Hello guys, i have a questions for those who are taking poker as a way of living, or will.
How you made the transition from regular job to living from poker?
I mean now i have a job where i make all the money for rent/bills, and poker goes well, but i am afraid that if i quit my job and have only poker the pressure will afect my game, cause i need to make money.

Thanks in andvance for help.

I can’t speak for all but the natural way of turning pro is when you start making more money on the felt than you do in your day job. You’ll start wondering about your opportunity cost and then you’ll organically know it’s time. I’m not a pro btw but just someone who’s read many of these turning pro threads in the past

I am a long term pro
I can not begin to tell you how many I have seen come and go from the scene over the years trying to "go pro" etc, but it is a fcuking BIG number. 99% of people who try to be perfessional gamboolers fail. On top of that the gambling landscape has changed dramatically over the last 20 years and not in a fovorable way. If you want to be a pro and have a real life (I raised a kid and put her through college) you have to seriously have your act together on every level which is a very tall order imo.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with keeping your job and playing poker for enjoyment and extra income. Why do you feel the need to make poker your sole source of income?

I work from monday till saturday and other week from sunday till saturday morning/afternoon/night and the worst thing is that is heavy work and a lot of times i am tired to play my best game.

So i want to give it a try on playing poker as a full income(i have some money in the bank) but i dont know how i will play when the pressure of rent/bills is on me.

I was thinking to find a job monday-friday for bills and poker for extra, but i was curios of those who live from this how they deal with the pressure?

That is a great question. Most crumble under the pressure of having to playfull time. There is a massive difference between rolling into the casino when ever you feel like it (weekends when the game is rocking and rolling) and having to crank out hours to fulfill you family obligations.

i always advise people that want to "go pro" to do it in addition to their regular job, as it can be a fantastic side income. But as a sole source of income you have to be very self motivated. Meaning if you dont log the hours u aint gunna eat. I know exactly how many hours I am going to log in a year and if I miss it is by a very small amt.

If you go to any PGC threads check out how few aspiring pros actually hit hours targets (hint very few). On top of that, its not like working a normal job where u can just show up and auto pilot. If you play c- poker you are not going to have a decent w/r. So you have not only show up but you have to preform to the absolute best of your abilities every day, day in and day out and once again I have seen very few who are able to do this year in and year out.

I respect where you're coming from here squid but I think it's a bit overblown. If you're trying to make 6 figures a year, certainly you have to have your **** together, show up responsibly, and execute well at the tables. Making "career" type money is difficult and takes hard work and discipline. But if you're trying to make $30-40k/yr to leave some crap minwage work behind, or you live in a cheaper country (where even $15-20k can go a long way), the story is pretty different.

I also don't really think most pros are playing some laser-focused a-game all the time at the tables. It's more about having the mental discipline to avoid ever slipping into c-game and being able to maintain b-or-better level across situations. It is definitely true that playing c-game can cost us a bunch of money though, which is a huge stressor and needs to be actively managed. Working on mental game (having decent+ mental game) is a requirement for sure. Playing with an ample bankroll + solid savings definitely helps.

@op if you're serious about wanting to go pro and actually have a promising sample, have you considered taking some part time job? It's much easier to work 20-25 hours a week and sink some time into poker than to work 40+ and take the game seriously. It's also much easier to play well knowing you still have some money coming in and can afford rent speaking from experience!

hey Duncelanas - I hear you, however I said if you want to "have a real life" Meaning having a family, owning a house, raising a kid and sending her to school.

If you want to live like trooper or el deisel you can be a total fcuking bozo and "be pro" but I take it as assumed that people when they discuss going pro they mean having a reasonable nice life with reasonable things. Every year I take multiple nice vacations. My kid is now grown and has a very nice life with her boyfriend on the other side of the country. Last winter I had them come out for a month to ski and paid for everything. I spoiled the shyt out of them and made it my goal to spend as much as possible

I am not bragging I am just clarifying my position as what I personally believe it takes to be a pro and have a decent life that I want to live. My whole point is for me I fcuking worked my ass off for it.

While it's great that you've accomplished those things through poker, I think it's a bit demeaning to say that people who don't have a family, own a house, have a kid, etc don't "have a real life." There are plenty of ways to live a fulfilling life and most of them don't require enough income to pay for your kids' ski trips. This is doubly true given op seems like a non-native eng speaker who may live in a much lower col spot and need to earn much less.

Fwiw I have met el diesel in person multiple times, he's a friendly guy and seems pretty happy with what he's doing not that I'd advocate for such a lifestyle myself, but if he can make enough from poker to live a life that keeps him happy (which really does seem true), I find it a bit weird to criticize.

It might be true that to live the kind of life -you- want to live, and have built for yourself, there's a substantial cost that requires a 6 figure income and extremely responsible structure as a professional. But this is more about your own desire, choices, and life than giving information to another person you know almost nothing about. Plenty of people even in expensive countries are stuck in some minwage jobs going nowhere. If they can sink a bunch of time into poker and make even $25/hr, it could be a substantial income jump and be a very reasonable option despite never getting close to the numbers that let you comfortably put kids through college.

1) Yes, if you are making more at poker than your real job .. then maybe consider more poker .. and ..
2) No reason you can't play 'more' poker and still work a 'real' job part time to help cover some of the miscellaneous expenses. This will help you stay mentally sane, reduce the pressure on poker a little and keep you 'out in society' a bit

3) Yes, consider what you want for a life and then do lots and lots of calculating as to how much poker you need to play in order to EXCEED those 'requirements'.
4) Make sure you have 14-18 months of expenses saved up so you can give poker a real try without stressing over your everyday bills in the short term

5) Make sure you have a poker bankroll that is a minimum of 20, up to 40-50, buy-ins for the stake you are playing. As you play more and more poker the likelihood of a major downswing increases. Remember you should never allowing yourself to borrow from your saved expenses in order to keep playing poker.
6) Consider how quickly you could get back into the workforce at your current position should things not go well for you.

There are lots of threads on this site with similar information .. search for and try to absorb the content that is most relevant to you situation.

As others have indicated .. you need ..

1) An absolute LOVE for poker
2) A decent amount of natural poker talent .. you can make up for some things with study, but only so much. And you will also struggle mentally if you 'have' to study to get better since you wont be at the tables making money.
3) Incredible mental self-control in order to handle your own emotions during your poker journey as well as the doubters that will be in your circle as well.
4) Incredible self-control of your funds as you will probably have more time on your hands and it's a lot easier to spend money when you have time to do so.
5) Short and long term goals that you will be honest with yourself as to your progress and attainability.

You notice here that even 'well off' poker Pros are imploring you to move with caution without an incredible commitment .. and even that is not even close to enough to offer you 'full time' poker success. GL

This was my thought when I first saw the sticky about why most people fail in their journey to go pro. It's because the (income) bar is set pretty high for most people. I have multiple felonies from my young and stupid days. I could earn ~70k/year driving a truck over the road. That's 4-6 weeks of 14 hour days to get 1 week off. Or I can grind low stakes in an air conditioned environment with people in a social setting. So no shovel or heavy furniture to lift.....