It's not easy playing poker professionally. From a nocturnal lifestyle to the ebb and flow of your bankroll to the mental rigors of tough decisions, poker players experience the gamut of emotions on a daily basis. Being a poker pro definitely isn't for everyone, which is why a thread recently popped up on PocketFives discussing the pros and cons of playing the game full-time versus part-time as it relates to finances. There were plenty of arguments on both sides of the coin from players from around the globe, so we thought we'd publish an article highlighting some of the discussion.One Canadian poster in the thread gave his outlook on poker when he had a full-time job and didn't necessarily feel the financial pressure: “I would definitely say that poker was a lot more fun when I had a job. These days, I don't really get excited to play very often, but I was always super excited to play when I had the chance to put in a few hours when working. On the flip side, getting up when you want is great and taking days off whenever you want is great too.” Not tied down to a full-time job, poker players can travel as they please and coordinate their own schedules.
Downswings are also problematic, especially for players whose incomes are tied exclusively to what they make from the tables. As one member of the PocketFives community asserted, however, “You know downswings are inevitable and you can actually mathematically set the amount you need for living expenses for the year.” After all, poker is one of the few professions where a person can actually lose money on a daily basis.Then there are players with husbands, wives, and children, all of whom must be taken into account when deciding whether to leapfrog from playing as a hobby to playing as a primary source of income. Mortgages, student loans, and food are all among the expenses that need to be considered.
As one poster in the thread put it, “I would need $100K to quit my job and focus on poker. But that's just me, and I have a kid to worry about, plus a job [with] a really good pension. I played for a while when I wasn't working and found that I went on tilt too easily when I would lose. I was doing quite good too, but as soon as I never hit my quota, I would get nervous about it and just not play good.”
Will playing poker day in and day out get old? Will you eventually lose your passion for studying, improving, and competing? Will that translate to financial ruin? We've had PocketFives members like Ari Engel and Chris moorman1 Moorman who have been staples of the industry for several years now and found success constantly, so maybe burnout isn't much of a factor, or is it?
One Icelandic poker player wrote about his experience grinding: “It's given me and my girlfriend a lot – vacations, rent money, shoes, furniture... It's fun, but grinding day after day gets a little boring.”
Poker also can mean a sedentary lifestyle, invoking stereotypical imagery of computer geeks cooped up in their parents' basements. Besides encouraging his peers to get out and exercise, one poster from China suggested, “IMO you have to go out and enjoy yourself as well. Don't become a basement dweller who plays online poker 20 hours a day, 7 days a week.” Socializing with friends who aren't engulfed in the poker community was also a common theme.The decision to play professionally as it relates to income is definitely a gray area, and it ultimately depends on your own circumstances. One Fort Worth PocketFives member perhaps summed up this topic the best: “Everyone's case is different. Individual financial circumstances and the economic situation of where someone lives can vary so widely... I don't think bringing up numbers that are particular to one specific case is beneficial to the random person seeking information about the switch.”
Tell us about your own experience by commenting here. Visit the PocketFives thread.
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