How many of you reading this post have wished to be a professional online poker player since learning that it was possible?
I’m sure I have — and on several occasions.
Playing poker for a living appears to be the ideal profession – at least for someone who enjoys the game. But it’s more complicated than you might think.
How can you become a pro at online poker? We’ve compiled a list of quick poker tips to help you land your desired job.
The quickest way to become a professional online poker player is to quit your job and make poker your primary source of income.
While this instantaneously transforms you into a poker pro, it is not recommended in any way, shape, or form for reasons we’ll discuss momentarily.
1. Learn everything there is to know about the game.
If you want to learn how to succeed as a professional online poker player, you must first study the game of poker.
When you believe you’ve learned everything there is to know about poker; you’ve just scratched the surface. You’ll need to study and research much more.
It would help if you never stopped learning since, in this game, staying still means being left behind.
2. Demonstrate that you’re a good player.
Many people think winning a massive prize in a poker tournament or winning the equivalent of two months’ earnings at the cash tables is an easy way to make a living.
Wrong!
To prove you’re a winning player, you’ll need tens of thousands (if not hundreds of thousands) of cash game hands and tournaments.
If you’re not a long-term winning poker player, you’ll soon be returning to your old boss, cap in hand, hoping to get rehired.
3. Be honest with yourself.
Once you’ve established that you’re a successful poker player, you’ll need to calculate how many poker hands or tournaments you’ll need to play to at least match your past earnings.
This is where a lot of folks fail.
When you work for a salary, you are often paid on the same day each month, regardless of how busy your week or month was (within reason). If you’re on vacation or unwell, you’ll almost definitely be compensated.
Likely, the fact that you have to go to work five days a week is enough to motivate you to get out of bed and go to work. But what if none of it was correct?
You may wish to earn $150,000 per year, and this is a realistic goal. However, make sure you budget for at least three weeks of “vacation.”
You should also anticipate becoming ill and unable to play for a few weeks each year. Also, consider yourself if you want to sit for 60 hours a week grinding?
Do you believe you’ll be able to make enough money at $0.25/$0.50 to justify quitting your job?
Do you know how many online poker pros get up at 12:00 p.m., play two hours of online poker, and then swan out to enjoy life to the fullest?
The answer is a resounding nay. Those who do thrive as professional online poker players rarely do so for an extended period.
4. Take a professional poker game for a spin.
Even if you’ve completed all of the preceding steps, you should at least try playing for a living to gain expertise in how to play online poker professionally.
Take a week off from work and spend the following five days doing nothing but playing poker (at the very least, you’ll be paid even if you have a horrible week!).
You might be surprised at how difficult it is to keep yourself motivated to play poker nonstop for a week.
Or how you lose all attention after four hours of grinding.
Or how you don’t want to get out of bed at 7:00 a.m. after losing 15 buy-ins in the first three days.
It’s best to find out whether you’re not cut out for the life of a professional poker player before committing to a career in the game.
5. Amass a sizable bankroll and a long-term investment portfolio.
You’ve completed all of the preceding steps and still believe you know how to play online poker like a master. That’s wonderful, but do you have a bankroll and other financial matters under control?
Most poker professionals save at least six months’ worth of living costs in a separate bank account just in case things go wrong.
It’s a big no-no to use your poker bankroll to pay your bills.
Because you never want to drop down in stakes, your bankroll should be greater than a recreational player’s.
Dropping down makes achieving your financial goals much more complicated – far more complex. It’s preferable to be a bankroll nit than to go bankrupt.
6. Act in a professional manner
Professional poker players frequently highlight the flexibility it provides them when playing for a living, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t approach the job professionally.
Some of the top poker players on the planet are incredibly disciplined in their approach to the game daily.
You wouldn’t walk into work with your feet on the desk or sit on the couch with your laptop, so don’t do it as a professional poker player. How does one go about becoming a professional poker player?
Begin to act like one, a professional at that.