What to consider to make a living from poker?

DiegoRamos said:

It's a simple question for some people but complex for others.

For the overwhelming majority the answer is obvious, you need to know if you can pay the bills or simply earn more than your own job.

In a way, you are correct, that is the basis, correcting your strategy, adapting as much and as quickly as possible to the new strategies or movements of regular players who have studied your game.

But what you need to know and often doesn't even cross your mind... Poker is not just a game of skill and luck, you must include your mental state, so to progress or even be a profitable player, you need to take care of your mind . Not just during the game, but that includes everything away from the table, namely your problems. If you don't look for forms of self-control and mental stabilization, you can be absolutely sure that you won't make progress in the long run and your profit chart will look like a roller coaster.

For many people, meditation is a good path, but the ideal is to first have self-knowledge and really know what works for you.

That done, already knowing what your game is and how to keep your mind healthy, you are on the right path to make a living from poker, just keep improving your game until you reach your goal.

And you, what do you think about it?

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Ruslan L said:

In general, I think you are right. It is obvious that the mental state of the player plays an important role. Players who control their emotions well will always have better results. Meditation is certainly a good way to restore equilibrium, mental balance, but not everyone is ready for meditation. Personally, I prefer just active recreation for myself.

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Gary_Heart said:

Simply - consider not making a living with Poker's LOL: Legal:

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Ruslan L said:

In general, I think you are right. It is obvious that the mental state of the player plays an important role. Players who control their emotions well will always have better results. Meditation is certainly a good way to restore equilibrium, mental balance, but not everyone is ready for meditation. Personally, I prefer just active recreation for myself.

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Kenzie 96 said:

So you have a job that allows you to pay the bills & still provides you the financial where with all to provide you & your family with some of the extras that life offers.
Poker offers no sick leave, no insurance, no benefits except second hand smoke & the opportunity to hang out with degenerate gamblers. What do you do if a kid gets sick, the family vehicle breaks down, where does the coin come from that allows you to enter a tourney, pay for your expenses getting to the venue, pay for a place to stay & some of the incidentals like food & such. You best be making a damned site more than your current job afore you try this. Self employment is not easy.

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kitchy65 said:

I think it's a simple question with a complex answer.

To find out if through poker you can earn a living?

I would say that you would first have to learn everything about the game. Elements you need to understand. If you don't have the aptitude to understand all the mathematics involved, it's best to read a professional's autobiography.

It won't do anything for your game, but at least you'll enjoy reading... and get some real information about what's involved.

There's no short cut to success, they won't be a freeroll epiphany... it doesn't matter if you've trained your seventh chakra to inhale through your nose, and breathe out from outside your gold rivet - how do you go all-in, for 8 players, with your A8o “because that's what good players do”... you have to learn the game.

From that, everything flows... and your A8 goes into the mud.

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Highfish said:

I think BRM is emotion control.
What happens if you don't control your emotions and don't respect the BRM that I saw on Full Tilt Poker (a long time ago).

The first example was Nicki Jedlicka. He played a Christmas Eve game against Ivey. He lost most of his BR.
The second was Isildur vs Hastings. That he may have been misled in the process is irrelevant.
Both didn't know when to stop. This is also a skill that must be mastered.
Now, of course, you can say that these were two “lunatics” who never joined BRM anyway.

For me, however, good examples of what can happen if you're not under control.

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topcatbrazil said:

I suppose there are a lot of resources available for players who want to improve their mental game. If I had to name an author, it would be Jared Tendler, besides, I think this is also important in other aspects of your life... making decisions with a cool head is very important off the table.

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Kinalha said:

One thing I don't see a lot of regs talking about is the reverse time of working like a normal job. Like, on the best days for you (when you go to a good final table), you spend a large part of your day there... On Sunday, for example, it's normal to see streamers with 12 ~ 15 hours playing... Of course you can adjust your routine, but Sunday, which I believe is in most cultures a day for you to be with your family or whoever you want, you will be working..

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Marshmalo1994 said:

I always thought if I was prepared to affront big downswings. I mean, like one or two months without making any profit. That could happen even to the best pro players.
Other thing to consider is if your country has a good regulation of the online poker. Otherwise it could happen that suddenly close some sites.

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takinitSLEAZEE said:

For me it's about the limit and the fluctuation of the economy and the laws and blah, blah, blah. I think if I did hit a nice run at a card-club or state-adjacent casino I'd actually contemplate it.
I like to play poker because it's fun and nice to have a hobby that pays for itself/I can profit from. To have that kind of pressure and stress to HAVE to make it in the $ at least 65% of the time or it's tent city, is just a little too much for me, atm. I think $10K a month to the black would do it; that'd cover bills, food, insurance, and pad my roll, as well. Hit a nice tourney-win at some point and I'm a poker pro. Well, that's the would-be plan.

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Cooking said:

For me the mental part is the most important part if you wanna have success as a professional poker player. There are many stories of excellent players that lost everything they won as poker players on sports bets and had to start all over again.

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