Here goes nothing.

NickyOD

Well, after thinking long and hard about my future in poker ("WIll I or won't I". "When's the right time?" etc. etc. ) I finally decided to hand in my notice today. I finsih my job as a network administrator for Limerick IT, which I've done for 5 yeas at the end of November. I've got quite a bit of money in the bank and things have gone so well for me both online and in live events over the last couple of months that it make sense to give it a go.

The decision's made a lot easier by the fact that I have no children or any major financial or personal commitments so there is no real risk involved. If things don't work out there are plenty of jobs I can walk into. As of the end of November my only income will be from poker.

Dub13

Good luck Nicky..I look forward to reading about your exploits.I hope it works out for you.As you said you can allways go back to work if things dont click.

Good Luck
Dub13

Ste05

Best of luck Nicky, hope it works out well, I think it's a great idea to at least give it a try, especially without too many commitments and a back door ready should it all go pear shaped. (Although I'm sure it won't)

Looking forward to hearing how it goes.

The Troll

Yeah, best of luck with it. Hope it works out well for ya.

Lafortezza

Did you consider trying to take a career break for 18 months/2 years instead of quitting?

Personal question I know, but what's your financial backup like aside from your bankroll? 6 months living expenses is the norm from what I've read.

staringelf

good luck to you. i made the same leap ilast january and so for the last 10 months my sole income has been from poker. it was the best decision i ever made. i'm 22 and just out of college so at least i have the old "something to fall back on", even if it is just a crappy arts degree

i don't miss my old job (worked in a callcentre) at all - no more bosses, no more travelling to and from, planning holidays in advance, crap pay, not to mention being unable to just wear my underpants to work

it can be tough at times but from lurking here a while and reading your posts and your blog you seem to have a good mentality and approach to the game which should stand you in good stead.

one thing i will say is (which you probably already know) - be prepared for the inevitable and unavoidable downswings and if they start to threaten your bankroll MAKE SURE you move down in levels. pride should not enter the equation where poker as your only source of income is involved.

i look forward to following your progress. good luck again.

DubTony

Best of luck Nicky. I daren't give you any advice because ...that's right ... I still know nottin......

roryc

silly question, but are you able to collect the dole while your doing this, or is playing poker considered a profession?

Good luck by the way:)

Imposter

Good luck with it Nicky.

What sort of a bankroll do you have and what limits do you intend to play?

Dub13

roryc wrote:

silly question, but are you able to collect the dole while your doing this, or is playing poker considered a profession?

I would say you could collect the dole but if they ever did an audit on your bank accounts and found you made money at the end of the year,you would have to pay it back.

After all it is income even if its not taxable.

Hitman Actual

I'm with everyone else in wishing you the best of luck with this, Nicky. It's a big decision, but I'm sure you're in the 1% who can actually make a living at this silly game!

Lex

LOL, yea excpet its not called the Dole, its called "Tax Rake-Back"!!
Best of luck Nicky, we will have to have a game in Casino de Nicky now that you will have more time on ur hands...

ntlbell

good luck with it Nicky, so there's a job going in Limerick then....:D

staringelf

Lex wrote:

LOL, yea excpet its not called the Dole, its called "Tax Rake-Back"!!

ahem, yes i do collect "tax rake back". shhhh although, i've a funny feeling they might cut me off soon what with me not bothering my arse looking for a real job. i only get 55 quid a week anyway. covers 1/4 of one sng entry...not exactly spectacular. considering all the tax i've paid in the last 5 or 6 years i think i deserves a little back

NickyOD

lafortezza wrote:

Did you consider trying to take a career break for 18 months/2 years instead of quitting?

Personal question I know, but what's your financial backup like aside from your bankroll? 6 months living expenses is the norm from what I've read.

Yes I considered it. I'm actually entitled to apply for up to 5 years career break. To be honest its more than just about the money. I've completly lost interest in working in the IT sector.

roryc wrote:

silly question, but are you able to collect the dole while your doing this, or is playing poker considered a profession?

Out of principal I would never even consider drawing the dole when I am perfecxtly capable of finding a job. Playing poker is not about the money for me at all. I just want to do something different, be my own boss, and prove to myself that I can make it.

I also hope to be working in poker occasionally in some sort of tax paying capacity, so it will help to also have that little bit of a non swingy income as well.

Imposter wrote:

What sort of a bankroll do you have and what limits do you intend to play?.

I'll be playing mostly $50 and $100 SnGs. Also 1/2 NL ring games and 5/10 limit holdem. (in order to pick up bonuses and rakeback). I have well over the recommended bankroll for these stakes and I'll also play a lot of Holdem and Omaha Multis.

RMcG

Good luck Nicky, Ive been at it for nearly 2 years now and its the hardest job Ive ever had, just get ready for the swings mate, they are so hard to deal with. Best of luck.

AmarilloFats

Best of luck Nicky..Definitely a +EV decision.
Below is an article from Ray Zee................
The riddle of the Sphinx was the question, what walks on four feet in the
morning, two feet in the afternoon, and three in the evening. The answer
was man. So how does this relate to poker you ask? Well it really doesn't,
but with a far stretch of the imagination we might get it there. Maybe a
poker player has an evolution to his playing style. That is what you need
to be successful when you start out may not be the same to achieve success
in higher limit games against other experienced players.
As total beginners, all people will play way too loose and insure that they
cannot win. They will also raise foolishly but call regularly when raising
is needed. Needless to say they call too often all the way through the hand
with little chance of winning the pot. Without reading and studying there
is only a small chance that they can evolve into a winning poker player.
It takes some time for them to start to realize that there is more to the
game than trying to get lucky and catch cards. That is even though poker
is an easy game to play, it is not an easy game to play well. Sometime during
this stage some players begin to understand that playing tight gets the
money in the small games they are playing. It doesn't necessarily allow
them to win a lot, but it does give them positive results which is a welcome
change from their previous status. From here they morph into the next stage.


This stage of a player's evolution is the tight stage. Most of those that
are going to go forward to become eventual winning players will enter this
form. The problem is that they frequently play too tight and may have little
imagination in the beginning. The good side is that one now finds he wins
a fair amount of the time due only to the tight play, and bad playing of
the opponents. He may also be aided by the small ante/blind structure of
many of the games at the smaller limits, and after a long spell of ups and
downs, the newly minted tight player starts to find out about how good plays
can increase your earnings. He experiments a little and finds it is fun
to make speculative raises and bluffs and begins too see his winnings increase.
So from here he starts the trek to the next stage of his evolution.

This is the advanced stage of a poker player's career. Now the cat is out
of the bag. He wins more often and gets what he believes is the right feel
for the game. Great plays come about by pushing marginal hands and making
fantastic calls on the end through his ability to read hands. Poker is fun
played this way. But no longer is the tight player inside the body. All
hands start to look like they have value, and with skillful manipulation
winning the pot is easy. He begins to believe that he can play bad hands
for profit where in reality he can't. The player has taken a big step backward
and a long leap forwards at the same time. The tight style needed is gone
and a new imaginative style is born and he becomes loose aggressive. Unfortunately
for him, if he gets too loose he loses all his money and may never recover.
But for those that are moving up the ladder, this is the last leap before
the finishing stage.

Finally for our player, if he can get through the maze, may find himself
armed with the tools to round out expert status. This last stage incorporates
the tight play that's a must in poker, with the imagination to win pots
without the best hand. He has become tight and aggressive. Semi bluffs,
bluffs, raises to knock out the best hand (and sometimes the second best
hand) and get the pot down to you and the loser, good calls on the end,
are some of the things that were missing before or played incorrectly. The
expert wins lots of money and gains a reputation for being a great player.
Whether he keeps the money depends on his ability to find good games at
limits within his bankroll.

By the way, don't let the above paragraph fool you. It takes much work to
achieve this kind of skill and only a small number of players ever reach
this status.

That is my take on how most of the expert players moved up the ladder in
ability and skill. From this point forward each person has to learn the
self-control to know when to quit when playing badly, and at the same time
be able to gauge when the opponents are outplaying you. Those that will
make the most of their time at the tables will be found playing in good
games when they are at the peak of their facilities and being very successful
in the long run. No playing when tired or upset, limiting the hours so that
concentration continues, and leaving when you don't have it that day, but
may not know why, are some of the hidden keys to long term success. If and
when a person puts it all together, he can say he is now an expert.

The above applies to virtually all forms of poker. Becoming a great player
doesn't happen over night. It's true that some people have a great deal
of natural ability, but even they have to work on their games. On the other
hand, those of you who don't possess a great deal of natural ability can
still become very good and successful players through experience and much
hard work

jem

nicky , very best of luck. hope you might come up to roscrea for one of your away night real world games.
james

Iago

Best of Luck Nicky, I look forward to reading with jealousy the tales of your exploits.

Just another reason to persuade me to walk away from my job before my game is ready

careca

Best of luck Nicky. Hope you make it. Theres nothing worse than looking back on your life in years to come and saying '**** I should have given it a go'. I, also, will be reading your blog with great interest. Give me hell !!

The Troll

AmarilloFats wrote:

Best of luck Nicky..Definitely a +EV decision.
Below is an article from Ray Zee................
The riddle of the Sphinx was the question, what walks on four feet in the
morning, two feet in the afternoon, and three in the evening. The answer
was man. So how does this relate to poker you ask? Well it really doesn't,
but with a far stretch of the imagination we might get it there. Maybe a
poker player has an evolution to his playing style. That is what you need
to be successful when you start out may not be the same to achieve success
in higher limit games against other experienced players.
As total beginners, all people will play way too loose and insure that they
cannot win. They will also raise foolishly but call regularly when raising
is needed. Needless to say they call too often all the way through the hand
with little chance of winning the pot. Without reading and studying there
is only a small chance that they can evolve into a winning poker player.
It takes some time for them to start to realize that there is more to the
game than trying to get lucky and catch cards. That is even though poker
is an easy game to play, it is not an easy game to play well. Sometime during
this stage some players begin to understand that playing tight gets the
money in the small games they are playing. It doesn't necessarily allow
them to win a lot, but it does give them positive results which is a welcome
change from their previous status. From here they morph into the next stage.


This stage of a player's evolution is the tight stage. Most of those that
are going to go forward to become eventual winning players will enter this
form. The problem is that they frequently play too tight and may have little
imagination in the beginning. The good side is that one now finds he wins
a fair amount of the time due only to the tight play, and bad playing of
the opponents. He may also be aided by the small ante/blind structure of
many of the games at the smaller limits, and after a long spell of ups and
downs, the newly minted tight player starts to find out about how good plays
can increase your earnings. He experiments a little and finds it is fun
to make speculative raises and bluffs and begins too see his winnings increase.
So from here he starts the trek to the next stage of his evolution.

This is the advanced stage of a poker player's career. Now the cat is out
of the bag. He wins more often and gets what he believes is the right feel
for the game. Great plays come about by pushing marginal hands and making
fantastic calls on the end through his ability to read hands. Poker is fun
played this way. But no longer is the tight player inside the body. All
hands start to look like they have value, and with skillful manipulation
winning the pot is easy. He begins to believe that he can play bad hands
for profit where in reality he can't. The player has taken a big step backward
and a long leap forwards at the same time. The tight style needed is gone
and a new imaginative style is born and he becomes loose aggressive. Unfortunately
for him, if he gets too loose he loses all his money and may never recover.
But for those that are moving up the ladder, this is the last leap before
the finishing stage.

Finally for our player, if he can get through the maze, may find himself
armed with the tools to round out expert status. This last stage incorporates
the tight play that's a must in poker, with the imagination to win pots
without the best hand. He has become tight and aggressive. Semi bluffs,
bluffs, raises to knock out the best hand (and sometimes the second best
hand) and get the pot down to you and the loser, good calls on the end,
are some of the things that were missing before or played incorrectly. The
expert wins lots of money and gains a reputation for being a great player.
Whether he keeps the money depends on his ability to find good games at
limits within his bankroll.

By the way, don't let the above paragraph fool you. It takes much work to
achieve this kind of skill and only a small number of players ever reach
this status.

That is my take on how most of the expert players moved up the ladder in
ability and skill. From this point forward each person has to learn the
self-control to know when to quit when playing badly, and at the same time
be able to gauge when the opponents are outplaying you. Those that will
make the most of their time at the tables will be found playing in good
games when they are at the peak of their facilities and being very successful
in the long run. No playing when tired or upset, limiting the hours so that
concentration continues, and leaving when you don't have it that day, but
may not know why, are some of the hidden keys to long term success. If and
when a person puts it all together, he can say he is now an expert.

The above applies to virtually all forms of poker. Becoming a great player
doesn't happen over night. It's true that some people have a great deal
of natural ability, but even they have to work on their games. On the other
hand, those of you who don't possess a great deal of natural ability can
still become very good and successful players through experience and much
hard work

Very interesting read. I'd say i'm close to the second last stage. I tend to play loose aggressive, but realise now that the tightness i had before needs to come back to an extent.

Tackle

Best of luck Nicky. How many hours a week are you planning on playing btw?

DeVore

Best of luck Nicky. Be ready for the psychological effects of playing long periods and the swings, those can be killers. I'm sure you will do fine though!

DeV.

Shortstack

Best of luck Nicky. Sure you wont need it.

hotspur

The very best of luck to you Nicky Besides the bankroll you have something else very much in you favour - you seem to *really* love the game, unlike many who are ambivalent. I hope it gives you what you want from it. Be sure to schedule "outdoors" time

kincsem

Since I have no delusions about my ability as a poker player I will offer one piece of advice -

Order the book "The Promise of Sleep" by William C. Dement and read it.

I know my performance varies greatly. This book will tell you how to keep in good condition for what is a mentally taxing occupation. And you will not have to lift weights or jog. Ever hear of REM? Dement was the man who coined the phrase "rapid eye movement", one of his many discoveries in over forty years of sleep research. He also mentions that you can have a skinful and drive ok but if you have a skinful and are sleepy it is five times as dangerous to drive. Have you ever wondered why the Irish driving fatalites are showing no signs of decreasing. Swopping the 23:30 closing time to say 03:00 = drink + driving at a time when the body says sleep.

When I was sitting at a table beside Xuyen "Bad Girl" Pham in CityWest earlier this year she commented that she sleeps a lot. The pros know they must look after themselves.

ionapaul

Good luck Nicky He who dares, wins

ZZR1100

NickyOD wrote:

I'll be playing mostly $50 and $100 SnGs. Also 1/2 NL ring games and 5/10 limit holdem. (in order to pick up bonuses and rakeback). I have well over the recommended bankroll for these stakes and I'll also play a lot of Holdem and Omaha Multis.

.

Are you multi tabling the Sngs.If so how many is most effective for you.whats the standard like in party between the 50 and the 100.
GL in the new job

Washout

Nicky your one of the few players whos posts i read with great respect and try to take in your comments on hand histories and try to bring in your kind of thinking into similar situations i find myself in.

I too wish you the best and look forward to reading your exploits as your career progress's

TacT

Best of luck!

Hughesy

Best of luck mate;)

Culchie

Good Luck Nicky, I've every confidence in you

NickyOD

ZZR1100 wrote:

.

Are you multi tabling the Sngs.If so how many is most effective for you.whats the standard like in party between the 50 and the 100.
GL in the new job

I play 4 SnGs at a time. The new 20" monitor is serious +EV since I can now play 4 tables with no overlay. The standard in the Party $50 SnGs would be the equivelent of the Pokerstars $20s. The $100 are much tougher at certain times of the day but there are still plenty of weak players in them.

Fathead

Best of luck..
Just wondering how your working conditions will hold up.
good monitor. check
comfy swivel chair.
natural light
fresh air.

Dub13

NickyOD wrote:

The $100 are much tougher at certain times of the day but there are still plenty of weak players in them.

I have been thinking about this for a while....how the standard on various sites goes up and down.And here is what I have come up with,it could be bollix.I think on mid week nights once it gets late mostly only serous players are on-line,of course their are always exception's to this.

Then along comes the weekend and and Billy Bob and his mate Hank are having a few beers and want to play a bit of poker,thing is Billy Bob works for a big multinational and has loads of $$$ so he jumps in way over his head therefor fcuking up the poker world.

And of course if the US is asleep or awake has a big bearing on all the above.


Disclaimer:The above could all be a load of bollix and just my overactive imagination running wild again.


I would be interested in what others think

JustMac

All the best in your new job. I'm envious.

doc71

fair play for taking the plunge, best of luck with it

ocallagh

Fair play Nicky,

I was in the same boat as you up until I read this post... 5yrs this month in the same life draining techie job for a large organisation.. I admire you for making the decision.. I know I will sooner or later.

Best of luck and enjoy the lye ins!

Fatboydim

Best of Luck Nicky - Does that mean we'll see you in Dublin next week for the EPT?

BTW PPP are advertising if you look at the banner on the top of this page. Might be a good way to supplement the income.