Making a Living

blackalicious

hey, this is my first post on boards so be gentle

Ive been playing poker online for less than a year. For the first few months i played small stakes and didn't win/lose much or take it that seriously. Then just before xmas i won 300$ in 5$ freezout, and i began to think about poker seriously( reading theory in books forums etc..) and became obsessed. Then over the xmas holidays i started playing an unhealthy amount everyday. I was playing 5$ 10$ tournaments mainly rebuys or freezouts with usually over 1000 players. Anyway i did pretty well i came first in one and won 2000$ and
did well in a few others and cashed out close to 3000 euro in early January. But i have a feeling that this may of been a lucky streak ::(
I've stopped playing mostly, as im in final year college...

I have ambitions (probably naive) of making a living from poker after i graduate.

My question is does anyone on here make a living just playing these small buy in tournaments??

And if playing cash games is the best way to go about making a living from poker can anyone give me some advice.


thanks

digiman

blackalicious wrote: »

this may of been a lucky streak ::(

QFT

You would probably need to be playing at least 200nl to make an average wage playing poker or putting in a lot of hands at 100nl (50k+ hands) with a decent winrate and good rakeback deal.

Goodluck2me

The luckiest thing happened to you this year is realising you were probably running hot and not just gods gift to poker.

Enjoy it as a hobby, its a tough existence as a pro.

dK1NG

Finish college (and then sign on:D).

Forget about poker for a while imho. Or, if you do decide to play, make it just the odd time, I'm only playing a few hrs a week atm - less than 20 hrs per month cos I've got my priorities, college comes first right now.

nicnicnic

blackalicious wrote: »

hey, this is my first post on boards so be gentle

Ive been playing poker online for less than a year. For the first few months i played small stakes and didn't win/lose much or take it that seriously. Then just before xmas i won 300$ in 5$ freezout, and i began to think about poker seriously( reading theory in books forums etc..) and became obsessed. Then over the xmas holidays i started playing an unhealthy amount everyday. I was playing 5$ 10$ tournaments mainly rebuys or freezouts with usually over 1000 players. Anyway i did pretty well i came first in one and won 2000$ and
did well in a few others and cashed out close to 3000 euro in early January. But i have a feeling that this may of been a lucky streak ::(
I've stopped playing mostly, as im in final year college...

I have ambitions (probably naive) of making a living from poker after i graduate.

My question is does anyone on here make a living just playing these small buy in tournaments??

And if playing cash games is the best way to go about making a living from poker can anyone give me some advice.


thanks

its an old thread but the arguments are still the same

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2054933066

thechamp87

go for it

blackalicious

yeah im definitely miles away from playing even 100nl, i play .10 .20 a bit and do good but haven't played it enough to know. I know realistically im no where near becoming a pro. Its just those 2 weeks over xmas winning that 3 grand seemed so easy and it was so ****ing brilliant:D. i felt like superman!!

But joking aside i know there was sooo much luck involved in me winning, but still i think if i played enough of those tournaments everyday (and i wil have lots of time when im on the dole dk1ng:D) i could make some serious pocket money.

Or maybe i used up all my luck at xmas

Does anyone play these tournies regularly and make money??

phantom_lord

yeah some people do. rooneydives from here does. i think it's the toughest way to make it as a poker pro tho. it's means grinding out obscene amounts of tournaments, and going through insane amounts of stress and swings. personally i don't think anyone should play anything other than msnl for a living.

cardshark202

phantom_lord wrote: »

personally i don't think anyone should play anything other than msnl for a living.

or plo, or hsnl/pl

phantom_lord

nah that stuff is too stressful

Goodluck2me

Cardshark202 wrote: »

or plo, or hsnl/pl or rummaging in bins

FYP

DeadMoney

blackalicious wrote: »

hey, this is my first post on boards so be gentle

Ive been playing poker online for less than a year. For the first few months i played small stakes and didn't win/lose much or take it that seriously. Then just before xmas i won 300$ in 5$ freezout, and i began to think about poker seriously( reading theory in books forums etc..) and became obsessed. Then over the xmas holidays i started playing an unhealthy amount everyday. I was playing 5$ 10$ tournaments mainly rebuys or freezouts with usually over 1000 players. Anyway i did pretty well i came first in one and won 2000$ and
did well in a few others and cashed out close to 3000 euro in early January. But i have a feeling that this may of been a lucky streak ::(
I've stopped playing mostly, as im in final year college...

I have ambitions (probably naive) of making a living from poker after i graduate.

My question is does anyone on here make a living just playing these small buy in tournaments??

And if playing cash games is the best way to go about making a living from poker can anyone give me some advice.


thanks

I admire your modesty and your ability to think realistically. Yes, there was probably a large amount of luck involved in you making that 3k score. That is not to say you are not a capable player or anything but variance in small stakes tournaments is HUGE due to the massive fields of players.
You are fortunate however that you now have a bit of a roll to work with. If I were you, I would invest in a training site membership such as Cardrunners, Leggo poker, pokerswat etc.

Study the small stakes vids and start out grinding 25nl or 50nl (or lower). When you feel comfortable and are beating the game for a decent rate, move up. Study up on bankroll management and join 2+2 SSNL. Studying cash games will make you a much stronger player and teach you how to play post flop. You can always play Mtt's when your roll gets bigger, but for now I would focus on cash games as that is where the most consistent money is made in poker.

With regards to becoming a full time pro, this is not as hard as some people may say. You can make a very good living playing mid stakes but you will have to put A LOT of work in to your game first. Don't even think about being a pro yet. It is far too early! Just concentrate on developing your game and learning to beat small stakes. If you work hard and are good enough, you will eventually be able to beat the mid stakes where you can make good money. I think new players underestimate the amount of work and dedication that goes in to becoming a winning reg at higher stakes. Some people have been playing for years and still cannot beat 200nl where as others are now regs at 600nl or 1000nl. It is not that some people just have an innate ability to beat the games, but it is that they are thinking about the game on a different level. Focus on finishing your degree and don't invest too much time in poker just yet. You don't need to be playing 8 hours per day to learn how to beat the small stakes. Just balance it out with other stuff and make sure to dedicate some time to studying the game as well as playing it.
GL

Tight Ted

digiman wrote: »

QFT

You would probably need to be playing at least 200nl to make an average wage playing poker or putting in a lot of hands at 100nl (50k+ hands) with a decent winrate and good rakeback deal.

When you think of it, if you just won 3 stacks at 100nl that's over $100,000 a year, which is like 80 grand.

consultech

Get out. Get out now!!!

zuutroy

Tight Ted wrote: »

When you think of it, if you just won 3 stacks at 100nl that's over $100,000 a year, which is like 80 grand.

It's just that easy!

getonyourboots

I can not fathom how anyone could make a steady income playing tournaments! Even playing good solid poker the variants involved in multi table tournaments mean even playing all day every day, no human could live long enough to see the fruits of their edge. Unless of course you get lucky and win a big one early on, say a couple of hundred grand, get yourself some sponsership and arse around in a cheap suit for a few years until your found out.
Good players can make a living playing cash games or even sit n go's but even here the swing can brutal, expect to sometimes lose 10 buyins on the trot even playing your best poker. If you can manage your bankroll, keep mentally healthy, and if you have the talent maybe you have a future at it but don't count on it.