Whats easier to make a living at- Poker Or Sports?

[SBR Lou]

Seems like the poker guys say it's sports, and the sports guys say it's poker. Whose right?

[twtb19]

I can't do it at either, but my guess would be poker. The reason being that there is a lot more control over the game. There are bad beats in poker, but you are the one laying the money on each hand. If you lose over and over you have to point the finger at yourself. And while the same goes for sports, you can't make the jumper for a team...and with the less control in sports I think it would be easier to be a consistent winner for a poker player.

[raiders72002]

Getter tougher in both. The poker hey-day has passed. And the bonus whores are becoming a dying breed, thank God.

[Willie Bee]

Seems like the poker guys say it's sports, and the sports guys say it's poker. Whose right?

Both.

[aszzzbrokerman]

If you're really sharp at math and understand some fringe number theory I say its poker.

If you're inclined to disect hundreds of pieces of information per day for that proverbial needle in a haystack then the answer is sports.

Both sides have some pretty sick examples of consistent winners.

[VegasDave]

Poker. With a good head on your shoulders you can get a pretty solid mastery of the game down; and if you have patience and good habits, you can grind out those that don't.

It is all about the strength of your opponent; in poker, there are millions to choose from and you can find soft games. In sports, you are always going against the house; no weakness there.

[raiders72002]

here are millions to choose from and you can find soft games. In sports, you are always going against the house; no weakness there.

disagree, just like there are soft games there are soft numbers.

[chandler1981]

I play poker and handicap sports. I agree 110% with usckingsfan31.

You can control the game of poker and make decisions based on the game.

Once you place a bet, thats that. Sure you can hedge it but then you either lose double or break even at best.

I make more money playing poker.

[Louisvillekid1]

Poker must its much more boring. I was at the taj last night played for 6 hours or so won $150. I love the game, but the better you get the more boring the game is. I enjoy betting on sports more especially NCAABB

[purecarnagge]

I suck at poker but I know first hand you can setup a program to play for you and win... sure you might get detected after awhile but the programs get so good nowadays they even throw in variance on when they time bets how long they wait... etc etc... its crazy...

[rake922]

poker takes more time.... but may be more steady

[pico]

stupid question. what is easier...being a phyicist or a chemist? really depends on what you're interested in.

[pico]

i can consistently win at poker, but boredom always gets me. make 1k in poker will take me at least 4 hours...sometimes i wonder if i am better off betting 1k on a baseball game...at least i can chill and watch the game.

[helicopter23]

Poker must its much more boring. I was at the taj last night played for 6 hours or so won $150. I love the game, but the better you get the more boring the game is. I enjoy betting on sports more especially NCAABB

In 2006 I make 60k in poker, but lost 75k on sports, do the math.

Sports never get boring. While poker even when you're winning gets boring and you have to take a break here and there.

[accuscoresucks]

i dont know about you guys but i play at UB[since 2000].they just revamped their incentive,vip,players prrograms.before they just did this you could easily make 7k a year using their re-load bonus which they offer every month. im pretty sure each month it varies 25%,15% ect.


in their new program you get that reup% still,although i do think their putting an experation time frame on them.?
ICON status which is what i have i get a 9% apr on my money
10% off shopping,auction,ect[buy into tourneys,cash,ect]
and 1k a month with the proper amount of points [or take up to six months if you like] without loosing status


besides that poker is skill i risk 1-2% of my bank per sit-n-go and play mabye 8-10 turbos a week i hit top 3 6-7/10 easy money

[jjgold]

Poker not even close

[BrentCrude]

Poker

Poker is,especially if you can find some private games where a few fish attend where you don't have the big rakes the card rooms have.There aren't very many fish in the sportsbook industry to take advantage of.hehe!I actually played at one last night where Bet at home,a European book gave me a small free bet and the NHL parlay I played almost won and the payout was 25%higher than any other geared toward american customer book would give me.I won the Columbus leg at +300 and the other books all were giving +200 on the moneyline.Big variance that's highly uncommon.

[armyoflovers]

get your aces broken by 5 6 offsuit like it happened to me last night on Poker Stars for $723 hand and you tell me which is easier. Poker is based more on odds and expectations then sports, where you can palpably dissect a game and use past data and trends to assist you in your decision.

[BigBollocks]

Poker is a miserable way to earn a living (I've done it for years previously). When you factor in benefits, raises, promotions, etc., I absolutely killed myself in terms of what I should have made with my education and what I actually made via poker. Traveling the circuit gets really old as well. Online poker is arguably the most miserable of all (sitting in your room with little social interaction logging hour upon hour). That said, I too believe poker is the easier way to earn a living of the two...

[Bullajami]

Live: Poker

Online: Sports

[MadCapper]

easier to beat people than the books.

[Poker_Beast]

Live: Poker

Online: Sports

I agree with you on this. I enjoy both a lot but cannot stand to play poker online anymore.

[Art Vandeleigh]

A year or so ago before finding SBR, I would have never said sports. But now, I think maybe it is, although I would expand the word "sports" to "sports market".

If you take into account all the ways you can make a profit in the sports market, it just may be possible for the sharpest out there.

The five main areas each of which I think needs a separate set of skills, are:

1) standard wagering of a game/event (staight bet, M/L, teasers, parlays, etc.) for all handicapping reasons
2) Wagering on odds that are higher than historical results probabilities indicate (+EV wagering?)
3) In game wagering - Looking for potential turnaround from trailing team or continued domination by leading team and betting real time odds accordingly
4) Arbitrage
5) Pre-game market betting, i.e. anticipating the movement of the market between the opening line of a game/event and the closing line (scalping?)


Seems to me if someone can master these skills they'd have a pretty good shot at making a living at betting sports markets.

[LVHerbie]

all depends on the person... both take a lot of work to be successful...

[jayc88]

I can't do it at either, but my guess would be poker. The reason being that there is a lot more control over the game. There are bad beats in poker, but you are the one laying the money on each hand. If you lose over and over you have to point the finger at yourself. And while the same goes for sports, you can't make the jumper for a team...and with the less control in sports I think it would be easier to be a consistent winner for a poker player.

you probably didn't try yourself in poker.
Poker can be very hard even if you're a solid winning player.
It's not uncommon to loose 1 or two weeks in a row playing several hours a day.
Since both ,sports and poker involve some luck factor, it is not that easy to make a living.
If you don't have a good money management and are able to stay calm and patient during loosing periods you have no chance of making a living longterm.