If you’ve watched professional poker players, it’s probably crossed your mind that it looks like an amazing lifestyle. The professionals not only get to jet around the world and hang out in amazing casinos, but also seem to be rolling in so much cash they don’t know what to do with it all. Wouldn’t that be the life?
Your next thought, if you’re a poker enthusiast yourself, is whether you might just have what it takes to go professional yourself. Heck, you’ve won more than a few hands, and even brought in a bit of extra cash. So what’s stopping you from going the whole nine yards?
The truth is that poker on a professional level, although certainly possible, requires a very specific kind of personality. It is very demanding, can be extremely unpredictable, and certainly has major pros and cons.
Next Level Play
Some casino games do indeed allow the potential to go professional. Poker is one of them, but you can also do consistently win with online blackjack Canada. In the case of blackjack, the house odds can be overcome, given enough time, meaning that long term wins are always possible. In the case of poker, when playing against other human opponents, high enough skill levels likewise mean that winning is always possible. Which is to say; there are is no house edge to compete with.
But the question is; what level of the game are you playing on? Do you understand risk and reward potential? Do you truly grasp the odds of getting a valuable hand, based on just a few cards, and the potential of those cards? If you haven’t thought that far into your strategies, chances are high you are not on the level of playing professionally.
The Ups and Downs
Assuming you are on this level, the next thing to consider is the emotional challenge of the winning streaks andlosing streaks. A 9-5 job may not be as exciting as playing cards, but at least you know you’re going to get your money at the end of the month. Try dealing with the incredible pressure of having invested an enormous amount of money, only to be unsure if you will ever see a return.
But in this regard, there is such a thing as a middle ground. Playing poker professionally can simply mean entering into low level tournaments. You need not quit your job tomorrow, and throw yourself fully into the game. You might consider keep your day job, putting more time into getting better at the game, and seeing how you fair when only a small amount must be invested to play.
If you find that you’re doing well in the lower level tournaments, and earning cash consistently, then look at the bigger tournaments that cost big amounts to take part in. Also consider that if you’re winning money in tournaments, you technically are already a professional player. Maybe not on the same level as the best in the world, but professional none the less.