I already know I'm going to hear don't do it you're stupid and pics of my mom. Any positive suggestions on how to make the transition from recreational player to full time 
Live or online...? 
I live in Vegas & have several friends that make very good livings at it. You would probably know all of them if I were to name them. What they all have in common: wicked heavy intelligence, multiple college degrees, serious investment portfolios, & other financially rewarding endeavors. None of them would ever ask this question.
Then I have a couple other friends that struggle to get by, are constantly looking for sponsorship or help with their bankroll, & don't have those qualities, & they absolutely would ask that question. Please rethink this.
I used to play for a living. Some days I was loaded with cash, most of the time I was eating ramen, wondering how I would make rent. I was jaded. sitting at the table or firing up the pc to play online was a chore. I hated it. Now I make a decent living in a respectable job and play on my terms. When I want. Not because I have to, because I want to. It feels fantastic and I love the game again.
Now when I go to play I see the same people still grinding it out.any are dealers now, sitting there dealing cards all day listening to bad beat story after bad beat. I honestly feel sorry for a lot of them. In don't think any truly "made it." They all just grind now. Eyes glazed over, another little pot, or another losing session. Back then I thought I wanted that life. Now I'm glad I'm out. I play what I want, when I want. I win more regularly than I did before. I pretty much just take swings at larger tournaments that come around these days with the occasional Sunday of playing online or live all day. I then go home, bills paid and some money in the bank. It's so much better this way.
Does that help?
BarkLikeADog - I live in Vegas & have several friends that make very good livings at it. You would probably know all of them if I were to name them. What they all have in common: wicked heavy intelligence, multiple college degrees, serious investment portfolios, & other financially rewarding endeavors. None of them would ever ask this question.Thanks for the honesty
Then I have a couple other friends that struggle to get by, are constantly looking for sponsorship or help with their bankroll, & don't have those qualities, & they absolutely would ask that question. Please rethink this.
Phuckles - I used to play for a living. Some days I was loaded with cash, most of the time I was eating ramen, wondering how I would make rent. I was jaded. sitting at the table or firing up the pc to play online was a chore. I hated it. Now I make a decent living in a respectable job and play on my terms. When I want. Not because I have to, because I want to. It feels fantastic and I love the game again.Sure does thanks
Now when I go to play I see the same people still grinding it out.any are dealers now, sitting there dealing cards all day listening to bad beat story after bad beat. I honestly feel sorry for a lot of them. In don't think any truly "made it." They all just grind now. Eyes glazed over, another little pot, or another losing session. Back then I thought I wanted that life. Now I'm glad I'm out. I play what I want, when I want. I win more regularly than I did before. I pretty much just take swings at larger tournaments that come around these days with the occasional Sunday of playing online or live all day. I then go home, bills paid and some money in the bank. It's so much better this way.
Does that help?
BarkLikeADog - I live in Vegas & have several friends that make very good livings at it. You would probably know all of them if I were to name them. What they all have in common: wicked heavy intelligence, multiple college degrees, serious investment portfolios, & other financially rewarding endeavors. None of them would ever ask this question.Cold but well put. Take heed OP.
Then I have a couple other friends that struggle to get by, are constantly looking for sponsorship or help with their bankroll, & don't have those qualities, & they absolutely would ask that question. Please rethink this.
I won't derail ya, but.....some serious questions
"playing for a living"? what do you actually mean by that logistically and what might your plan entail?
see the question is akin to saying "should i play in the nba for a living?" if u have the talent you would and if you don't you won't and only a handfull of guys have the talent
are we talking low stakes pokerstars 12 hours a day? local tournaments? casino cash games in a spot that draws bad players?
it can be done, i've played in games with certain groups where i consistently win, the key is duplicating scenarios that place your probability to cash out high......very hard to consistently find these scenarios
Yellow snow - I already know I'm going to hear don't do it you're stupid and pics of my mom. Any positive suggestions on how to make the transition from recreational player to full timeIn. I'm actually going to do the same thing next year, OP. I've been preparing for it for the last two years. Interested to see people's responses.
I did it successfully for 4 years between the ages of 20 and 24.
My advice:
- keep track of every penny that poker costs you, including gas to get to the game, food bought while playing etc.
- record every win and every loss, no matter what (many poker apps can help)
- record time played
- have an adequate bankroll to start; make sure you have some money set aside for emergencies unrelated to poker
- don't expect to win, and don't expect to lose
- BANKROLL MANAGEMENT, this is the biggest mistake ALL poker players make. Never have more than 5% of your bankroll on the table. Ever. It's the only way to survive the inevitable bad run.
This thread is so 2004
I made about $700/week my last year of college grinding it out online in the party poker days.
Don't do it.
Poker will become boring.
You will get fat. Guaranteed. I was astounded at how many big game players got gastric bypass. They all struggle with their weight, for pretty obvious reasons.
You will continually have to self assess for holes in your game. It's ridiculous. Playing suited commectors one position earlier than you should will cost you $500/month. You will get loose with certain hands and not realize it. Variance makes it impossible to play "your game" 24/7. You will get hot and get loose and not play the way you should. You will play close to perfect and lose shit tons of money. Your life will be constant second guessing of yourself.
I thought it was amazing that I made money doing it, but now look back at that as time wasted. Not appreciating what I had in a 21 year old body, not appreciating the unlimited supply of 18-21 years olds I could've been fucking, the books I could've read, the places I could've gone.
It is such a waste of your life. I will say that the lessons I learned from poker have shaped how I make decisions in everyday life and have made me successful as a result.
Have at least £20,000 or the equivalent of it before you even consider "going pro". As the guy up there said, never have more than 5% of that at the table. Your own poker playing should mean you know what 5% of £20,000 is, and what level blinds you should be playing taking that to the table.
Give yourself a year, even if you go broke, keep playing, experience the lowest lows of you have to, most do, see if you can handle it.
And what any poker player should do, no matter their level, read The Art Of War. A few well known pros gave out this tip years ago, it helped me immensely
HereticMMA - I did it successfully for 4 years between the ages of 20 and 24.Which app. do you like most for keeping track of your results?
My advice:
- keep track of every penny that poker costs you, including gas to get to the game, food bought while playing etc.
- record every win and every loss, no matter what (many poker apps can help)
- record time played
- have an adequate bankroll to start; make sure you have some money set aside for emergencies unrelated to poker
- don't expect to win, and don't expect to lose
- BANKROLL MANAGEMENT, this is the biggest mistake ALL poker players make. Never have more than 5% of your bankroll on the table. Ever. It's the only way to survive the inevitable bad run.
HereticMMA - I did it successfully for 4 years between the ages of 20 and 24.This.
My advice:
- keep track of every penny that poker costs you, including gas to get to the game, food bought while playing etc.
- record every win and every loss, no matter what (many poker apps can help)
- record time played
- have an adequate bankroll to start; make sure you have some money set aside for emergencies unrelated to poker
- don't expect to win, and don't expect to lose
- BANKROLL MANAGEMENT, this is the biggest mistake ALL poker players make. Never have more than 5% of your bankroll on the table. Ever. It's the only way to survive the inevitable bad run.
And study the game. If you are strictly a live player who learned the game from playing with other live players, never studied it through a proper coach or training site, and you're not one of a handful of standouts in the game, you are probably terrible.
Pete Gozinya -Online or live? I used poker tracker before black Friday.HereticMMA - I did it successfully for 4 years between the ages of 20 and 24.Which app. do you like most for keeping track of your results?
My advice:
- keep track of every penny that poker costs you, including gas to get to the game, food bought while playing etc.
- record every win and every loss, no matter what (many poker apps can help)
- record time played
- have an adequate bankroll to start; make sure you have some money set aside for emergencies unrelated to poker
- don't expect to win, and don't expect to lose
- BANKROLL MANAGEMENT, this is the biggest mistake ALL poker players make. Never have more than 5% of your bankroll on the table. Ever. It's the only way to survive the inevitable bad run.
Phuckles -Live. I've always kept pretty meticulous notes, but writing them down with a pad and paper seems outdated.Pete Gozinya -Online or live? I used poker tracker before black Friday.HereticMMA - I did it successfully for 4 years between the ages of 20 and 24.Which app. do you like most for keeping track of your results?
My advice:
- keep track of every penny that poker costs you, including gas to get to the game, food bought while playing etc.
- record every win and every loss, no matter what (many poker apps can help)
- record time played
- have an adequate bankroll to start; make sure you have some money set aside for emergencies unrelated to poker
- don't expect to win, and don't expect to lose
- BANKROLL MANAGEMENT, this is the biggest mistake ALL poker players make. Never have more than 5% of your bankroll on the table. Ever. It's the only way to survive the inevitable bad run.
Phuckles - I used to play for a living. Some days I was loaded with cash, most of the time I was eating ramen, wondering how I would make rent. I was jaded. sitting at the table or firing up the pc to play online was a chore. I hated it. Now I make a decent living in a respectable job and play on my terms. When I want. Not because I have to, because I want to. It feels fantastic and I love the game again.You go to Blackhawk often? I used to be a regular and when I go back I see the same guys you're talking about. Wonder if we already know eachother?
Now when I go to play I see the same people still grinding it out.any are dealers now, sitting there dealing cards all day listening to bad beat story after bad beat. I honestly feel sorry for a lot of them. In don't think any truly "made it." They all just grind now. Eyes glazed over, another little pot, or another losing session. Back then I thought I wanted that life. Now I'm glad I'm out. I play what I want, when I want. I win more regularly than I did before. I pretty much just take swings at larger tournaments that come around these days with the occasional Sunday of playing online or live all day. I then go home, bills paid and some money in the bank. It's so much better this way.
Does that help?
This will be a FRAT as fuck but I played poker for a living between 2002 and 2012, so I can tell you how I did it and what worked for me. I'm also high as balls so this will be rambly. I never played really high stakes, my main game was an uncapped $2-5-10 live game, and I multitabled $2-4 NL online (12 tabling usually). I also played tournaments here, played live four 10ks and some random WSOP events and tons of online tournaments. So that's the background.
First thing I'd say is don't do it, it's too hard now. But since you made the thread you've probably heard it a million times.
Anyway, bankroll management is number one. Also the one I struggled the most with. Be disciplined with your roll, if you struggle with discipline set stop-loss limits of 2-3 buy-ins when you go play live. Make sure you're never in a spot where you are playing so big that the amount of money in the pot influences your decision. For building up your roll, provided you can be very disciplined, taking shots is very effective if you are trying to build up your roll. As you get more comfortable playing 1-2 NL for example in a live casino (or whatever limit you start at) and when you're doing well and feeling confident, take a buyin and try out the bigger 2-5 game etc. For me that did wonders in terms of confidence.
Also constantly study the game. Visit forums like twoplustwo.com, read cardplayer articles, sign up for a website for free coaching through videos. Phil Galfond, a top online/live player just launched a training site. If you play online, learn to use all the software. Both for own tracking and for stats on opponents like aggression rating and VPIP etc.
Just don't fall into the trap of becoming one of those suckers that constantly tell bad beat stories and are the unluckiest people on the planet. Treat it like a martial art, check your ego at the door and be brutally honest analyzing why you lost. Did you misplay a hand? Did the other guy get in your head and you made an emotional decision? If possible, find a poker friend or online forum to discuss hands. Being able to discuss hands with another poker player is one of the most valuable ways to improve. But I can't stress enough how you need to be honest with yourself if you want to get better.
And put in hours at the tables. To play poker for a living is not nearly as cool as it sounds. It is fucking boring. Sure there are times where it's awesome and even on a shit day it beats most jobs, but it is boring. It's a nonstop test of patience and it's all about volume of hands. Play, play, play to get better. Write down your big hands of the night (winners and losers) on pen and paper or your cellphone while playing to remember them. Go over them later by yourself or with a pokerbuddy.
And stay the fuck away from pit games. Blackjack ruined me in terms of my poker career and I don't even want to know how much money I've lost at that game. Table games = not even once
Oh and I should add the most important part that I forgot
Remember that poker is a game of skill and luck. You will be unlucky, if you decide to play for a living you'll realize you'll go through stretches of bad luck you didn't think were possible. During one especially bad run where I came off a 100k month, straight into 6 months of losing every month, I went from feeling on top of the world to a total depression since I thought I had forgot how to play poker. Objectively, I was getting unlucky but it's really hard to not get frustrated about it when you play. That is probably the hardest part. If you can embrace the fact that you'll hopefully be just as unlucky as you are lucky in the grand scheme of things it would be nice :P
It's very hard to make money these days playing poker since everyone is relatively good, so it's all about who has the fewest leaks. Make sure your losing sessions are as small as possible and don't lose too much when you're mad/tilted/frustrated about being unlucky and you'll be ahead of a lot of poker players.
Good luck dude if you do it and keep updates.