Can you be a "professional" poker player

Arjonius · Dec 25, 2013

ZeroThirtySeven said:
The "Professional" poker players get sponsorship deals when they play in Televised poker tournaments or cash games. That would be their salary.

So someone who makes his living playing poker but doesn't have a sponsorship deal isn't a professional?

jancika77 · Dec 25, 2013

I think you are professional if you are profitable for more than a year of active play.

Jblocher1 · Dec 25, 2013

jancika77 said:
I think you are professional if you are profitable for more than a year of active play.

You can run good for a year. Some pros have losing years due to run bad

nc_royals · Dec 26, 2013

I think anyone playing as their main source of income is professional. Now whether they can maintain that or not is another question. Once they see they can no longer afford to do this then they are no longer professional. No one says you have to be good to try being professional.
As far as luck goes. Yes there can be luck every hand. But someone can not make a living off of luck. It 's the long time results that will show the good players.

LukeSilver · Dec 27, 2013

we need to separate your question in relative elements. ok firstly a professional at anything is someone who makes there main source of income from that activity.

if you make a living doing something and it is your main source of income then you are a professional.

so can you make a living from poker sure many people do so yes you can be a professional poker player. can you be a professional poker play online for a long period eg more then 5 years into the future from this point absolutely not no one, and I can debate that rather furiously here, see the sites are all taking steps to limit regs win rates because it is to much of a threat to the long term business it drains the fishes accounts and they don't come back. for some time if left to natural devices online poker would die out naturally anyway. you can definitely make a living playing live especially if your willing to train your mind to do things that only savants should be able to.

rugby0 · Dec 30, 2013

I woild say that it depends on you do you believe you are a pro.

Henry Minute · Dec 30, 2013

Assuming you are honest on your tax return and your only source of income is poker, or poker/gambling related, then you are a professional poker player or gambler.

ccocco · Dec 30, 2013

need not draw a salary a professional, in poker it can be called professional that lives on without being sponsored by any company. here in my country there are many professionals who earn a very good living from poker because they have a bankroll that allows them to make money to live and a time to play.

Blue_Fossil · Dec 30, 2013

It's interesting that they use the term "amateur", but don't allow the use of the term "professional".

Consider golfers. They don't get paid unless they finish high enough to cash. There are tournaments where professionals and amateurs both play, but only the professionals get paid. Even if an amateur wins, he doesn't get paid. There are no poker tournaments where you won't get paid if you finish in the money. Professional golfers also derive income from sponsors, as do poker players.

punctual · May 17, 2014

Jblocher1 said:
I was arguing with my family about this topic. Given that the definition of professional is that you are paid some sort of salary. Given that poker has an element of luck to it and you are gambling, can you actually be a professional.

It is in my belief that you can be but I need some educated forumers to back me up here. My family argues that since you are not payed a set salary for being skilled in it you can't be a professional. They say no matter how good you are, or how much u make, you will always be an amateur

Thoughts?

Dang, I love that kind of back and forth in a family conversation.....it is the sign of a family that conversates about topics and brainstorms...awesome

consider Trading financial markets for a living. As a trader, you are trying to make money consistently over a month or longer. While the results pooled from all your days trading will amount to a net positive or net negative month, as a trader you are concerned more about how much you made over the month or even year than about how much you made over a week.

Now you can choose to work for a company and get a steady salary or you can decide to work for your own account. But if you are any good, you will not want the salary: you will want to trade for your own account to garner the greater reward. The trouble is, that you will not have 12 consecutively positive months throughout the year. And so you could clear $25,000 one month, lose $5,000 another month, and on average make around $15,000 for 10 months straight yet there will be a month or two when you had a net negative result. Now by the end of the year you will have made around $170,000 minus the taxes you pay on that (let's say 33% to be fair as certain financial instruments are taxed differently than others...in particular stocks versus futures). So at the end of the year you will have cleared around $114,000....yet there may have been a month or two when you did not get a paycheck. Would your family consider that the work of a professional?

Trading and poker are very much different beasts of the same animal (that animal being RISK itself) and so I think the analogy is fitting here.

So you don't need a consistent paycheck to be a professional; in endeavors of risk, such as trading and poker, what matters most is your bottom line at the end of the year or, even better, your bottom line at the end of three years or longer!

Staneff · May 18, 2014

I think that if you choose to play poker for a living you become a professional poker player. Maybe not on the same moment it comes to your mind but if you are really doing that and you do it right (I mean you already dont do anything other but playing poker), you are a professional poker player.

Playing poker for a living is not a normal job. It`s a gamble so it`s not securely. Although poker players who are paid to play online poker have a.., let`s say job, which gives them a normal salary.

Jblocher1 · May 18, 2014

Wow... Talk about necro-ing a thread

caka1899 · May 18, 2014

SOMEONE KNOW PASS FOR FULTILT 150% FREROLL?

Jblocher1 · May 18, 2014

caka1899 said:
SOMEONE KNOW PASS FOR FULTILT 150% FREROLL?

The password rhymes with super- Cali-fragilistic-expialidocious.....

Gl

guutox · May 20, 2014

I have a profit playing poker but it is the minimum, even if I survive with poker I do not believe in taking that life must be horrible to live in the pressure get to survive to win tournaments, poker is a game that works much the mind and especially I could not work with that pressure, it's definitely just a hobby for me, but never say never...then let's wait

Zin · May 20, 2014

Who cares if your professional or not just win.

Ubercroz · May 21, 2014

Can you be a professional carpenter if all you do is build chairs and sell them to people?

Can you be a professional artist if all you do is paint or take pictures that someone may or may not buy?

Can you be a professional lawyer if all you do is hope clients come in to your office that need your help?

Can you be a professional dentist if all you have is a dentist chair and tools and except various forms of insurance and currency in exchange for services?

Yeah, you can be a professional poker player. Getting a salary does not make you a professional. Getting some kind of financial remuneration for the efforts you put forth does. Whether its from salary, from insurance copays, transactions, commission, or just from the winnings you take away and use as living expenses.

Its the same as a plumber who has to spend some of what he makes to fix his truck, buy new tools and parts, advertise, and still has to pay for his life.

Madness_does · May 21, 2014

Any pro can be beat, the real difference is you would have to be on your best game, and get one of hell of a lucky streak of cards. My brother said it best, it does not matter how dam good you are at poker, if you are not getting the cards, odds are, your going to lose.

rickypr18 · May 21, 2014

Jblocher1 said:
Kenzie 96 said:

Well this wasn't so much me trying to prove I'm right as me trying to educate myself lol. I couldn't care less about the argument I have with my family, these same people think the game is entirely luck and you can't be a "good" player lol. Plus I figured it would be an interesting topic to talk about

Click to expand...

Sounds like my family, bud.

nykaktak · May 21, 2014

well it is such bilateral question, it is possible to call itself the professional if you live due to poker, well and so small wins it is rather a hobby)

mycophile · May 26, 2014

WizardRubic said:
profession:
-a paid occupation, esp. one that involves prolonged training and a formal qualification.

I've seen some pretty horrible "professional" players. Being sponsored seems to be an automatic "professional" stamp. But I agree with that quote overall. Even high stakes players bust, so this is really a matter of personal opinion. If one returns a significant profit (as opposed to just breaking even, or being in debt as a direct result from playing), then to me, one should be considered a "professional" player. Or at least-semi professional. Though, stakes are a factor as well I think. If you're playing micro games and have only returned like a $100 profit over a 1 month period, that really wouldn't qualify, but eh. I don't know. If one is able to contribute any winnings to cover at least half the cost of their rent/mortgage, etc. It really is a subjective matter, most will have a different opinion.

Should make some equation. Lol. ROI, profit, rent/2. Surely there's an accurate mathematical formula to calculate "profession" in there somewhere. :stupido2:

pokerlady718 · May 26, 2014

I can see your family's point but they're taking the word professional too literally. When I think of professional I think you're doing it as your profession meaning you don't need another source of income to live. So can you be a professional player? Yes I most certainly think you can Just a thought

babydrago9 · May 26, 2014

Yup, the casino I go to I've made friends with a bunch of players of which some are professionals. I know that it is quite clear that they aren't the best player, the way they think about hands and get busted in tournaments makes me wonder how they do it as a profession, but they have shown me they make lots of money by just beating so many rich guys who play high stakes at casinos.
I am quite young and am taking a degree at university, but I want this to just be a backup for if poker doesn't work out for me. I honestly can't wait til its done just so I can become a full time player

mycophile · May 26, 2014

babydrago9 said:
I want this to just be a backup for if poker doesn't work out for me. I honestly can't wait til its done just so I can become a full time player

Having a Plan B is essentially preparing yourself to fail.

Aces2w1n · May 27, 2014

Can you be a winning player long term without endorsements and sponsers hmmm really hard but I think the answer is yes but only certain type of ppl can do it. Pro players have extra money come in and sell books to suckerz like u guys to stay afloat. A lot we know in the poker world is a scam by geniuses

Can you be a "professional" poker player

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