&C I intend to read on the reg.

I'm just here for the lols. Good luck Chess Man. Come back to LA at least for a little while in my opinion. You can always try other places later. Hit up Vegas next summer, if there is a next summer...

The best live games are in Pittsburgh. Everybody knows that. Not even joking.

Will you play 6bet me in chess for money? You could lay him odds.

Agree with this. Decisions now can affect the possibility of working for those places in the future.

At least lock in a job to start next year or in the future. If not, play it on the side of working and then assess what makes most financial / lifestyle sense.

GL,

can't be a chessman thread without.

#BanTheChessMan

#GetIt

GL buddy, just make sure that this thread/other people knowing and commenting on your business is by far the LEAST of your priorities

To have achieved what you have to date, you are clearly intelligent (high IQ I would hazard) hard-working and exceptionally motivated.

I'm intrigued why you would go down this road at a critical and likely decisive moment in your life, especially on a platform like pokerpros (which, hands up, I have no experience of) in country like the US.

As I understand it (I could easily be wrong) PokerPros uses a technicality to get round fed/state law (much like PokerStars did prior to Black Friday). Moreover, PP is unregulated and operates on trust basis built on agent integrity.

I wonder what your assessment of its durability/longevity is? And likewise, given the constant development of solvers/software/bots, what is the longevity of NLHE on any online platform?

I get that live poker is less affected by these considerations, but from everything I hear/read and see, live poker is a pretty awful environment for a talented, capable and resourceful human being to make a living, at the very least compared to other ways of earning a decent wedge.

I guarantee there is absolutely zero hate or judgement in my comments...I'm genuinely interested in why you would choose to go down this road and what your thoughts are on the long term future of (profitable) online poker?

Subbed - gl

Build a career, play poker on the side, thank me later.

I thought all dudes were chest men?! amirite!?!?

He most likely over-estimates how much you can make from poker. He's at that early stage of poker where he's highly optimistic about his ability and earning potential. Reality will slap in the face over the next few years.

Very true. Trouble is the big fin companies won't be interested in a few years time. Freeroll play would be take up one of the offers, something like algo trader or quant wouldn't be too far off the same type of mindset, and get invited to the traders home games. Win win.

In 4 slim's trolling

This isn't meant as a troll in the slightest, your goals are stupid and naive.

Also am I wrong or is NM really not that great (it's obviously a high %). I find it mad that you seem to have done all these things when I went to uni with a couple of guys from Lithuania who were FMs who I'm sure paid out of pocket to go to some tournaments. American chess seems to pump so much money into it.

I don't get it besides curiosity/lust for poker, but if you had an opportunity for a relatively high paying firm, you gave it up for a "capped" earning rate - especially to play 100NL online and eventually $5/5 live??? most people go into poker because they don't have other options that pay the same or better. some people just end up there and kinda stuck/sad/okay/happy with the situation but have no future routes unless they really crush poker.

i think you're gonna be pretty sad when youre looking down at a much reduced salary after putting in the hours and doing everything right.

Subbed, good luck with poker, and staying above the fray

#subthechessman

This, obviously

why dont all women look like that?