going pro

gamblingIRE

How much would you guys need to be making to decide to play pro?

I am making on average $43 an hour playing poker (cash mostly, some stt's) and the odd mtt... am sure I can bump this up to about 60 with a bit more table-time...


I can expect to make about 30k a year initially when I finish my phd.. Just wondering on opinions.. obviously if i was working in a pizza shop I would stop and just play poker..

I think the sensible thing for me to do would be to finish the edu, then re-evaluate..

anyone else had this dilemma, or thought about it? would be interested to hear..

pok3rplaya

gamblingIRE wrote:

I think the sensible thing for me to do would be to finish the edu, then re-evaluate..

Yes.

It's way harder then you think. Ever lose 9G's in 1 week?

MrPillowTalk

Do a forum search there are numerous threads all with good advice on the same topic.

Something about going pro should be stickied, seems to come up quite regularly.

staringelf

MrPillowTalk wrote:

Do a forum search there are numerous threads all with good advice on the same topic.

Something about going pro should be stickied, seems to come up quite regularly.

i agree.

OP here's a taster of the daily grind that is playing poker for a living.

its a tough life...:D

bill_ashmount

staringelf wrote:

OP here's a taster of the daily grind that is playing poker for a living.

Lol. Think I have made that exact speech a few times...:D

Doc Farrell

staringelf wrote:

i agree.

OP here's a taster of the daily grind that is playing poker for a living.

its a tough life...:D

SON of a goddamn bitch! i don't even knowwhat to do with a pair of tens....

this cracked me up, brilliant! tx!

Doc Farrell

pok3rplaya wrote:

Yes.

It's way harder then you think. Ever lose 9G's in 1 week?

Yikes! You're the good student player from Drogheda! Finally, welcome to my world. I've no doubt you'll make plenty over the next few years but the next time some some kid starts singing about the silver lining you show him the cloud and I'll back you up. I mean it when I say that it sounds like you're a long term profit maker btw.

NickyOD

gamblingIRE wrote:

How much would you guys need to be making to decide to play pro?

I am making on average $43 an hour playing poker (cash mostly, some stt's) and the odd mtt... am sure I can bump this up to about 60 with a bit more table-time...


I can expect to make about 30k a year initially when I finish my phd.. Just wondering on opinions.. obviously if i was working in a pizza shop I would stop and just play poker..

I think the sensible thing for me to do would be to finish the edu, then re-evaluate..

anyone else had this dilemma, or thought about it? would be interested to hear..

What buy in STTs are you playing?

When I started out playing full time I played STTs but it got very boring after a while. Playing the same tables over and over can make your game go very stale. Now I try to mix up the tables I play a lot. Although STTs can certainly be a good earner with lower variance I recommend that you work on your cash game.

NickyOD

staringelf wrote:

i agree.

OP here's a taster of the daily grind that is playing poker for a living.

its a tough life...:D

If anyone ever hears me say "holy mackeral" I promise to quit poker forever.

staringelf

NickyOD wrote:

What buy in STTs are you playing?

When I started out playing full time I played STTs but it got very boring after a while. Playing the same tables over and over can make your game go very stale. Now I try to mix up the tables I play a lot. Although STTs can certainly be a good earner with lower variance I recommend that you work on your cash game.

agreed. stt's can really drain you and there isn't really a lot of "poker" in them for the most part. you can make a decent earn by learning how to pushbot effectively and it is an important skill but definately try and incorporate some cash and work on your LAG game a bit - trust me - you'll want to move strictly to cash games after a while.

with regard to your original questions OP, definately finish your education.

you say you're making $43 an hour - its hard to know if that's good or bad for the stakes you are playing at but in general terms you'd be hard pressed to find a job where you make $43 an hour...if you're sure you have the stats and enough hands played to sustain that and that its not just good variance then my advice (without knowing any of your other life factors or any other info about your game) is to finish your education and then go for it. you don't have much to lose (except your mind...its a tough tough life, get used to dealing with variance and constantly questioning and reevaluating your game:D ). you can always stick "took a year out and went travelling" on the old CV anyway

staringelf

Doc Farrell wrote:

SON of a goddamn bitch! i don't even knowwhat to do with a pair of tens....

this cracked me up, brilliant! tx!

there's more of his videos linked in this thread here if you want a good laugh.

sorry, back on topic

luckylucky

gamblingIRE wrote:

How much would you guys need to be making to decide to play pro?

I am making on average $43 an hour playing poker (cash mostly, some stt's) and the odd mtt... am sure I can bump this up to about 60 with a bit more table-time...


I can expect to make about 30k a year initially when I finish my phd.. Just wondering on opinions.. obviously if i was working in a pizza shop I would stop and just play poker..

I think the sensible thing for me to do would be to finish the edu, then re-evaluate..

anyone else had this dilemma, or thought about it? would be interested to hear..

Yip as the rest of em say finish ur education... also keep browsing this forum and others and get yourself more and more prepared if being a poker pro is what u defo want 2 b and if u finally do take the plunge make sure u r as prepared as u can possibly b - also u mention u play cash, stts and mtts - I would advise u to specialise in cash or tournies it's hard to b good at both - at the very least ur winrate in one will surely b a lot better than the other and time is money etc. If I were u I'd stick to cash at least 95% of time - and if you feel the need to play different kind of games then personally at least I find it a far easier mental adjustment to switch between a hold em cash game to an omaha cash game than i do from an hold em cash game to a hold em stt.

Anyways gl with the phd and with da poker

gamblingIRE

thanks for the replies guys...
for those interested, have been playin 10 or 20nl stt's, and .25/50 1/2 and a bit of 2/4 when feeling flush.. the cash game seems to be my forte..

bohsman

$43 per hour will be unsustainable at those levels.

ianmc38

bohsman wrote:

$43 per hour will be unsustainable at those levels.

Multi-tabling 1/2 or 2/4, €43 p/h is definitely sustainable.

luckylucky

ianmc38 wrote:

Multi-tabling 1/2 or 2/4, €43 p/h is definitely sustainable.

Absolutely true

dunkamania

I would not turn pro for less then 80,000 a year,and the way I play,that isnt about to happen anytime soon.:D

El Stuntman

dunkamania wrote:

I would not turn pro for less then 80,000 a year,and the way I play,that isnt about to happen anytime soon.:D

80K P.A. from poker equates to about 120k when you're paying PAYE....just a thought

staringelf

El Stuntman wrote:

80K P.A. from poker equates to about 120k when you're paying PAYE....just a thought

good thing this is ireland and not america and paying PAYE on gambling income doesn't apply to us. hooray!

NickyOD

gamblingIRE wrote:

thanks for the replies guys...
for those interested, have been playin 10 or 20nl stt's, and .25/50 1/2 and a bit of 2/4 when feeling flush.. the cash game seems to be my forte..

Have you only been playing poker for 10 hours?

Doc Farrell

nicky your inbox is full, which must be deeply uncomfortable for anyone.

ianmc38

Nicky I assume he means $10 or $20 STTs.

staringelf

NickyOD wrote:

Have you only been playing poker for 10 hours?

weak

luckylucky

staringelf wrote:

weak

tight even

pok3rplaya

Doc Farrell wrote:

Yikes! You're the good student player from Drogheda! Finally, welcome to my world. I've no doubt you'll make plenty over the next few years but the next time some some kid starts singing about the silver lining you show him the cloud and I'll back you up. I mean it when I say that it sounds like you're a long term profit maker btw.

Thanks. I never thought it would be this mentally challenging to go pro (and I'm only doing it for a summer). It's WAY harder then the average amateur thinks IMO.

staringelf

pok3rplaya wrote:

Thanks. I never thought it would be this mentally challenging to go pro (and I'm only doing it for a summer). It's WAY harder then the average amateur thinks IMO.

yep. its the easiest job in the world when you're running well and the toughest when you're not. most people fail because they don't have the mental fortitude to deal with the bad times properly. most will self destruct when things start going really bad. damage control is perhaps the most important part of being a long term successful player in my experience.

NickyOD

ianmc38 wrote:

Nicky I assume he means $10 or $20 STTs.

For me to hit that hourly rate at $20 SnGs I'd need to be 10 tabling.

Norwich Fan Rob

there is no way that rate is sustainable at those levels no matter how many tables you are playing imho.

You have obviously been running exceptionally well.

luckylucky

I think he plays mostly cash games $.5-$1 to $2-$4 for which that win rate i think is sustainable but if you're talking $10-$20 stts yeah i don't think it would be.

ianmc38

43 per hour at 1/2 is definitely sustainable. My hourly rate over 10k hands at 1/2 is 23. I only single table or 2 table. Theoretically this would be 46 if I could handle 4-tabling. At 2/4 i'm sure it would be higher

FastMachine

€43 an hour works out at about €1700 over a 40 hour weak. That's about 5 buyins at 2/4, when you take account of the $ to € conversion. That's a very sustainable rate if you multitable, if you're a clear winner you'll probably average even more per week.

NickyOD

I'm assuming 1/2 and 2/4 are above your bankroll limitations, and that you hanve't played very many hands at those stakes. If you are bankrolled for those then then you should really be playing $100 SnGs not 10s and 20s.

Put in 50K hands at 1/2 and about 300 $50 STTs and see where you stand after that.

Until you have played a lot more you are nowhere near ready to make this kind of decision.

Lafortezza

gamblingIRE wrote:

How much would you guys need to be making to decide to play pro?

I am making on average $43 an hour playing poker (cash mostly, some stt's) and the odd mtt... am sure I can bump this up to about 60 with a bit more table-time...


I can expect to make about 30k a year initially when I finish my phd.. Just wondering on opinions.. obviously if i was working in a pizza shop I would stop and just play poker..

I think the sensible thing for me to do would be to finish the edu, then re-evaluate..

anyone else had this dilemma, or thought about it? would be interested to hear..

If you want really honest answer the best thing would be to give us a breakdown of your current bankroll, current expenses, future expenses (in the next year), and any other information you think might be of note. Do you use PT and/or how many hands do you have stats for?

Ste05

No matter how much you can earn playing Poker, finish your PHD... You're hardly going to throw away 6-8+ years of education just to play Poker, that's just mad TBH.

*Counterfeit*

A major consideration must be your starting tank. I'm in a similiar position to yourself, have decided I want to go pro, believe I'm on the way to being good enough, but am going to work for three more years to build a tank and play part-time in the interim. I think my requirements are to have a minimum of 12 months living expenses (which I have estimated at €2,000 per month or €25,000 for the year). As for a bankroll, I feel that my minimum requirement is 10,000 times the big blind at the level I wish to start out at which is €1/€2 cash games, so that adds to the tidy sum of another €20,000. It would be no harm to have €5,000 in reserve as well for 'extraordinary circumstances'. So that tots to the neat sum of €50,000 to start with. A sobaring fact. As for what I'd consider an acceptable income, I'd be looking for €50 per hour, with maybe a 25-35 hour playing week, adding to €1,250-€1,750 per week.That's a €65,000- €90,000 tax free job. Not bad at all, but more importantly a job I think I have a passion for. Anyway good luck with whatever route you take.

DeVore

I've never made as little as when I've been a semi-pro compared to working. However if money is all you are doing it for, there are easier ways to make more money. The lifestyle it affords me is more of interest to me then the money. I dont believe anyone can make 80k a year from 1/2 tbh...

DeV.

ianmc38

Doesnt Cianos play 1/2 and 2/4?

Also madmats who is a huge winner on Tribeca, plays alot of the biggest limit games and the high NL games often multi-tables 1/2 with huge stacks at each table.

A boards member I know was making close to €70/hour at that level over a huge number of hands.

MrPillowTalk

*Counterfeit* wrote:

A major consideration must be your starting tank. I'm in a similiar position to yourself, have decided I want to go pro, believe I'm on the way to being good enough, but am going to work for three more years to build a tank and play part-time in the interim. I think my requirements are to have a minimum of 12 months living expenses (which I have estimated at €2,000 per month or €25,000 for the year). As for a bankroll, I feel that my minimum requirement is 10,000 times the big blind at the level I wish to start out at which is €1/€2 cash games, so that adds to the tidy sum of another €20,000. It would be no harm to have €5,000 in reserve as well for 'extraordinary circumstances'. So that tots to the neat sum of €50,000 to start with. A sobaring fact. As for what I'd consider an acceptable income, I'd be looking for €50 per hour, with maybe a 25-35 hour playing week, adding to €1,250-€1,750 per week.That's a €65,000- €90,000 tax free job. Not bad at all, but more importantly a job I think I have a passion for. Anyway good luck with whatever route you take.

If your good enough to go pro you need nowhere near 20k to play 1/2nl, 5k should be enough to weather all but the most brutal of swings.

guys on 2+2 play up to 12 tables at 1/2nl and all claim to be making over 200k p/annum

Norwich Fan Rob

hmmm, after a development in work about an hour ago, i could be going pro tomorrow, if you are wondering where my blog has gone, there is a clue in the previous sentence..........

fuzzbox

Norwich Fan Rob wrote:

hmmm, after a development in work about an hour ago, i could be going pro tomorrow, if you are wondering where my blog has gone, there is a clue in the previous sentence..........

Nothing like telling the boss to go f. himself to kickstart you into becoming a pro