3 months living off Poker Winnings

NickyOD

The last 3 months have been a life changing experience.

As you all know back in November I quit my job to play poker for a living. It was a big decisiion. I had a high profile position which I'd been in for 5 years. I had a governement pension, a hell of a lot of holidays, was basically my own boss and had the pleasure of working ina building swarming several hundred mostly really hot female art students. A dream job for most men my age I guess.

My decision to leave in the end was really more for health reasons than for poker. If I didn't leave to play poker I would have left anyway. I was working very long hours trying to keep on top of an ever changing and ever growing computer network. I was promised an assistant technician to help me out but it never materialised. I went through a period where it seemed like every thing that could possibly go wrong with my servers went wrong and since I never had the budget to buy what I wanted I just had to make do with what was basically a humpty dumpty operation and sooner or later I wouldn't be able to put all the pieces together again. I was stressed out to the max, suffering badly with depression both mentally and physically. It basically got to the point where I was completely and utterly unable to get out of bed. I called in sick and didn't leave my bed for 3 days not even to eat or drink. I even ignored phonecalls from my family and friends

So at the end of those 3 days on a Saturday morning I got up and made myself the most beautiful breakfast ever. (I love pankcakes) and I sat down and said to myself that I would first get professional help and secondly that from now on I would start lving my life again. I only get one life and it's very very short.

So I handed in my notice with the intention of playing poker for a living. For several months previous I had been making about the same wage as my IT job from online poker. I had no idea how long playing poker would last. I didn't really want to think that far ahead and just live for the moment. I was determined to just start enjoying life again.

So over the last 3 months I've lived purely from poker earnings. December was pretty slow, but I had a really great month in January, cruishing SnGs on Party and doing well in some multis. The first 2 weeks in February were brutal and I made a decision to start playing more live poker, which worked out really well. I started killing the cash game in Limerick again and was playing well in live tournaments. By the end of February before travelling to play in Vienna I had probably averaged about €700-€750 a week from poker over the 3 month period.

I'm not a financially motivated person. I was happy to just get by from poker. €500 would probably have been enough. The problem is something was missing. I kept getting up in the mornings and realising I have no resposibilities and no goals. I am by nature a workaholic and poker is not really a profession for someone of that nature. I was spending more and more time just sitting on my ass playing poker and most of the rest of the time I was awake thinking of little projects I was going to do.

So a couple of weeks ago when I knew that the pokerlounge in Limerick needed a cardroom manager I decided I would take the job and I started when I returned from Vienna. I've been on a high having had a great holiday, cashed in a Europen ranking event and for the first time in a long time feeling good about my life again. Being a cardroom mamanger also means I can have more input into Irish poker than I could have as a player. I've also been asked to start a poker school which should be a great experience.

I still consider myself a professional poker player even though my income is no longer based purely on my winnings. I intend to play as many international events as possible and keep improving my game, and continue to try and lead a life less ordinary. If there is one thing quitting my IT job taught me its that anything can happen.

Culchie

Brilliant Stuff Nicky, I love the attitude.

Good Luck.

mewso

Best of luck with it Nicky. I had meant to ask that once you turned pro did you think that maybe you would have to cut down on the travelling to live tourneys. It's a less reliable earner after all or am I wrong?

DeVore

Good luck Nicky, a lot of people never even take the shot.

DeV.

califano

Thats great Nicky best of luck with the new job, ive a feeling you'll enjoy it!. Reading that reminded me of Simon Trumpers 'Rollercoaster' aritcle for its sheer honesty.

Gholimoli

very nice post Nicky. and best of luck.
im in a similar situation as im in IT and have struggled to find and IT job that i really like and its not a bloody drag waking up in the morning.
at the same time even though i have made nice profits over the past year that i have been playing poker, I know i could not do it for a living as i dont think i can handle the emotional side of it.
so the struggle lives on for me while im trying to find that kinda job that i enjoy and i settle for not hating waking up in the morning.
posts like this lets you benefit from others that have in a way been in a similar situation and exposes you to other possibilities.

willis

wow great job u got! We shall be expecting to hear of some big tournies with amazing structures down in Limerick pretty soon!!!nice 1 and good post

careca

best of luck with the new job Nicky. Make sure it doesn't mean a decrease in your blog updates.

we'll have to make the trip to Limerick to check it out.

OilBeefHooked2

well done nicky.
great post and trully honest and refreshing to read.

Best of luck with everthing

ianmc38

I work in IT as well. What is it with poker players and IT?

Fortunately, I don't have much of a dilemma as my job is enjoyable and pays extremely well.

How are you going to play cash games now Nicky if you're running the poker room 5 nights a week?

kincsem

Good to hear you have taken a job at something you like. I think most poker pros have a little earner to provide stability / even out the variance.

I can understand how you felt working all the hours God sends and getting no response (did that years ago - 55 hours unpaid overtime one week on top of my 40 hours, and many months of the same). I left without regrets. You find the more you do the more people watch you doing it.

Good to hear you cashed in Vienna. I read Tom's account of poor Len crashing and burning but missed your result (will check it out this evening).

Best wishes and hope all goes well. You know a lot about the game and should go well, online and bricks and mortar, and on both sides of the table.

Hope I take your chips sometime.

dunkamania

Great post Nicky,most people arent that honest with themselves,let alone with others.

Hitman Actual

Very good post, Nicky, and best of luck. I reckon a very popular road trip could be one down to Limerick in the near future! Any festivals coming up, or is the card room big enough to hold a big-turnout event?

DeVore

Oh yeah, thats the other thing... knowing Nicky's running the show in Limerick makes it much much more likely I'd go on a road trip to visit.

DeV.

karlh

all the best Nicky, well done on the new job and more so on finding something that makes you happy!

Imposter

Nice post Nicky. Nice to see you having the courage to do what you want with your life.

I'm giving IT one last shot and if that doesn't work out lord knows what i'll be doing.

PS. How did you get on in that Omaha game after I donated my chips and left?

jtsuited

nice post. Some people reach a point in their lives where their bodies and minds say 'enough of this sh1t, let's do something different!'. It can be quite a lot of suffering to go through but as you can see it works out best in the end.

Hope your mental well being and health in general hold together, as poker really tends to fcuk up any sort of healthy lifestyle. Do you have any specific plan to stay balanced mentally?
It seems like your livelihood depends on your emotional and mental health.

TacT

Gwan gwan gwan!

Nice to hear how much enjoyment you are getting out of it, best of luck with that job.

Ollieboy

A very honest report Nicky and some very hard decision were made and I congratulate you on making those decision and taken the chance to change your life in a positive way. It would have been nice do if you had talked more about those hot young student girls…lol

It’s a very hard decision to go pro at poker, I tried something similar last year, when I was in a job I hated and wanted to change things, I decided enough was enough and left my job just 2 months before Xmas. I was in a lucky position where I had some holidays planned and had won the money from the WSPO, so I was in the position to take my time in getting a new job and also give the whole poker scene a go. I was making nice money at poker before this, so I was interested in seeing what it would be like to do it fulltime.

It immediately had a positive impact on my game, I picked the games I wanted to play, as most of you know, I’m more of an online player, so I would get up early and play all day. I had planned to use this time to go to the gym or play some golf, but I was addicted to winning and couldn’t walk away from the money. I was making about 1500 per week, which was about 10k for the 6 to 7 weeks that I played full-time. I felt that given my full attention to the game helped me play better, because all I did was sleep, eat and plan to play poker. But very quickly I noticed the negative aspects, not going out and just playing poker full-time, so I was lucky enough to have had a new job offer in December and decided that come New Year, I would cut back playing poker and turn it back into a hobby.

The job was a great move and I like what I’m doing and who I’m working with, so that’s all been positive and I know I made the right decision. I’m also glad I played poker full-time for that 2 months, as it thought me a lot about the game and what it takes to be a pro, but it was a great adventure and I played some major events, which working full-time would not allow me. I didn’t have the bankroll to play the professional circuit, but this is something that I would consider if I had a massive win in the future.

I feel going full-time was not an option for me, I don’t think I could make money out of the game full-time and the distraction of life would have become to hard, also you get in a rut, which is hard to break and there’s no focus in your life, except the next poker game. I’ve a few friends who have gone full-time in recent months and I really worry for these people, I think there’s a big gap in being a winner once a week and been a winner nearly every day, as one pro mention to me, you could loose 20k in a night and was I willing to do this? I took loads of advice from other pros and decided to enjoy my win and the money and go back to enjoying the game. And I’m very happy with my decision.

So what’s happened now, well I’ve stop winning since the new year, except for my WSOP ticket, I found it hard to concentrate and have not got the same interest in the game, I do love the game, but its just not happening for me at the moment and I know I’m forcing it a little bit. I think playing full-time, let me be more focus on the game. I also think the hype of my win last year has worn off and I’m struggling to play games that I would rather be playing bigger games, but this is something I have to deal with, because I don’t have the bankroll to play EPT and WPT’s, so that just life.

Anyway, sorry for taken over your thread Nicky, but I thought you might like to hear this to compare notes, I wish you the best of luck in your new job and I’m glad you had the sense to realise you need to change your life and get help when your last job was dragging you down. The next time I’m working in Limerick I’ll call into to say hi and play your tourneys. I’m sure you’ll be arranging some big events soon, so I’ll be looking forward to them.

Again, the best of luck with the new job….and keep winning at the table and look forward to seeing more of you on the rankings...

jimbling

god I'm sick of I.T.
don't think ill be quiting to play poker for a while yet though :rolleyes:

congrats on the new life nicky.. hope the good times roll on

ionapaul

I think you were brave making the move - I know it can be very, very difficult to leave a steady job, even if you hate it, without the reassurance of a safety-net. Looking forward to more positive stories from you in the near future!

5starpool

jimbling wrote:

god I'm sick of I.T.

It really is amazing the amount of poker players that work in I.T.

I would love to earn a living from poker but I don't think I have the discipline for it, or probably the skills either.

TrueDub

This is a fascinating subject, and I admire both Nicky & Len for a) having the courage to give the pro approach a shot, and b) being so honest about the ups & downs of life before & after that decision.

I suspect most of us have dreams of giving up the 9-to-5 lifestyle in favour of travelling the world, playing high-stakes poker, and winning. I certainly have that dream, although in my one I win this year's WSOP first, giving me the financial security to follow the dream!

But being honest, I'm not good enough to cope with either the lifestyle or the swings. My financial security is too important - it's not that I love working in IT (another!), although I do enjoy aspects of my job. I've always looked on work as a means to an end, supplying me with the money to do the things I want to do. The security aspect of this is important to me.

I do admire people who throw everything over & go for their dream - it might happen for me, but not soon. However, never say never.

NickyOD wrote:

I had a really great month in January, cruishing SnGs on Party and doing well in some multis.

An inspired typo from Nicky - now we have a word for cruising AND crushing poker games!

smurph

Nicky, I read your thread and it made for great reading. I hope your new job goes from strength to strength. Without sounding like a mother hen here but I do feel that you have to be very very careful that poker does not become everything. You play online, play live and now your job is managing a Cardroom. Perhaps you need to do something outside of this whole area.. Only a thought. Anyway best of luck with your new job and keep us updated on the new adventure. I feel a road trip to Limerick on the cards............ only a few months ago you were offering a home game in your apartment with a poker table, things sure have changed on Waltons mountain.

gerire

Excellent posts Ollie and Nicky. I hope everything goes well for you and the other few that are having a go at playing a lot/professionally at the moment

califano

smurph wrote:

Perhaps you need to do something outside of this whole area.. Only a thought.

He makes pancakes

The Gecko

Great Post Nicky & Ollie

Like most people would love to be a professional at any sports/game rather then IT (my god another one - IT Sales that is). But at this moment I am sure I am not good enough (yet) and don't have the bank roll to find out.

Ollieboy wrote:

I had planned to use this time to go to the gym or play some golf,

On a side note Ollie did you make the Gym at all?

– Please don’t respond with references to my waste!!! Line – I will by you a beer next time I see yeah....

ocallagh

Great post Nicky and congrats on the new job. I think it's incredibly tough for people in their 20's to achieve a well balanced lifestyle while holding down a 9-5 job .. let alone playing poker too. I could do with at least another 10hrs in the day..

califano

The Gecko wrote:

Great Post Nicky & Ollie




On a side note Ollie did you make the Gym at all?

Yeah sounds a bif far-fetched doesnt it:D .

ianmc38

ocallagh wrote:

Great post Nicky and congrats on the new job. I think it's incredibly tough for people in their 20's to achieve a well balanced lifestyle while holding down a 9-5 job .. let alone playing poker too. I could do with at least another 10hrs in the day..

Thats my problem too Niall. Maybe we should petiiton for days to be extended to 36 hours instead of 24. By the time I'm finished work, the day is gone. I go to bed at 1/2 and wake up exhausted the next day. Could do with some extra hours in there.

JustMac

Very interesting read. Glad you are willing to share your experiences. I think the sense of community on this board is great. Alongside posts with hand histories its great to read about the real life exploits of people who are playing for a living and those giving it a go. The apparent honesty of some posts is also refreshing.

I also work in IT and dont particularly like it but I'll be out of a job come June so might be forced to look for work in a different area. Unfortunately I'm a fish with no chance of living on poker losses.

I imagine that the next best thing to being a poker professional is to be working somewhere within the poker industry. All the best with your new job.

hotspur

Splendid post and good decision, the very best of luck with your new job.

As for the I.T. brigade, surely we all know that online poker is the new Star Trek

RoundTower

Good stuff Nicky, will definitely be taking a trip to Limerick some time.

I think the IT thing isn't just poker. Boards.ie does an occasional survey of members which finds out that 99.2% of all the posters work in the IT industry and have nothing to do all day.

mewso

RoundTower wrote:

99.2% of all the posters work in the IT industry and have nothing to do all day.

Unless they are a mod of the poker forum.

roryc

hotspur wrote:

Splendid post and good decision, the very best of luck with your new job.

As for the I.T. brigade, surely we all know that online poker is the new Star Trek

Ahh I was waiting for a decent one liner... welcome to my sig

Scotty #

I must read your blog more often Nicky, very impressed.

What I do find interesting about your post, and Ollies, is that here you have two poker enthusiasts who have probably dreamed about being pro players since the first time they held clay chips in there hand. Both players tried it, both players were successful, and yet both players found it unfulfilling, for want of a better word. I've seen documentaries before about pro players where it seemed to be a very stressful way of life. I'd be interested to see how many pros' would swap for a 9 to 5 that paid the same money.

Best of luck in the future both on and off the table.

Davey Devil

I think I like pancakes more than poker.

Enjoy the new job Nicky.

Rnger

I briefly mentioned to my dad I was following an irish player who recently turned pro, this is 3 months ago.

"Not everyone makes it like Nicky O Donnell" he says to me (amongst other things..) in an arguement after coming home from an all nighter at the cash tables.

Your a house hold name and a bad influence nicky! I wish you the best of luck in the future

Running Bing

Respect must be given. It takes balls to give up a secure well paying job to pursue such an unconvential career as a poker player. The one thing that would stop me from ever becoming pro though is, as Nicky said, The lack of responsibilities and goals. I imagine it would be very unfulfilling after a while just sitting at a table/staring at a screen for 8 hours doing the same thing every day. Although now that I write that doesnt that sound like most jobs:) As for the person who said Nicky should take a break from poker I disagree. IF he enjoys it and hes doing something that brings him happieness and isnt doing him any harm he should stick with it 100% imo. Good lucky Nicky and all people playing for a living.

Ste05

Great to hear it's working out Nicky. Just waiting for the coverage of the latest Irish Poker phenomenon at the WSOP this year.

Although, why does everyone say you can't have goals and ambitions as a Poker professional?? Surely it's just like any other career, if you approach it the right way. E.g. Aim to move up to a certain level by this time next year. To play in x number of WSOP events, x number of EPT tournaments, etc. etc.

If I ever thought I was good enough to make more money from Poker than from my Current Line of work. (doubtful because of what I work as, and also my Poker ability ) I'd set clear targets and try to achieve them. A little pressure (above the usual playing to pay the bills) can only make you more focused on improving your game and improving your expectations for the future.

robinlacey

NickyOD wrote:

I still consider myself a professional poker player even though my income is no longer based purely on my winnings. I intend to play as many international events as possible and keep improving my game, and continue to try and lead a life less ordinary. If there is one thing quitting my IT job taught me its that anything can happen.

interesting post nicky,one thing i was curious about though,if you don't mind me asking-how do you plan to fund playing international events? i play poker full time and also made around 750 a week on average last year,and having been running well this year,making about twice that,but i still consider any big events to be well beyond my budget...are you just going to play satellites online,or do you have backers or what?