I think most people consider that when they first start playing. Over time, I realized that, besides being incredibly difficult, I don't think I'd actually enjoy being a professional poker player, especially the ones who spend almost all their time playing online only. I could not stand be in front a computer for so long.
I think everyone at one time considered learning the game and playing as a poker pro after a few years. But in reality, its not that simple, especially with online poker. The effort required in terms of actual study, dedication, discipline and investing in yourself is enormous. That is what distinguishes a genuine, successful pro from many of the gamblers you guys see on the tables.mimietmour said:
If you really want to turn pro, treat it like a business you have just started, essentially a 60 to 80 hour work week. You have to dedicate a huge chunk of that time to studying, mental health and playing. I havent completely ruled out the idea of becoming a poker pro, will see, maybe in a few years, once I have saved up some money and have enough of a cushion for the inevitable rough patches, I will give it a shot. Until then, I will just enjoy playing mostly freerolls, some Spin & Gos and cash games.
I think it depends on a lot of things, what are the alternatives? its all very easy to say it is or is not worth it but it depends on a multitude of things cost of living where you are, other salary options and etc.
I have heard a lot of people say that if your good enough to win a decent amount at poker then your capable of making much more money elsewhere. Well that is one of those statements which is more nuanced then always true. i speak from experience as someone with both an accounting and Finance degree and a Mathematics and statistics degree its very difficult to get work, in quants fields very competitive. Now I mean you could become a maths teacher but thats dealing with very badly behaved young children and relatively low pay.
as a generic principle if you need X to live of and you find you can make more then that from a relatively local job that doesnt involve a large commute and does not have a lot of stress and the poker wage is similiar then its probably not worth it. However if you find that you cant make a lot of money from a day job anyway and or the commute is rather long and or its high stress, then suddenly poker as a career becomes very tempting.
I have heard a lot of people say that if your good enough to win a decent amount at poker then your capable of making much more money elsewhere. Well that is one of those statements which is more nuanced then always true. i speak from experience as someone with both an accounting and Finance degree and a Mathematics and statistics degree its very difficult to get work, in quants fields very competitive. Now I mean you could become a maths teacher but thats dealing with very badly behaved young children and relatively low pay.
as a generic principle if you need X to live of and you find you can make more then that from a relatively local job that doesnt involve a large commute and does not have a lot of stress and the poker wage is similiar then its probably not worth it. However if you find that you cant make a lot of money from a day job anyway and or the commute is rather long and or its high stress, then suddenly poker as a career becomes very tempting.
LukeSilver said:
I actually think being a math teacher to young children could be extremely rewarding. As a child in school I excelled in math... I always had the highest mark in the class (even when I wasn't attending class (ie. away on a ski trip)). I would go out of my way to help the other kids, presenting them a way to solve the problems which might have been different from what the teacher was showing them on the blackboard (not all kids learn in the same manner & obviously the teacher needs to design their class plan to reach 'most' of the students).
As a teacher, I would think it would be an interesting challenge, attempting to reach close to all of the students... seeing some begin to excel where perhaps math had been a huge hurdle for them up til' that point in their lives.
But aside from this, don't you think teaching would be much better than poker? It's not just about the money. I personally think that spending my day giving back to society each day by reaching out to the youthful minds would be an amazing way to earn a living. So much more rewarding vs. poker which to me is all about >>> Take, take, take... 'me' 'me' 'me', deceiving other people out of their money... 'outsmarting' them. I find poker is a bit of a cancer to the soul. BUT... I actually like it! Just some parts about it I really don't like but I work at trying to stay in denial about it (ie. I guess I pretend the other players I am deceiving/outplaying/outwitting aren't people.. they are just avatars on my screen. OR they are people but they are some young pimply faced, loud-mouthed kid I'd be just as happy to slap up side the head as to take their money on the tables (a couple of CC members come to mind when I say this).
P.S. - thanks for posting. I'm pretty sure you're one of the people who CaioRJ doesn't believe exist.
P.S.S. - what games are you grinding these days? (me, low stakes cash... hoping to get time to play MTTs one day)
Poker Orifice said:
in regards to been a teacher i think your only looking at it from a narrow perspective that being students that want to learn. if I became a teacher and had a class of all well behaved students wanting to learn worked from 9am to 3pm then went home and got paid full time wages then yes been a teached looks like a well paid low stress easy job.
However I cant speak for all countries but in the united kingdom teachers often work much longer hours with meetings lesson plans and etc. Also work place politics spin and sabotarge exist.
However much worse then all that is children and teenages often misbehave a lot. as someone who was brought up with a lot of abuse growing up and was found to always be in the wrong no matter what and parents that always took whoevers side was against me whether family or not, I have serious issues with standing up for myself and relationships. perhaps that is getting to personal but basically I either fight and argue when I shouldnt or I back down and apologise too much when I actually I am the victim and struggle to get the balance right.
Poker is a different kettle of fish standing up to the so called table bully isnt about right or wrong dynamics its about strategy if someone is raising me to much or following me into pots too often fighting back in poker terms is merely strategy there is no right or wrong in the sense of social dynamics if I have a weakness in my poker play they are right to exploit it as any player would. If I find a weakness in theres the same goes poker should never be personal. Perhaps I am been to shary here I am not saying poker is my only option but I am saying that career that has to constantly deal with some form of conflict (not physical I mean Id hope I wouldnt be physically fighting students or been attacked by them) but kids misbehaving and then making up allegations against the teachers etc is a completely wrong career path for me.
I am actually looking at going into private tutoring, How viable that is I don't know but that would be getting students one on one which I have been paid for and if hypothetically I get a difficult student I can just refuse to work with them and work with other customers should I actually get enough business in that endevour.
It would certainly be a wonderful dream, but I don't think I could handle the pressure of having to generate 45–60k in winnings every year just to make a living. I believe I need a steady income and can incorporate poker into my life as a nice hobby with the occasional win.
Have I ever dreamed of being a professional poker player? I think we al have to some degree but honestly I haven't. While i luve this game and possibility could play professionally I do believe one aspect of me would not make it possible. Money.
I would not mind being a professional but never have looked to be one. I'm super competitive and love the thrill of victory so Tournament poker would be for me but a true professional would need to play cash games i I don't enjoy them overall.
2nd issues for me when the poker boom hit was we were working on a family. I wanted to be a daddy and the 2nd my daughter looked into my eyes any aspersions of being a professional were gone.
I do believe many people could play professionally but would never be able to due to the amount of work it takes to play at that level. How many would put in the time to honestly learn the game to be that good? You also have to be honest with your self and most players cant realistically be able to do this. How many time you see people complain about other after they lost all there chips with pocket aces? How could they and what ever. How many time i have looked of what they're hand was and played and where I would have folded the hand on the turn or even the flop based on the actions of the hand. All they see was there hand and cant really see that they may have played it badly or did play it badly. This is the biggest issue.
As a student of the game my hopes and dreams are fairly unrealistic. I just want to win one live tournament that give me a trophy, ring or bracelet, OK i want a ring as a ex athlete. My goal it to be the person at the table with a stack of all the chips and the winning cards up against them, The ring in my hand getting my picture taken as the champion. Just one time please.
Can this happen to me? My coach says I could do it, Will it happen? probably not due to the fact I cant afford to play the events enough to have it happen. Hopes and dreams.
I would not mind being a professional but never have looked to be one. I'm super competitive and love the thrill of victory so Tournament poker would be for me but a true professional would need to play cash games i I don't enjoy them overall.
2nd issues for me when the poker boom hit was we were working on a family. I wanted to be a daddy and the 2nd my daughter looked into my eyes any aspersions of being a professional were gone.
I do believe many people could play professionally but would never be able to due to the amount of work it takes to play at that level. How many would put in the time to honestly learn the game to be that good? You also have to be honest with your self and most players cant realistically be able to do this. How many time you see people complain about other after they lost all there chips with pocket aces? How could they and what ever. How many time i have looked of what they're hand was and played and where I would have folded the hand on the turn or even the flop based on the actions of the hand. All they see was there hand and cant really see that they may have played it badly or did play it badly. This is the biggest issue.
As a student of the game my hopes and dreams are fairly unrealistic. I just want to win one live tournament that give me a trophy, ring or bracelet, OK i want a ring as a ex athlete. My goal it to be the person at the table with a stack of all the chips and the winning cards up against them, The ring in my hand getting my picture taken as the champion. Just one time please.
Can this happen to me? My coach says I could do it, Will it happen? probably not due to the fact I cant afford to play the events enough to have it happen. Hopes and dreams.
Yes, the idea has crossed my mind before, but I also know that being a professional poker player requires much more than playing well. It demands discipline, emotional control, bankroll management, constant study, and the ability to handle long periods of variance without losing confidence. It’s an exciting goal, but it’s also a demanding lifestyle. That’s why I think it’s important to enjoy the game first and let results come naturally, rather than chasing the title of pro too early.
Many successful professionals regret not focusing their efforts on another career where they could grow as a person and devote time to family, friends, and relationships.Don't try to become a pro. Find something you truly enjoy outside of poker and develop a career in that field. And you can study poker to become a profitable amateur, playing 2-10 hours a week or month. Good luck!
As long as I’m making money or winning a major event, I’m not interested in going pro; I think it’s a risky lifestyle—it’s either a windfall of profits or bankruptcy. On the other hand, if you play small- to mid-sized tournaments and win your entries through satellites, you avoid the risk while still enjoying the game just as much.
Why has my friend made a min. of $200,000 profit for the past 5 years while playing low/mid stakes MTT's online? (& prior to that, they were profitable every single year, $100 to $300k/yr. playing SnG's and then playing SPINs). After a difficult start to 2026 and seemingly falling short of their yearly goal (of $200k profit), they have since turned it around and are currently on track to having their best year EVER! This past week they played just 3 days and have profit over $45,000CaioRJ said:
Not possible to make a living from poker these days?
I think most poker players who love the game have had that dream at some point. The idea of being able to make a living doing something you enjoy, traveling to tournaments, and competing against the best is definitely appealing. But becoming a pro is a lot more than just playing well; it takes discipline, bankroll management, studying, and being able to handle the emotional swings that come with the game.
For me, the biggest attraction wouldn't just be the money, but the challenge of constantly improving and seeing how far you can push your skills. Even if someone doesn't become a full-time pro, chasing that goal can still make them a much better player. The important thing is having realistic expectations and building up step by step instead of trying to force it too quickly.
For me, the biggest attraction wouldn't just be the money, but the challenge of constantly improving and seeing how far you can push your skills. Even if someone doesn't become a full-time pro, chasing that goal can still make them a much better player. The important thing is having realistic expectations and building up step by step instead of trying to force it too quickly.
Honestly, the idea of becoming a pro player has always been more of a dream than a real plan for me. Poker is fascinating because it combines skill, discipline, and psychology, but turning it into a career means embracing a lifestyle full of variance, long hours, and constant study.
