Playing live for a living is very hard and I from what it seems, 2/5NL is pretty much the minimum stake one has to play. As the live pros that actually do this for a living are playing 2/5, 5/10 and 10/20NL. Of course you get those high stakes players who play the big mixed games etc but there just aren't many of those players. And obviously they wouldn't be a good example because they play for tons and tons of money... such as those like in Bobbys Room.
From what i spoken to people here who either played live for a living for a long period of time or from others who know pros who been doing the live grind for a living for at least 5 years, it seems like many live pros say its very draining lifestyle. I hear how people say poker is very lonely professional and i definitely understand what they mean by this. But from the information i seem to be getting, many live pros mention how they could have done something else instead of playing for a living. Someone i spoke to mention how many pros they know... well they all say they wished they had a regular job and make lesser money than playing poker.
I'm curious but are there many live poker pros who are very happy in their lives and didn't regret it as oppose to having a job? Most people who have a job hate their job and many always wished they done something else but didn't do it and decide well stick to the job as even though they hated it, they did it anyway. I see how there are threads about guys who quit their jobs because they hated corporate life... or those who are older in their 30s and 40s and saw screw it i'm coming to vegas and taking a shot even though most shottakers are usually in their 20s.
Well it seems like most live pros that do it for many years... i really don't see many that said they love the live pro lifestyle. I mean sure you could see a young 20 something do it for 1 year and love it and crush. But after a while it seems like live poker takes a toll on people and they never like the game that much anymore. Does anyone agree/disagree with this? The only live pro that i see that seem to love his lifestyle is JRB. Then again, wouldn't that be a bad example since he plays high stakes? He always has piictures on twitter of him partying in vegas and he's in his 40s if im not mistaken.
It seems like those players who grind online poker for a living, those are the ones that seem to make much more money than their live counterparts thanks to multitabling, rakeback, no traveling time, no commute, and all the frustrations of playing live... even though we all know live is so much softer than online. But I rarely hear that many online pokers who play many years as their job and then mention to others how they hate it, as oppose to their live counterparts who play live for a living.
I read many blogs of live pros and many seem to get really frustrated with their downswings when they lose, which is understandable. But many times i read how they mention how they hate poker and wished they never played this stupid game for a living. When i played live, i felt like i turned into a miserable person and also bitter when i lose. Does anyone felt a bit like this? Whats funny was when i had downswings playing online, it bothered me but didn't bother me that much. I read that that is what live poker does to you. When i used to play online, i was making decent money similar to what my friend make at their job and they hated their job. After black friday, I felt like poker has sort of put a bitter taste in my mouth. Like i'm kind of bitter at the ppl i know and how they have jobs and now i dont. Of course when i was making money online, i felt like damn this feels nice playing and making money online at home. Its like what they say about poker is true, it does turn some ppl for the worst when i lost the opportunity to play online.
Do you guys agree that those who play poker professionally, that online is the way to go and live just is just way too stressful? Its like the 2/5 grinder who averages $35/hr and puts in 1600 hours a year puts in so much work. Then you compare him with the online guy who multitable 12 tables of 200NL and he makes much more than the live pro and does it in the convenience of his own home.
Thoughts on this? Sorry if i typed way too much.