At all but the most semantic grammatical level, there is no difference, in the context of playing the game. There are two reasons for stating this...
First, the word professional is both an adjective and a noun. One can be a professional (by earning a living from an activity) and one can perform in a professional manner (by being good at something).
I used to work in a Flying School. Not all pilots were professional (as in being paid) for it, but all pilots were expected to be professional, in their conduct of flying.
Second, and specifically to poker, a winning player makes money from the game - whatever they call themselves. So in terms of winning and making money there is absolutely no difference. As a matter of interest there are no (none, zilch, zero) professional poker players in the UK - they are all amateurs following their hobby. That is because professional gambling is not recognised as legal profession in the UK (that's why we don't pay tax on our winnings). Bolded players because you could of course be a professional poker coach or something like in the UK.
One final point - I think many of the "so called" pros make most of their money from poker in activities (coaching, promoting etc) other than playing.
As said, multiple interpretations. When i started poker 10 years ago, i played with 100% passion. 0% discipline. less than a year later, i made 50$ an hour. Then the passion faded and i just played 10 hours a week with little passion and still no discipline. This lasted for a few more years until i quit as my win-rate went down.
All together, i made a living or poker for 5 years. Yet i never considered myself professional. A professional in my eyes is one who has the discipline to make an x number of hours per week playing, an x number of hours studying and an x number of hours analyzing his game. Also the discipline to match his lifestyle to his job (no drugs, healthy food and lifestyle, consistent sleeping hours)
Are there no differences between how i played and how those play who don't get to make a living of poker ? Surely there are. When i take interest in something, it is usually 200% interest. Meaning i want to learn everything, become the best in the world and think about while im taking a ****, a shower, driving my car or doing pretty much anything else that does not require 100% of my brain. I think that's a bit of an autistic trait, but it works if you want to get decent at something, just not forever, you need discipline to make it last. And i think its not an either or thing. i think the ones who are really successful and remain so have both this passion to start with and the discipline to keep it going. I find it hard to imagine that people get to success simply by deciding to be poker professional without the passion.
you dont consider it as a career until you can actually prove you can be a long term winner.
its not like a job you may want . here you must perform at a level higher than your competition. in a job you can make it by being level with your peers.
then you must determine if you make enough to have it worthwhile. most winners make less than a standard job. so you must far excell your competition.
hi i'm considering starting play poker as career is it hard?
Yes, it is.
How much poker are you playing right now? Are you beginning to make enough money from playing poker as a hobby that you feel you're losing money by keeping your day job?
If your answer to the second question is anything other than a resounding YES, then just continue to play as a hobby.
This is not a poker specific definition, but one I have always liked
"An amateur practices until he can succeed. A professional practices until he cannot fail"
This basically speaks to the level of rigor that each person practices. An amateur poker player, golfer, chef, will read, study, practice, and partake of their desired skill until they are good enough to accomplish their goal . A professional will go so far as to be versed in all eventualities, all contingencies, all possible situations. They will memorize and practice the techniques needed, even if they will not likely ever need them
A non-poker example. I am a pretty good home cook. I read recipes, and will try different techniques that sound interesting. I have a few dishes that I cook well. And I love watching cooking shows like Top Chef or Chopped. I am constantly amazed that when presented with challenges for using some esoteric technique or some uncommon dish, all the professional chefs not only know how to make the dish. but know the little gotcha's.
A professional is just an order of magnitude more prepared than an amateur
