Anyone earn a living?

[frederick879]

Just wondered if any of you guys earn a living playing poker?
If you read the right books and listen to good advice i imagine you can become above average.
Is this enough to make a living from it?

[faye valentine]

True there are a lot of poker pros all over the world that are successful in poker. They also do it for a living like Phil Ivey and Tom Dwan. Fortunately, since I've been almost a year playing poker online. I was able to earn my winnings (though its not quite huge since i am not participating in a huge poker tournament) though don't consider it as for a living.

[jamescovert]

In poker, a lot of the success can be driven from previous history and how as a player, you perform in various situations and with the card strength you are dealt. Good players don't work of hand power as a first rule, the first rule is position and then the second is how those other players have acted before you. This is the difference, because good players can clean up with not so good hands, and even the better players, can clean up without even showing their hands.

Online poker is good in a way that you play many hands compared to that of an offline game, in fact you can play ten more hands in a 5 minute period compared to an offline game.

Experience is everything, bankroll management is another important factor, you can make money playing within a bankroll and then using a controlled value to manage any mistakes made and also any bad beats or bad hands dealt. By using a bankroll, you can then sit back, wait for good positions and good hands, and then strike whilst the iron is hot.

Most players then go for more money, play for bigger amounts and against far superior players, the best way is to get good at certain values and then practice earning money at that level.

When you have utilised a bankroll, won money from that and built a value out of very little, then and only then can that confidence be used to play at the next level.

Its better to make 10 dollars a day, than it is to make a large loss just once a month.

[kings]

I always wondered whether is is better to play smaller limits where the players are likely less experienced or would this take a really long time to make money this way? I would love to make money playing poker but I don't think the wife would go for it. It is not her idea of a "real job". That bugs me when people say that. I think even getting over that stigma is difficult to play professionally.

[jamescovert]

Remember most of the pros where nothing before they hit their first major break, then sponsorship follows and the deals flow in.

It can all depend on how you play, is there something different about you and how you handle the cards.

Smaller limit poker is good for building your game, because if you place value to one side and just play the hands dealt in the best way possible, then you'll be far more effective when you are in high stake games.

I disregard value and play the game, it's the best way to develop as a player.

Besides a real job, some games can be as long as 17 hours a day, i'd say that rules over a real job.

Keep going, who knows you make win a small satalite into a large game, take a hot seat and become a sponsored pro, we can all have dreams.

[ZaColbert]

It'd be great to earn even a half decent living from playing online poker but I've got a long way to go til I'm any where near that good. How long have you guys been playing? I think I'm still a rookie with just a year under me belt

[drunkenmonk]

I have a few mates that are considering turning pro now after a couple of years play (3-4). You need a pretty hefty bankroll to make that kind of life choice though.

[Ste.2011]

A mate of mine has been doing for a few years now, has his highs and lows, but has earnt a nice wad of cash at times.

[CasinoBrian]

Best way to start is not to punch above your weight. Better to be winning more frequently in lower stakes games than hardly ever in the big ones to start off with. I'm always tempted to play for the big £ but when I do I get my arsw kicked cos I aint got the experience. But on low stakes I win a fair bit and i'm working my way up slowly. Also I find you can never read too much bout poker. Loads and loads of poker strategy/math/etc guides online plus loads of great books offline too.

[Semstroy]

I would suggest starting low and building up. If you have a job dont quit it until you see a constant flow of money. Then maybe move to part time and when you see your doing very well and earning more then your job, then just go ahead and try it out for a living. In the end some of the biggest wealthy people had to take the biggest risks when starting