Hello guys,

In a bit of a predicament.

I've been playing Poker for about 2 years now at a local casino playing once or twice a week whilst living at home with my parents. They still have no idea that I play Poker.

The situation I'm in now is I want to quit my job and play Poker full time. I have a win rate of £29 p/h mainly playing a variety of 1/1 1/2 and 2/5 and if I played Poker full time I would be projected to make over 3 times my current salary.

I want to tell my parents I want to quit my job and play Poker full time, but I already know they won't take it too well as they're a bit out of touch with the modern world and will just see it as gambling.

I figured the best way to tell them is it to make a PowerPoint presentation and talk about: my results, projections, advantages and disadvantages, sustainability and a contingency if it all goes wrong.

Could anyone share any other suggestions on what to include in the presentation? Or does anyone else want to share their story of how they told their parents and how they took it?

Thanks

Do you have a segregated bank roll? Is it the right size to withstand a downturn and continue to be able to play?

If you are serious about taking a shot at going pro you should have 6+ months of life expenses saved and set aside, outside of your poker roll.

Show your parents why you want to do this. Show them your W/L spread, your hours, etc. Explain to them that you'd be leaving a ****ty job, and that if this works out you'd make a lot more. Show that you have been responsible with your poker money, explain how you've grown the roll, etc.

Lastly, explain to them what will happen if you fail. If you're a young guy without debts or responsibilities then failure isn't that big of a deal. You can just suck it up and get back on the job market.

Show them the money. It usually works.

If you have the money.

Thanks for the response.

Through working and playing poker for the past 2 years my roll is very good and can easily withstand a downswing, but it isn't segregated as I don't really have any outgoings so I just keep it all as one really . As for bills and such I live at home rent free. I have explained bankroll management in my presentation and I follow it quite strictly, whilst never touching roulette or blackjack etc as I'm fully aware the casino has the edge and I only play in games where I have the edge.

I have also noted in presentation that if it does fail I still have work experience and a degree so can just find a job fairly easily.

I think saying I will leave some aside that won't get touched with my poker bank roll would make them feel more comfortable.

It IS gambling.

If there's anyway to post a vid of your presentation it'd really be a hit, though.

Please post the presentation. It might help someone else out in the future.

This. So much this. Off the top of me head, you should have about 30K in roll. Maybe 20K if your volume was a bit overestimated.

Lol at needing a 30k roll to play 1/2 living in your parents basement.

Get a part time job at least ten bucks an hour and work at least twenty hours a week there.

Most folks can squeeze out twenty hours a week if they aren't in a bind. That way you have something tangible to show them that you're not being a "shiftless bum staring at a video game" and have something to pad the roll during downswings.

Hi albazzar27,

Thanks for posting and welcome to the boards.

I have some insight that might help if you'll take some tips from a former low stakes grinder who went full time in 2004, then subsequently transitioned into the industry starting in early 2008.

- If you're absolutely serious about becoming a full-time pro, you'll need to put in an enormous amount of time both playing and improving. Forget spreadsheets and convincing loved ones... convince yourself through your daily effort to stay on top of the game in your preferred formats.

- Live poker offers a great opportunity for profitable players, but that situation could drastically change depending on a number of factors (live casino saturation in certain regions, increased rake, more segregated player pools). Try to avoid the naive mistake that many of the "early low stakes grinders" like myself made in assuming that winrates would be sustainable in perpetuity.

- It is public information that live casinos (in the U.S.) generate substantially less revenue from their poker offerings when compared to gaming space occupied by house-edge table games and slots. I assume this is also the case for UK casinos... although feel free to correct me if I'm wrong on this. Plan for the inevitability that certain poker games may become less profitable/non-existent in the future.

- Work to appreciate poker and enjoy it as much as possible, and don't "corrupt" the lessons poker has to teach by going overboard with future projections. That time is MUCH better spent learning "all things poker" that will help you maximize profit in the here and now.

- If you are in a living situation where your parents provide assistance, then DON'T take that for granted. That is an enormous advantage for any individual and if others are helping foot the bill to make your poker dream possible, then show them the respect and courtesy that reflects the value they provide to you.

- Get up to speed on the most popular poker strategy literature available and consider participating in forum discussions, training services, etc. As precisely as you can, learn what is happening in your particular poker format and consider how to gain an edge against opponents of all skill levels so you can prepare for when/if your games have fewer "live fish" participating.

- Avoid hitting a plateau with your poker ability. This is a sure-fire way to experience decreased long-term expectation. As high stakes pro Jason Koon advises, you should be able to look back six months from now and legitimately realize how "little" you know about the game right now... if you're going to focus on constant improvement.

- Use key poker skills such as adaptation, bankroll management, and emotional intelligence to improve your prospects outside of the game. If you truly take advantage of some of poker's more difficult lessons, this could help you immensely in pinpointing future opportunities and expanding your professional skill set both at and away from the tables.

I hope this helps. Back in the early days "pros" like myself were far too naive about what poker does and doesn't provide. In fact, my "biggest break" in the game was that I never got a huge score, as that would've surely caused serious issues given some of the screwed-up ideas I had about the game back when I grinded full time from 2004-2007.

Fortunately there is more information available these days to assist you while making it easier to accept responsibility for all aspects of your life... not just being a poker pro. If you will embrace some of poker's more difficult lessons, this can help you accomplish a lot and stay ahead of the competition in whatever goal you pursue. I hope you don't mind these tips. I believe you're capable of avoiding a lot of the mistakes I made during a time when the game was much easier, and wish you the best of luck.

-David

You are lazy and have no motivation to accomplish anything in your life...i get you.

If I was a parent of a child that still lived at my home as an adult I would not be convinced by any presentation.

If this is a viable profession for you, then move out of their home and pay for your own rent.

There are young pros that have been successful and since I know nothing about your skills as a poker player, perhaps you have this ability as well. It is far more likely however, you will not have the success that you expect. It is hard to put in the hours you are expecting and the poker world changes rapidly. What makes you think you can do this for many years to come?

Your parents know more than you when it comes to life and there is a reason they would not like this. Try to get a better job or take the chance and "go pro" but get your own apartment before doing so.

"Mom, Dad... look, I want to continue having you support me with your finances. But, I want to also live the life of a gambler."

LOL, What could go wrong?

Look, if you're really serious then keep your job and play more hours. 40 hours of job and play poker at least 4 days/nights per week. Build up enough roll that you move out and support yourself. Mom and dad will respect that.

However, the best advice is to continue sucking off the parent tit while you go to school, then get a fulfilling career and play poker as a hobby.

OP you should definitely move out of your parent's house before you try this. Until that time you aren't really supporting yourself from poker. And if I had a kid living with me that told me he wanted to play poker full time, I would absolutely kick him out.

Can't you cut down on your work hours first instead of quitting? 29 p/h winrate seems low to go pro, especially if your experience is "playing 1 or 2 nights/week". Yes it's probably more than your job but that 29 p/h will go down if you go pro and play a full schedule of poker. Is the added stress & uncertainty still worth it if you start making 20 p/h on a full schedule? Is it still worth it to sit 40+ hours/week at a live poker table for 20 p/h?

This. And pay your parents some rent ffs (but good luck whatever you decide )

Once or twice a week for two years, so let's say about 700 hours, 25-30 hands per hour, for a total of about 20,000 hands. So basically you have no idea what your actual win rate is.

What times are you playing? The games are going to be better on Friday/Saturday nights than a weekday afternoon, and if you decide to play full-time, you're not going to be able to play 40 hrs a week on just Friday and Saturday nights. Maybe you'll be stuck in games with all the guys who win £30 p/h in the game you usually play.

At least when you decide you want a real job in 5 years, you won't need to start a new thread, and can just read one of the dozens of, "I've been a professional poker player for years. How do I fill that gap on my resume? What do I tell them about my work history in a job interview?" threads. Also lots of threads about "What do I tell girls I want to date about my job when I play poker for a living?"

If you really want to try to be a professional poker player, then by all means do it, but don't expect to earn 3 times what you make now based on your current win rate over 20,000 hands * 40hrs a week.

My parents won't accept rent off me, and why would I move out if I can live rent free? Just to prove I can support myself? I'm sure looking at my income would also prove that and I wouldn't have to spend chunks renting somewhere.

I haven't asked whether I should make the move to full time poker, I've asked if people have any other suggestions on what to include in my presentation, how other people told their parents and how they took it.

Find some of the responses here actually quite incredible.

OP,

Are you related to a poster 'tworooks'?

If not, have you thought about moving the poker game from the casino into your parents' basement?

pursue your degree and keep poker on the side. full time grinder is no fun at all

Apparently I have no reading comprehension because I thought you were talking about power pointing to your parents to play online grind time. DERRRRRP

Anyways, regardless, as long as you're living with your parents get a job to support yourself in a way that they see and understand.

If you don't include every last detail of your expenses/revenue (gas money, meals, etc.), your presentation will be misleading. More importantly, 99% of people lie to themselves about their hourly. Don't make that mistake. A normal paycheck will never lie to you. You have to be brutally honest about how long it takes to arrive at the poker room (vs. a traditional commute), how long it takes to join a game (waitlists are a form of rake), how much time you spend studying the game, etc. You'll likely find that your hourly is much smaller than your original estimate, in which case a traditional 8-5 with virtually guaranteed salary growth will start looking a lot more attractive.

In short, the only way this presentation will work is if you're 100% transparent and show that you've thought about all potential outcomes and opportunity cost. It's a lot harder to fail working for a big company than it is as a poker pro, and experience gained at the tables has very little real world application, even in STEM careers.

To break the ice a bit, consider including a slide about Emma Stone, who made a PP presentation for her parents on deciding to move to LA to pursue an acting career.

I have been playing for 5+ years.In the first 3-4 years I though there was no way poker was a gambling game like many people say but with time passing I kind of changed my mind-yes,its not like roulette or other casino games but its still gambling.Whaterver you do,have other interests besides poker-and I suggest you have other income different that poker-when you burn out(it will happen often that you think) you would like to have some cash on the side.
I was just like you when I was younger-ambitious,motivated etc. so I was in that position.
Good luck

If I were the parent of a child who was looking to do this, my objection would be much less whether or not he could support himself but much more so whether or not he was helping other people and contributing to a better society. How would you be planning to make this argument?