Professional or Amateur

[Tchocky]

I'm sure this question has been posed several times before...I'm just too lazy to look it up. What constitutes a "professional" versus an "amateur"? I'm winning more money than I currently earn at my day job. Does this make me a "professional"? As long as I keep my day job...will I still be considered an "amateur"? If I quit my day job, then will I be considered a "professional"? Can you get banned from a sportsbook if they deem you a "professional"? I need to know because I'm seriously thinking about quitting my miserable day job.

[David]

Put simply, a professional price shops aggressively and an amateur does not. Also, a sharp is someone who consistently beats the closing number.

[Winston Smith]

I don't think books particularly care whether you have a day job or not.

Plenty of books care if you consistently withdrawl (or attempt to, at least) money from them.

[Dark Horse]

Hope this doesn't sound too harsh, but if you have to ask these questions don't quit your day job just yet. Give yourself a few years. Everybody can win for a while, but in order to go pro you have to win consistently over a number of years.

[bostonceltics13]

I lived in Vegas for over a year and paid the bills with poker and sports betting. I would never consider myself a professional because I was playing amateurs. Taking some hands from a tourist or recreational player is vastly different than competing with a professional. I'd suggest using your poker winnings as extra income, not your only source of income. Remember, even the best of the best like Chris Moneymaker and Fossilman had jobs before striking it rich. Keep your day job for a bit longer.

[MrX]

Did you just use "Chris Moneymaker" and "best of the best" in the same sentence?

[isetcap]

Did you just use "Chris Moneymaker" and "best of the best" in the same sentence?

He surely meant "luckiest of the lucky".