Casual Live - played several times a week in high school and college and basically would bring only $500 in cash each year to school and never need more - I was traveling a lot every break, owned a car, buying beer, pot, etc - living typical several k a year college lifestyle.

Semi-Pro - I know I stated a few hundred bucks a month but looking back that had to be an underestimate, I never kept track of earnings but lived in an apartment where my rent was 2k USD a month so while I still consider this period of my life month to month subsistence living that was definitely stressful, I must have cleared at least 35k-50k playing micro stakes live (with exception of a few games for real money, most games were 1/2 RMB with deep stacks so the bb win rate was pretty insane). I did have to borrow money a few times from friends though but always paid back within a week - things could have gone very poorly if I had any losing periods when I borrowed money last any longer and that was a huge factor in deciding to get a real job. I once bought into a game at Swedish restaurant for my entire liferoll because I knew a few people that played there and were bad but that was a terrifying experience, I ended up doing well and more than doubled my buyin but it's really scary on board where you have a premium but not the nuts and someone is check raising you and you have to call because you crush most of their range. I didn't return to those stakes again despite knowing I could beat it most of the time.

Online - you can see my stats in prior post - majority of play post black Friday because I don't live in US anymore and didn't trust online early on because of ignorance so missed out on the glory days - still don't and can't manage to deposit. Having major trouble cracking the microstakes because of brm I'm forced to drop down all the time. I'm thinking if I stuck to one discipline like sngs I'd be better served but I have a lot of fun playing all the different mtts - which I prefer greatly to ring games even though I'd probably be better off just playing ring. Then whenever I place highly in an mtt I'll ignore my brm for a little while hoping to run good and crack through and it in the few chances I've had hasn't worked. No worse feeling than going for it with half my bankroll split up over 6 mtts and cashing in 4 of them but still ending up in the negative because none of the cashes were deep finishes.

Life - currently have a fair amount set aside in both liferoll and bankroll. Have about 10k usd in HKD sitting in my drawer right now from my last trip to Macau that would be my initial bankroll - this is 10 buyins and although it's a little on the low side I can set aside some more. I can consult for money from time to time (just took a 1 month consultation job in that starts in a month) and want to travel in Europe this summer so right now not even looking for full time work - just studying up on poker and working on a few tech projects on my own for fun. I'm heading to Macau for a few weeks this Feb before my work in Shanghai starts and will reevaluate once that is over - this time paying careful attention to hours played and bb won per hour just like with my last trip. I've spent a lot of time scouting the tables there and a lot of the bad players at 25/50 would also sit at 50/100 from time to time but I'd definitely want to have a more definite sample size of a few solid months at 25/50 before stepping it up. The higher level games （100/200， 300/600） look a bit frightening though - it was basically the same 6 foreigners at the table each day - in talking to the lower level stakes pros they said that was typical. The higher the levels there the more pros at the table. At 25/50 there were anywhere from 1 to 3 at a table.


I really don't see how my situation is any different from Bigdan and he was heartily encouraged.

I appreciate any feedback - especially the negative stuff because that gives me even more to think about. I'm also looking for recommendations over what steps you guys would take in my position.

Hey dude,
more than a year has gone, since you send me to the book.
You know what? Since then i managed to read 130 books related to business, financial freedom, self esteem and personality development. Now, i wanted to tell you about my success.
7 Months ago i startet a online-marketing business. Since 5 months, it EXPLODED! I didn't achived my ambitious goal, but I guess, that I am on the best way. Last 5 Months my total income after taxes were 36.000€.
I am super glad, that you helped me, and -sometime- in my life I want to meet you in person, to thank you for this single post. You tooked your time, to reply to me back in the days, now I take my time, to keep you informed.
Dude... I Love You! And I wish you the best luck in life, heath, love and of cause on the tables!

Greetings from Germany!
S.L.

Worth a read, live players discussing the current poker climate:
http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/27...areer-1601331/

Really glad to hear life is working out great for you. Sounds like you're winning at life.

I wish you continued success.

I turn 21 on Saturday and I have been playing online for the past year with mixed results and I want to start off on the right foot. I will be able to finally play poker at a brick and mortar casino starting Saturday and have big lofty dreams of someday getting to a final table.

My biggest question is what is the best starting track to take for someone that would like to eventually play poker for a living? How hard is it? Would you do it all over again and what would you do different? Best skillset to have?

I have a job, I live with my Dad, my car is paid for, I have no girlfriend but not much money saved. I'm well aware you can't play 1/2 for a living but Im more interested in hearing some stories of successful grinders, the path they have taken, their failures and what they would have done differently.

I do not know much about the current landscape of cash games, tourneys and the like as I have been stuck in Bovadaland for the last year so I appreciate your responses. Just give me some good advice for starting this journey and thanks again

*** The 'Should I Be A Pro Poker Player Thread' *** The best advice anyone can give is don't plan on becoming a pro poker player anymore than you'd plan on becoming a pro baseball or football player. It's much easier to get started in poker than those sports, but the challenges of becoming a pro are about the same, and it depends entirely on how good you are at the games. The vast majority of people can't be pro poker players, so it stands to reason that neither can you.

Treat poker as a fun hobby that might make you a little bit of extra spending money, and if one day you realize that over a fairly large sample of play you're making more at poker than you are at your regular job, maybe you can go pro.

1. Have an alternate source of income-Even if it is just a job art McDonald's, having to depend on a high variance activity like poker for your life roll can cause debilitating stress. having a plan B is critical for being able to keep a clear head at the table.
2. Learn to observe your own game objectively-Just cause you win 3 sessions in a row doesn't mean you are good. Learn to objectively compare your game to others without giving yourself the benefit of the doubt.
3. Spend as much time working on your game off the table as on it-Read, work on simulators, build your own models, analyze hand histories, etc. Do this all off the table (and it is best if done in an organized manner so that you can refer back to it as you grow and evolve)
4. Approach each session with a plan, and review each session to see how it went-For example, if you think you are playing too passive, approach a session with a plan to three bet more in places where you would normally flat. And then analyze afterwards to see how that worked.

Poker is hard. There are a lot of good, experienced players out there. To get ahead you have to work at your game, and still variance will have a huge role in determining if you make that big final table.

Good luck.

The landscape depends on where you live. Are you down the road from Commerce or Bay101, or are you down the road from some Oklahoma casino with 1/2 blind NL that typically has $75 average stacks? If your local casino doesn't regularly spread 2/5 or 5/10 NL (or some version of 40/80 limit games), what are your plans to move someplace that does?
Best advice? Have a 6 figure engineering, marketing, or programming job. Make so much money playing poker on Friday nights and the weekend that it doesn't make sense to have that job. Have a year of living expenses plus an oversized poker bankroll. Then, talk to all your pro buddies about whether they think your game is good enough to quit your job. Take a sabbatical to play poker for 6 months and see.

I think it is easier to get one of those jobs than to make it as a poker pro. If you're really talented at poker and work hard at it, the money will take care of itself in the long run and you'll know you should be a pro. It is like being a skateboard pro, once you're in the top 20 in the country the questions answer themselves. Your sponsors tell you that you should quit your day job. Poker? The fact you make more money playing poker does.
What limits, how many hands, and how isn't this a huge warning sign to pro aspirations? Live poker is easier. Live poker is also way more expensive. Good games tend to be NL200, except some of them let you buy in deeper. If NL20 is getting you down, how's your financial situation for buying in with $200 bullets?

Serious answer. If you don't have your real life job figured out and squared away, poker is a waste of your time. If you were the next Phil Galfond, you'd have already crushed Bovada. You're young. Compound interested and low bills are your allies. Figure out how to get a great job. If that's programming classes at the local junior college, do that. You're more of a people person? Marketing or MBA classes. If you have the brains and self-dedication to succeed at poker, you'll crush those activities. Poker is no longer any way to make an easy living. It rarely was in the past. 12 years ago for a short window.