Been an online cash grinder for several years. Used to play in FTPs big Sunday games. Bottom line is MTTs just suit my liking's far more than cash games.

I'd like to stick w/poker as a career (reeeeally don't wanna get a job and have to wake up early in the AM lolz...ohnoes!). So I'm thinking of switching to MTTs exclusively. I'm US based. There is a local casino in my area that has daily $125s, and $230s on weekends (sometimes as high as $500 on weekends). I'm guessing that won't be enough for me to make enough income (I need about $60k/year).

Any MTT pros with some advice here as to some solid options? I think online is pretty dead for MTTs in the US. Maybe take several trips to Vegas each year and enter some of the bigger buy in MTTs? I live in NorCal and relocating isn't an option, unfortunately.

Would appreciate any thoughts/suggestions.

Thanks

dont do it

because....???

The grass is always greener.

If cash has burnt you out, grinding MTT's will be like jumping into a volcano.

I think you're doing it wrong. Usually people go from MTTs to cash.

There are plenty of awsome posts on NoahSD's Awsome Blog and here is one:
http://www.nsdpoker.com/2011/01/mtt-pros/

It is quite easy to under estimate the amount of variance in MTTs and this would make playing MTTs pretty hard for many.

Perhaps it is best to play both, use some of your cash winnings to fund a few MTTs.
Don't forget the heavy variance will often mean this often just reduces your income or you get get lucky and so it makes your yearly income more of a gamble.

Its basically impossible to make 60k playing these stakes live. If you can pull that grinding live cash I'd stick to that.

^^ To make 60k you would need to play a $230 every single weekday and a 500 every Saturday and every Sunday all at an ROI of close to 55%.

This - don't even consider playing MTTs for a living unless you're playing 500-1ks at a minimum every single day live, or have access to online poker. Also, be ready for the swings.

There's nothing wrong with playing MTTs for a living, I do it online, but to make 60k+ EV a year live only, you're going to need to be playing high enough that six figure swings are possible.

Skillset wise your cash experience should be fine for postflop then just learn the pushbotting charts for preflop play and you'll be fine

Good advice from everybody thus far. Appreciate the comments.

I imagine it's difficult to make $60k playing live in California poker rooms (unless you're playing in the big boy game, such as the 10/25 at M8trix). But idk. Maybe some of the FLH games can earn you that much income??

Regardless, maybe I just need to switch things up. Been grinding away at 6max forever.

I realize this is an MTT forum, but do any of you know what the current (online) HU cash games are like for US players? I've played a little and have found that sitting and waiting for an opponent to come to me is FAR more lucrative than joining a table where someone (typically a reg) is waiting for you.

But what are the current estimates that decent reg pros can earn (dollars/hour) in HU cash games, say 200nl?

leave the land of the free

lol werd

The best way to be a live 'mtt pro' is to be one part time. If you live in a location that offers good series - FL, CA and vegas are the only two places that really come to mind - play live when a good tournament is offered and play cash or online days that they are not. The problem with this strategy is there isnt much upside unless you are really working hard on your game so you could eventually play 10ks and/or big cash games.

Honestly I wouldn't recommend being an MTT pro in America at all. You just can't get the volume without racking up huge travelling expenses. Either relocate or play cash. You *might* be able to do it in Vegas with a big enough bankroll that you can literally play every decent stakes MTT on offer, but if relocating in the US is an option why not relocate to Mexico/Canada/Thailand/Malta/Costa Rica/whatever instead and be able to play online as well as whatever the local live poker tour is - and if you're not willing to relocate, with the tournaments you listed your expectation just isn't high enough without supplementing your income either with a job or cash games

It's a simple question of 'work out your ROI' and then 'work out your volume' and see if the number adds up to 60k a year EV

good post but bolded is far away from treue

why anyone would play live tournaments over live cash is beyond me

Why anyone would eat carrots over broccoli is ...

I'd stick with cash, unless you're fine with going months at a time even online with downswing/break even stretches. MTT variance is beyond brutal...your bottom line most months comes down to one or two flips deep. Stay with cash, but perhaps include sunday MTTs since the fields are softer albeit the bigger fields beget bigger variance.

beyond me too

So lissi do u think losing 100bi is impossible at 1k abi live or can you think of a schedule at say abi 500 that yields 60k a year ev factoring in travel for live only mtts curious which side of the equation you take issue with? I dont think vegas has enough 300-1k mtts where the right roi is attainable post rake and i cant think of anywhere else with the right schedule to play say 250 live mtts a year w no travel expenses at abi 500 and a 45-50%roi. Once you get to 1k abi a 100k downswing while unlikely is very possible right?

perhaps

quite possibly

as long as you have thousand island dressing