Becoming a professional poker player is difficult. You don’t just have to be good at gambling, you have to have a good head for business. To that end, you need to learn to treat your beloved card game like a business, rather than a hobby you’ve been good at in the past.
If you’re thinking of becoming a pro, read this first.
business element
Like most businesses, there will be good times and bad. You should be prepared for the latter and use the former to offset your losses. The professional game of poker also needs capital like any other business, and for poker this means having a substantial bank.
To that end, you should try to figure out how much you’ll need to maintain a steady income playing poker. A highly competitive profession if ever there was one. From the income figure, you can estimate how much you will need to finance your career as a professional player.
Every player has a severe losing streak no matter how good they are. You must be able to deal with this financially.
You will be autonomous. This is scary and difficult at the best of times, and instead of making a sale, you’ll need to make a considerable amount of money for your business to thrive.
evaluate evaluate
In order to become a pro and a better pro, you need to be able to honestly assess your playing style after every game. Ideally, getting an honest opinion from someone you trust is best. A fresh, unbiased pair of eyes will be able to tell you if you’re leaking too many clues, if your bluff was too obvious, and generally spot your weaknesses. In essence, you have to be able to accept criticism and be honest with yourself to know when your big loss was your fault. All of this will improve you as a player.
As a professional poker player, constant improvement is needed. Otherwise it’s a long way to the poor house and back to the main job.
The evaluation of your poker game should have already begun. If you can find a mentor or at least someone you trust who understands the game, so much the better. Many players record their games in the form of notes. How much they bet, how much they won, just about every stat you can think of. Then they refer to them constantly.
Because?
Many professionals started out as good amateur gamers and realized that playing a game they love for a living would be a good way to make a living. Chances are you have the same mindset. On the surface there is nervousness in the lifestyle that is very attractive. A bit like being a spy. The reality is however, that it is a business and a job. Will you enjoy the game as much in ten years?
You may never see the game the way you do right now again. A point to ponder perhaps?
Social life
Once you start being a pro, your social life will be centered around poker. Poker will rule: your friends will be poker players, your partner will have poker experience, and even your pets will be able to shuffle the cards. You will study poker when you are not playing and your math will improve.
This is one aspect that you need to think about in order to become a professional. Are you ready for change and sacrifice?
percentages
If you haven’t figured it out yet, you’ll have to look at poker as a business. This means calculating percentages up to the nth degree and then performing in tournaments. You will begin to think about the game statistically, and in fact, you will begin to study your own game in the same terms. This is common to most games of chance.
summarizing
A career in poker is difficult. Make no mistake, big losses and unbelievable lows are ahead. There will be times when you wonder why you thought it was a good idea.
However, with a clear and stable mind, a good business head, and a mentor or friend who is willing to help you, you just might succeed.