Daniel Negreanu, Phil Ivey, Jason Mercier, Phil Galfond – we all know these names. We watch them play and envy their success. However, everyone should remember that the poker legends managed to get where they are today because they worked hard and dedicated their lives to poker.

Every poker pro had his own reasons for becoming a professional player. It could have been a desire to become rich, a passion for the game, or the dream of becoming famous. Surely, most of us are not pro players and will never become ones; yet, anyone can find enough reasons for trying to achieve great things in poker. And here’s why.

Working from home

Working from home has too many benefits to list. For some people, this is the most important reason to become a freelancer in general and a professional poker player in particular. Wearing a suit to work every day might be enjoyable to some – and a curse to the rest of us. So why not sit at your working table in pants painted in diamonds and hearts?

Your workday starts when you open your laptop, even if you’re still in bed. The main advantages of working from home are a comfortable commute to your workplace (usually just several meters from bed to PC) and free access to food and drinks (once again, just a few meters from PC to fridge). And don’t forget about the possibility of going to a tropical country where you can enjoy the sun and warm sea throughout the whole year.

Boosting your skills

Let’s assume that you are a good player with decent profits. You have enough knowledge and possess some skills. You are aware of the benefits of being a professional player. Therefore, if you decide to become a poker pro, you will have no choice but to work on your game constantly. The reason is that poker becomes your work and you make money playing. Thus, you won’t have any problems with motivation to improve your game.

Getting your own fans

Surely, you are going to grind alone, but you will become part of a gigantic community of online poker players. As soon as you become a pro, you will have higher odds of winning a major tournament or achieving impressive results playing ring games. Having won a few MTTs, you will obtain loyal fans and maybe even get a contract with a sponsor site.

Don’t underestimate this. Spend some of your time making new poker friends, providing beginners with useful tips, and telling others about your career. Then, you will get numerous benefits. For instance, you will easily find people who will let you stay at their apartments when you travel playing poker. You also won’t have any problems finding stakers or new friends.

Being your own boss

One of the main reasons for becoming a pro player is to have the opportunity to be your own boss. Surely, you will need to play a certain number of hands or tournaments to make money for living, but you will be able to choose the time and place to do it. Never needing to report to anyone but yourself – isn’t that the way to achieve something big? The more you play, the more money you can win. You won’t need to be friends with the right people; you won’t have to follow corporate ethics. Your success depends fully on you.

All the adrenaline

Pro poker players face challenges every month, every day, and every hour. You will feel like a god after excellent sessions. You will also feel like a fool during painful downswings. This fight is endless. You will always want to climb to the next level.

Poker is cool

Poker is cool. Poker players are also cool. When you meet your old friends again, you can shock them with your career choice. At parties, you will always have the most exciting and exotic story. Just proudly tell them, “I am a professional poker player.” Make sure to look at their faces. And get ready to answer several dumb questions and listen to a few jokes about casinos and roulette.

So what if someone will judge you? In return, you will always have the chance to earn more money this month than they can by the end of next year. You don’t even need to find a way to the heart of your fat boss to do that. All you need is to be responsible and disciplined. Good luck!

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