After not playing for over a year, I'm completely back into poker now.

I've mainly been playing small local live tournaments and I've been doing great over a small sample size.

I'm keeping track of my winnings, slowly building a bankroll and I'm starting to look up a few slightly higher buy-in tournaments.

I realize it's probably going to take years before I can play poker for a living. That has always been my reason for playing and the idea has only grown bigger and stronger ever since I started playing poker.

In the past I've quit poker several times because I hung around cash games with degens, which is the part of poker I hate.
I don't want to make degens go broke, I'd rather not even play with them.
I enjoy going up against other regs and other decent players for the challenge.
Don't get me wrong, I will take degen money if it finds it's way to my table, I'd just rather not go looking it up, that is not why I enjoy playing poker.

Since I started playing again I've only been playing tournaments and I realize this is probably what I want to do.
Not saying I don't want to play cash games, I do, I can, I'd just prefer tournaments over them whenever possible.

I also play online a bit, for practice mostly.
Online grinding is NOT an option for me. I do not enjoy playing online nearly enough to do this for a living, not even part time.
I do enjoy playing a tournament online, but like just one a day.
Currently sticking to $5 MTT's and lower. Haven't had much success online, but haven't played much either.


Now I've been doing some numbers and it seems really though to actually play tournaments for a living.
Let's say we wanna make at least $1500 / month.
With a ROI of 25%, which is way lower than my current ROI, but seems realistic over the long run, especially in thougher tournaments, we'd need to play for $6000 / month.
If we add travel expenses of around $400 (is this too low?) that amount goes up further.

How realistic is this?
Are there people here who actually do this? How do you make it work?

I would love to combine playing with teaching, so that is always an option.
I guess mixing in some cash games would help a lot as well, but I'd rather not do this if possible at all.
I could always find a remote working job to combine with poker, which is definitely an option in my current job branch, I'm currently a part time web developer.


My current goal is to see where my ROI goes in these small tournaments over a larger sample size, so I'm just going to keep playing these. I'm also going to hit some bigger ones when I have the money to spare.

There are cash games available at the local casino, which I could play if that would help speed up my progress, but I'd rather find other options if possible at all.


What other steps can I take?
What goals should I set for myself?

Again, I realize this is going to be a long road, I'd just like to set at least a general direction I can move towards.

These two statements suggest that poker is not for you.

You make money at poker by preying on the weak, not looking for challenges. You identify the mistakes your opponents make and manipulate them into situations where they make them against you, to your profit (in real cash or tournament chips) and their loss.

At it's core, poker is predatory. Feeling bad about the money your opponents lose will get in the way of your success.

I suggest you read this thread + the article in the first post OP https://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/2...-quot-1418454/

In short, it's impossible to be a live tournament pro unless you're completely freerolling all your buy ins and expenses in some way (eg. sponsored by a poker site).

I wish people like you would keep their opinions that put others down to themselves, thx bye!


Interesting read, but I don't see anything in there that is helpful?

Kurn's comments were both 100% correct, and also not putting anyone down. If your goal is to play other decent players for the thrill of competition, great, but you will never make money against the rake. Attacking weak players is the only way to win consistently (and it is getting harder as there are fewer and fewer exploitably weak players).

Poker is a zero sum game (actually, it is a negative sum game). You cannot win unless someone else loses. If you start concerning yourself with whether or not your opponents are degens or not, and whether or not you should target them, you have no chance of winning. None. Not only will other players chip up through the weak players and then crush you, the degens will eventually spot your passive play against them and target you.

I might try to talk a degen friend out of playing (though I usually don't. They are adults, they get to decide what they want to do). But if they sit at a table with me, they are 100% fair game.

As an aside, it is typically poor form to ask for help, then be a condescending jerk to someone who gives you a legitimate response, just because you disagree with the response.

I'll concede that my first sentence was blunt.

But if bluntness stings you, poker will crush you. If you want to make a living at poker, you'll need emotion resilience.

You will very likely go through stretches of multiple tournaments where, on balance, you consistently make the correct +EV decisions and still go bust out before you get to the money.

Winning tournament players can have losing years and 100 buy-in downswings.

Even if you become successful, poker will treat you much more harshly than I did.

His post was spot on. Trying to make a living from live tournaments is difficult the way it is already. The only reason why some people are able to do it is because of recreational players willing to donate money into the poker economy.

Between high rake, travel costs, regular cost of living and high variance the edge over other regulars won’t be big enough to make a living. Not for somebody who’s been doing it professionally for years, not for somebody just starting out as a pro.

Then you weren't asking for the truth but rather to have people build you your own personal safe space. It is without question, undeniably true, that you aren't made to play poker professionally if you don't want to or won't find the weaker opponents to play against. If you want to play against other regs, don't play for your income because you'll go broke.

The conclusion was; it's nearly impossible. How is that not helpful? Again, sorry someone broke the glass of your safe space.

Thanks for ruining my thread, guess I'll just figure it out myself

Oh now it's our fault. Remember you're getting a straight answer from people who play or have played tons of volume and for income, and they're all saying the same from the first post on. Just look at how impossible you've made it for yourself to even have a chance;

No cash games
No degens
No online
Wants to play vs regs
Not played for over a year
Not shown any success in online donkaments, which basically means you're lacking fundamentals

You just want to play against good regs expecting to make a living and anyone that tells you otherwise ruins your thread? After your many future failed attempts and when you're ready to do some honest reflection, read this thread again. You're guaranteed to blame yourself for a while thinking how you didn't see it.

This thread was honestly answered and rebuked. GL, OP.