This^^ I think that is what Paul Simon had in mind when he wrote, "Hello darkness, my old friend. I've come to talk with you again."


Bankroll is a function of winrate. People like to say x or y amount for this and that, but it's all dependent on your winrate. An expert needs less buyins than say, a 1ptbb/100 player does. As game conditions change, so do your requirements.

You can get an idea with: SD^2/WR and multiply that by 3 or 4 (depending on how conservative you want to be).

You could also type in your SD and WR and desired risk of ruin % and get a number from that using this RoR calculator. http://www.reviewpokerrooms.com/poke...uirements.html

Rakeback is a hellava drug

Understandable, and an eye opening post. I have to agree with you about variance, no matter what you do, it doesn't end until the poker gods say.

ahahahaha, wait, wat??!



OP: The whole problem with your plan is, that you cannot say by now if you will be able to beat NL100 and above bc times r tough... But in order to make a decent living out of poker you should play at least NL100 in most countries...
so you might be grinding like hell for 10 months only to see that u get smoked at 100...

Please don't do this. This is not 2002-2008. There aren't as many fishes as the past and the fishes that are around, have a much better understanding of the game and every reg in the sun gunning for that rare fish. The gold rush has ended. It's like the market crash of the Nasdaq in 2000. The Nasdaq still hasn't recovered and it's still only half the value of it's peak.

The Durrrrs and Nanonokos of the online world are very rare these days. I'm still kicking myself for not taking advantage of the gold rush in online poker back in the early 2000's. Poker is not like it used to be. You'll be delusional to think making money playing poker is easy as it was in the early 2000's.

Variance is also a lot higher with a lot of regs. You'll be lucky to get 80% equity against a decent reg unless it's a cooler. It's usually 50% equity against another decent opponents range.

I got into poker thinking it was easy money, and it was back then. Now it's not. Just my 2 cents. Take what you will with this info.

Why do I constantly hear people like yourself speak of poker as if it is dead now. Poker has evolved and so should you. Instead of sitting there reminiscing about the past start to study and learn the game. Poker is a game of strategy. NL is an art form.

I may be young but I can tell by you're post that you are the one to pick apart everything that can go wrong and tell someone things aren't possible. With a negative mind set that like you'll be lucky to make it far in life.

I may have the odds stacked 1-100 on me but that wont stop me from trying nor should it stop anyone from trying to accomplish their goals in life. If poker was easy money everyone on 2p2 would be a baller.....

People like to tell others things aren't possible because they cant do them, or they don't have the courage to take a shot.

lol. why don't you start by cutting the amount of tables you play in half and actually thinking about/studying the game. Playing a tight style with that many tables won't teach you much about poker, especially if you are claiming that players at 25nl are 'floating' your cbets. Most of the players who play micros are just clicking buttons and if you take notes there is no reason why you wouldn't be able to double your winrate.

Ok, become professional and find out yourself. Good luck!

See you in 36 weeks.

Dude, you play 25NL. I don't really think you have the experience to speak like this. Besides, he said 'as easy as early 2000's'. Which is true. In 2003 you could open shove a full-stack utg ten handed with AA and be nearly guaranteed at least two callers with K6s or QTo at any limit.

The mid and high stakes games are tough now (I play limit, mostly). They still are beatable (according to my schedule c), but there are not too many slouches.

16-20 tabling 25NL will not get you to 200NL, and I really think you underestimate just how much work one needs to do in order to play mid and high stakes.

lol no

Party Poker 2002? Perhaps the 'at any limit' was hyperbole and maybe they had to limp in first, but it was damn near that as I recall.

Give it a shot dude. No ones expecting you to make it, but that's going to be expected with becoming a professional in any field. The only one who determines your future is you and the amount of effort/time/sacrifice you put into it. I say this isn't such a bad idea because you truly have nothing to lose and are still young. If it doesn't work out then its not the end of the world move on with your life and find something new to strive for (most likely in a workplace environment). I'm not saying its going to be easy I'm just saying it is possible. There's nothing wrong with following a dream you just need to make sure you can realize when to call it quits if your getting yourself in too deep (continuous months of losing/barely profiting). I wish you success and the best of luck, only time will tell.

I'm in a similar situation, and am planning on doing almost exactly what you described after I garduate college. Given, I have three years to learn, improve, and study; but I will be in the boat with you in a couple years.

I'm not here to talk about me though. I'm here to wish you the best of luck, and you're right: chase your dream while you're still young and have nothing to lose. If people can't do that then why live at all? You know?

I played pro for a solid year and found it pretty stressful. This was playing stakes up to 200NL. I started with a $10k roll and 6 months living expenses in the bank, and it was still pretty damn stressful. I was getting by, but ended up getting a part-time job.

Now I work a regular-ish job 15-25hrs/week and play poker about 10-20hrs/week. Life is good.

My new money criteria for going full-time pro is a $30k bankroll and $50k in the bank (investments included). I also need to have 100k+ hands @ 400NL and be a solid winner at those stakes.

Even when I reach my criteria, I'll still probably stick with some non-poker work. I think it's good to work some out in the world and interact with people so I don't feel like a recluse.

Good luck OP.

This guy has the right idea.

+1

QFT
in fact when you are beating 50NL you should switch over to HU and mass play vs. regs until you learn how to play the game
50NL HU has the "smallest game in the house" effect so it's a lot softer than 100NL, even if you're playing vs. regs

I want to be an astronaut or if not a Hollywood film star.

So I assume this is how one masses 9k posts.

I hope you have a backup plan.
Grinding day in day out will eat up your soul but i wish you the best of luck!
The only tips i can offer is dont neglict other areas of life for poker like keeping fit,friends and a healthy hobby.

To be honest Kodiak, if you want to break into a job that's highly desirable and hard to get into, stay focused and stay quiet. Be a quiet professional. As someone who's done it in another field I can say it's the the best way.

Don't pay any attention to people feeding you negativity and don't get make yourself so you need others to buoy you up either. Sift through successful player's posts and take from them what calls to you, post questions calmly and without too much expectation, and most importantly enjoy the ride. Don't focus constantly on a day far off.

Good luck bro.

Coming from someone who played lower stakes professionally for a couple years, I have some honest feedback (might be repetitive):

- You won't play 60 hours a week. It is always fun to extrapolate your hourly earn into some sick hours, and it sounds good at first, but it just isn't going to happen. Top 2 reasons you will play fewer hours:
1) Running good.
2) Running bad.

- Living out of your bankroll SUCKS. Especially when you plan on moving up in stakes. Even a part-time job makes it much easier to progress.

- Lack of experience at higher stakes. If your plan relies on earnings from stakes you haven't played yet, it is a big risk. You can't assume you'll win <x> at stakes you haven't tried.

Anyway, good luck!

Go Kodiak! Show all us idiots working boring/monotonous/dead-end jobs what's up

What happens if you are successful and do make a living off of poker for, lets say, 4 years. Then you have a huge downswing or need medical insurance.

All of a sudden you are 24 with no job experience, no 401K and chronic hemorrhoids.

Do yourself a huge favor and get a job. Play poker in your off-time and prove yourself that way.