1. #1
    ChileCheese
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    Anyone here play poker for a living?

    I was curious to find this out before the Ryder Cup started. I remember speaking to a few guys before who played live in Vegas, but have not seem them around since the end of NFL season.

    Ive gotten a few responses in the poker sub forum, but all the full time players are from outside of North America.


    If you do, curious if its Cash or MTT or SnG?

    and

    Do you play online or live?

  2. #2
    SpreadSniper
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    Players who play for a living derive most of their "income" from cash games.

    Im a bit above a recreational player but by no stretch am I a pro nor do I play for a living.

    Playing striclty MTT's or a majority of would lead to a very high bankroll variance.

  3. #3
    ChileCheese
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    Quote Originally Posted by SpreadSniper View Post
    Players who play for a living derive most of their "income" from cash games.

    Im a bit above a recreational player but by no stretch am I a pro nor do I play for a living.

    Playing striclty MTT's or a majority of would lead to a very high bankroll variance.
    Actually, I think it is split pretty evenly online these days.
    And perhaps even tilting more towards SnGs if you look at the traffic at 2+2.
    Heads Up, 6,9 and 18 man games are probably the most popular form of poker online at the moment.

  4. #4
    firedawg
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    it would be a rough life

  5. #5
    jkilla990
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    Did for a few years made decent money playing cash games all over the city. Im under 21 so I couldnt hit up casinos so I was forced to either play PS or live games but I like the live game atmosphere a lot more and you dont have to deal with the BS PS RNG.

  6. #6
    Emily_Haines
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    I've been going to the Poker Room 4-5 times a week for the last two months. The only thing you can play is 1/2NL or 3/6 limit. No way you can make a decent living playing this low.

  7. #7
    iifold
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    Everyone is a Poker Pro...

    Fact is.. Once you learn how to "play"... There are only a few things that separate true pros...

    -Play in good games...
    -Don't make friends...

  8. #8
    ChileCheese
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    Quote Originally Posted by Emily_Haines View Post
    I've been going to the Poker Room 4-5 times a week for the last two months. The only thing you can play is 1/2NL or 3/6 limit. No way you can make a decent living playing this low.
    Do you live in a small town?
    Most rooms offer at least 2-5 now. The Niagara area in Southern Ontario offers 5-5 as well as 5-10.

  9. #9
    ColdBeerHere
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    I tried it for a bit but I wasn't playing high enough blinds....I was playing NL hold em at 2/4 blinds....It put too much pressure on myself and I had to go back to work....I still play but not as serious and I have a small BR now....

    If you do it I would suggest having a very sound money management plan in place....Have a goal as how much you have to average winning per day...Set a very realistic goal on how much you need to win each day and then go do it.....Personally I will never play NL hold em anymore online....There is all kinds of software out there that tells you the other person's tendencies, etc....Very easy for players to get you off hands now....I never used that software before, I don't like it....Maybe I'm old school....But everyone under the sun is playing now, and using the software....You used to find easy money up to 1/2 blinds....Now go sit at a .02/.04 cent table and there are a lot of tough players....
    I still play but I play other games....7 card, 7 card hi/lo, 5 card draw w/Joker....sometimes omaha hi/lo

    If I was to make a living doing it I would probably play cash games (LIMIT), and play blinds somewhere maybe around $25/$50 ???

    One thing you want to do is limit the amount of time you play to a minimum or you will burn out...I was playing up to 18 hours a day...Waaaaaayyyy to much....If I ever did it, I would be looking for quick hit and runs....Hit your goal and quit for the day....

    Hope this helps ya

  10. #10
    borednaz
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    The big problem for people is always this attitude. I can't make a good living playing 1/2, 2/5 etc. It's all about game/card room selection. Very easy to walk out with a grand in a few hours. But you have to have the self restraint to not play just to play, to walk away even for the whole day if necessary. And Most importantly you have got to know how to manage your affairs.

    $150 a month on cell phone, get over yourself You don't need internet, text, and twitter etc. $800 a month car payment because you got to get the 60k car, -EV.. Highest Cable/Internet/Satellite packages... If you were a true player you wouldn't be home to use them anyways. Even if you play one game a week for 1 grand, if you can't live well on 4k a month outside of major cities your a dumbass.

  11. #11
    jjgold
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    Rarely play
    Too much time
    Not enough money

  12. #12
    sportsfun
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    maybe someday.

  13. #13
    Numenor80
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    I always thought that players who play for a living play a shit load of mtt's and very few cash games.

  14. #14
    Fred Showpan
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    I played online full time about 3-4 years ago but the games just got too hard. Multi-tabled online cash 6-max and heads up on several sites, but eventually the grind wasn't worth the return and had to get a real job. I'm much happier now and just play as a hobby to supplement my income. Wanted to switch to Omaha but never took the time to learn the game well enough. The variance is really crazy in that game - ran well over a couple hundred thousand hands but when it went the other way I realized I wasn't as good as I thought I was...

    Playing poker professionally is tough, although if you put in the time, review your hand histories, plug your leaks and don't tilt it's much easier than trying to bet sports professionally. I don't know anyone who has been able make it handicapping long-term.

  15. #15
    count da money
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    alot of people who played online will have to go to the casino now

  16. #16
    SpeedPro
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    I could see myself getting tired of playing and no longer enjoying it unless I was getting sponsored by PS or FT to play.

  17. #17
    wtt0315
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    sorta of
    been living with the girlfriend letting her pay all the bills and playing at the kennel club here. So i am supporting myself per se, but I really don't have to survive since she does all the rest. I just play with my bankroll freely with no fear of getting evicted

  18. #18
    darkghost
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    Quote Originally Posted by wtt0315 View Post
    sorta of
    been living with the girlfriend letting her pay all the bills and playing at the kennel club here. So i am supporting myself per se, but I really don't have to survive since she does all the rest. I just play with my bankroll freely with no fear of getting evicted
    Kennel Club? Is that Florida? If so how's the action down there?

  19. #19
    wtt0315
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    yeah palm beach, they changed the laws in july so you can have bigger starting buy in's so it is good.

  20. #20
    downsouth
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    Quote Originally Posted by ChileCheese View Post
    Actually, I think it is split pretty evenly online these days.
    And perhaps even tilting more towards SnGs if you look at the traffic at 2+2.
    Heads Up, 6,9 and 18 man games are probably the most popular form of poker online at the moment.
    I played for a few years to support myself (and this is adult life not college) and I probably played 90% SNG's the 18 man turbos mixed in the the 45 and 180 multi table SNG's. Was able to make real good money on SNG and multis back when Party was in the US. Was still able to grind out a living on Stars but not near to the extent of party.

    Stars especially became tougher for me the last two years or so up to the end of US online poker there.

  21. #21
    sinmiedo
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    i wish one day i could do that.
    i play many hours building a br from 0 to 4000 but it is taking some time
    all thanks to SBR and the sponsors.
    i vist the casino from time to time and do well in 1 2 no limit but only on an average of once a month.
    my intention is to make a leaving out of this but i have 2 business and another passion hobby............winemaking, and that takes a lot of my time too.

  22. #22
    Pokerjoe
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    I have had no job since 1987, and have earned a middle-class SoCal wife-and-kids life since then entirely from gambling. But that's amazingly rare, tbh. Most pros are
    a) good but not great players who went on a monster rush, usually in tournies, and got a BR and name from that and now survive on sponsorship deals
    b) are single, workingclass grinders who aren't too happy because they don't have a whole life, they only have poker and poker friends, and they're sitting in cardrooms 60 hours a week.

    Have a whole life. Whether you're selling insurance, teaching middle school math, sitting in an office cubicle, or gambling, have a whole life.

    A hundred hours a month of poker is fulltime to me. More than that and my misery index skyrockets. If I'd wanted a skyrocketing misery index I'd have lived a square's life.

    BTW, borednaz makes good points ITT.

  23. #23
    JDUB07
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    I played poker for a living for 2 years in 2008-2009. It has it's ups and down the best benefit is having such a flexible schedule. But it does come with its share of headaches.

  24. #24
    sinmiedo
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    Quote Originally Posted by Pokerjoe View Post
    I have had no job since 1987, and have earned a middle-class SoCal wife-and-kids life since then entirely from gambling. But that's amazingly rare, tbh. Most pros are
    a) good but not great players who went on a monster rush, usually in tournies, and got a BR and name from that and now survive on sponsorship deals
    b) are single, workingclass grinders who aren't too happy because they don't have a whole life, they only have poker and poker friends, and they're sitting in cardrooms 60 hours a week.

    Have a whole life. Whether you're selling insurance, teaching middle school math, sitting in an office cubicle, or gambling, have a whole life.

    A hundred hours a month of poker is fulltime to me. More than that and my misery index skyrockets. If I'd wanted a skyrocketing misery index I'd have lived a square's life.

    BTW, borednaz makes good points ITT.
    in your oppinion
    cash tables
    sng
    or mtt
    wich one are the most succesfull?
    in mine, i found that on line tournies and sng are very profitable,
    i lost all those proffits on cash tables
    live cash 1 2 is very profitable

  25. #25
    lolguy999
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    lol hobby at most

  26. #26
    Ian
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    I've been playing for a living for almost 8 years exactly. Until summer '07 I played about 99% online limit hold 'em cash games. Since that time I've played about 99% B&M no limit hold 'em cash games.

  27. #27
    pitufo76
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    I also been playing for about 10 Years , but i wouldnt recomend it!!

  28. #28
    rki999
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    [COLOR=#000000 !important]It would be a rough life nd rewarding....intresting life[/COLOR]

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