alot of people have 9 to 5 jobs , u go to work everyday do the same thing , not really any new goals or any room to improve on a daily basis, with poker like any "sport" u have constant challenge , u constantly have to work on gettin better everyday, and everyday if ur not seeing something that u can change to better urself as a player then something is wrong , no matter how much success u have had or having atm there is alway room for improvment in this game and there always will be , this is the reason i enjoy poker so much , the CHALLENGE, and others might get this challenge in something else , like any athlete that wants to go to the NFL or whatever sport it may be , they have passion and they want to be the best that they can possibly be , and this is the same with the people that have passion in poker , ya not all those people will become pro and lots are goin to be better then others, but even the people that have little success there still playin this game everyday because they enjoy the game that much , i may never be a "pro" but i know no matter what it is in my life if i want something bad enough i do everything i can til i get it , no matter how successful or unsuccessful i am in poker , i know it will always be part of my life , just for the simple fact that i know i will never flatline or come to a point where im not being challenged anymore

 

Originally Posted by Sweetness777

totally neutral opinion here, and hell i dont really even play poker, just intrigued by the topic mostly. The thing that most interests me is every post in this thread has to do with the here and now, nothing really pointing towards the future. the majority of posters seem to be in under 30, im just curious how much some of those thoughts will change as the years pile on into their late 40s, 50s.. nobody really mentioned anything about lack of medical care, retirement, etc. in any of the "real job posts", only referring to it as a 9-5, and hating to have a boss, or work with people you dont like. obviously there will be some naturally talented players who will always be well off playing tourney poker, or guys that grinded countless hours to get to that point. Im just really to see how the choice of a MTT as a profession evolves over the next 15 years for many of these guys/girls once a family comes into the picture and you are providing for more than yourself, health deteriorates, game gets harder.. Obviously, even if you choose the "real world" route, there still is a grind, and alot of the same risks involved. very interesting topic, and alot of good reads. good luck to everyone trying to reach their dream, no matter the opinion, you can't knock that.

to answer couple of ur questions , for me personally if i ever got the point where i could be pro and continue to play full time as i am now, as far as medical coverage goes, im in the process of gettin married and will have full medical coverage through my wife , as far as retirement , well obv u will need to be pretty successful in this game to get to the point where u can retire as a professional poker player , and if it was me where i made that type of money i would def invest my money well along the way for my future, this is actually something im doing now as well for the lil bit of success ive had to this point , just a couple options for those 2 questions

Read my response here: http://www.pocketfives.com/articles/...player-585813/

Wish I would have gone to college for a degree that made a shit ton of money at least decently fast. If I were making 100k+ within a year or two after graduating, I woulda taken it over playing poker full-time completely. Too bad being an engineer or doctor doesn't fit me/interest me and everything im interested in takes 10+years in the workforce to make 75k+ prolly.

 

Originally Posted by mathclub

you americans who don't like the hours should really consider living overseas for a bit. instead of having winter in the states you could have summer living in new zealand or australia, get to play 9-5 type hours, and best of all sunday to you guys in monday over here so you can actually have a weekend like normal people. i know quite a few european guys who do that, but americans never seem so keen to travel for some reason. there's also a lot of other countries you could visit and live in for a while, see the world and have a better 'lifestyle' than you do working nights constantly in the states.

and if you don't like playing 12 hour days 5 or 6 days a week then don't do it. you don't have to play ever single thing going every single day. breaks keep you fresh and actually make you play better when you do play. i think most tourney players end up playing too much and suffer in the long run cause of it.

can i move in with u?

imo its like Ricky Williams (no im not joking)

i saw an interview with his friends who said he really did not like football that much, even in college. But after his smokefest for awhile he realized he had to come back and play because it was the best way for him to make money.

So i would imagine some players are just sick of poker and do not like it anymore but play for the $ (we will call them ricky). THen there are some who just love the grind and want to play forever (like peyton manning).

just because u r good at something and a lot of ppl think its fun, doesnt mean u have to or should like it

 

Originally Posted by AJKHoosier1

Gags is the man, well-said. I feel the same way as you, and even when I was on the worst downswing of my career (I'm still on a pretty meh-swing), I was still saying it, and as soon as I stop saying it, I'm gone. Also, let me be probably the billionth person itt to say that if this poll were made about the vast majority of jobs, that the numbers would no doubt be pretty heavily weighted towards the negative - that's why they call em jobs, people.

Everyone says "god i hate poker" and "f poker" and "poker sucks" from time to time, but if you really, truly hate it, then ffs find something else. There's a lot of people out there who are REALLY "grinding" (remember we use the term as a joke?) 80+ hour weeks in jobs that they despise simply because they don't have the choice. (lol at 40 hours/week being the "benchmark" in this thread, btw - maybe when you were 16 working at the movie theater). Not to mention the people who can't get a job at all - for this thread to have as many complainers as it does makes my head spin, and makes some of us look like we've lost all perspective whatsoever. It's one thing to say "I don't love poker, but I sure as hell like it better than my other options" and another to actually flat out say "god I hate poker, this lifestyle is the worst." The latter would have to be damn near delusional.

The vast majority of people who play poker for a living have the choice to try and find something else (go back to school first, maybe), so if you're that miserable, then GTFO, for your own sake! Happiness is the end game in any path of life you choose, not money. Poker is not a game that people pick up as a career by necessity, so honestly, the amount of people who TRULY play for a living (guessing a lotttt of those polled don't even fit this qualification) who say they hate it should be damn near zero. Most of the people who say they hate playing poker really just mean they hate losing at poker - I hear ya, and yeah handling downswings is a part of the "lifestyle," but that's a whole other story.

I will say, though, that I hope I'm doing much more with my life than playing poker in ten years - not for job/money's sake, but for life's sake. Not because I'm "unhappy" playing poker, but because there's more I want to do with my life, and because I want to contribute something with a bit more value to my community. I am sure, though, to some extent, that I'll be playing poker for the rest of my life (even if its just the main event every year), and I am more than happy with that.

I'm a no-body in the poker community. I am older w/ wife, kids, ect.. and was considering selling my house and using part of the equity to attempt to play full time. My wife completely supports this idea. I've since decided to get a second degree and pursue another path, for now. I was a couple days away from moving to Vegas before my living situation fell threw while I was on my first date with my wife. Full time poker has lingered in the back of my head for almost 10 years, so this thread has been a great one to read. I'm glad to read a few successful pro's positive opinions, but to the ones who aren't happy... move on with your life. I make a descent living now, but I can't stand my job. So I got 2 options: 1. Work there the rest of my life and be silently miserable (b/c no one wants to hear you bitch and complain) or Do something else that I think I might enjoy. So guess what... I'm making a change and I'm going to take a pay cut, but by planning ahead and setting goals, I'm not concerned about it.

You're in control of your own life, make it what you want it to be. If you want to play poker full-time, then do it and be thankful that you're able to. If poker's not for you and it's making you a miserable person, make an escape plan. You may not be able to quit today as I'm not able to quit my job today, but set a goal to be done playing full time by a certain day. My current job isn't for me, so I re-enrolled in college and am working 40 hrs/week full time, plus going to school full time. When I get done with that, if I don't like what I'm doing, I'll do something else. I know a lot of you make a lot of money and that is a mighty lure to poker, but so what? You can't take it with you when you die and you only get one go around here. Money isn't going to make you happy and make you feel complete if you're miserable making it. If you're doing any career solely for financial reasons, you will never be successful. The most successful people in the world when asked usually say something to the degree of "I found something that I enjoy doing and it just doesn't feel like work." If poker or any other job feels like work and you dread doing it, quit because you aren't going to succeed anyway.

i want to hear a repost from u in 5 years, idk if u can properly address this topic with 8 months fulltime

and yes AJK, there is so much in life we can all learn, get insight, and progress as human beings. Poker actually gives me the time and space to do this research as i am basically a student of life. i had to work 40+ a week when i hjad a construction business before i started playin for my job. i was dead tired every night and harldy had energy to do much on weekends except kill braincells. this lifestyle is most def very abstract compared to the rest of any western standard lifestyles and certain ppl/personalities are able to deal with the long hours, high concentration, stress, and being able to construct ur own life schedule excersizing eating right ect. You wanna make good money doing anything it takes alot of mind and time. this job doesnt require physical labor but it doesnt kep u healthy or active so u have to be disicplined enough to stay healthy and active.

anyhoozy, gl to all

edit: 5, 10, 20, 50 years? wii

 

Originally Posted by emptypockets

I'm not trying to belittle you. Hell, I fly the airplanes; I only have to worry about my own passengers, which are usually between 1-3 other ppl. I'm just trying to put some perspective on everyone's true stress levels. In the end, and let me know if I'm wrong, but pro poker players only have to worry about making more money than they lose in the long run. Some people have to worry about getting planes with 100+ passengers on the ground while some student pilot is flying the pattern on his initial solo. This is obviously only one example, but I think it fits in with the discussion.

Stress is relative and immediate concerns do not always out weigh those that are more hard to measure. To say that any man has but to worry about increasing his money is naive. I do not intend to belittle you, my intention is only to remind you that we tend to over emphasize our own immediate stress and underestimate those of others.

speaking of the poker lifestyle, what is your input on relationships and poker? My gf HATES it, and she made me quit. I started playing online in April, and I have had some success playing low-mid stakes MTTs (profitable player). I know I am going to miss it, but I had to make a sacrifice in order to keep my relationship. Anyone had something similar happen to them?

 

Originally Posted by widespreadpanc

speaking of the poker lifestyle, what is your input on relationships and poker? My gf HATES it, and she made me quit. I started playing online in April, and I have had some success playing low-mid stakes MTTs (profitable player). I know I am going to miss it, but I had to make a sacrifice in order to keep my relationship. Anyone had something similar happen to them?

I started dating my current gf back in January, and from the very beginning explained to her that I play poker usually about two nights a week. To me there isn't any girl out there that I would totally give up poker for. If my gf said it's me or poker, I'd say I'll see ya. I just think it's really selfish for any girl to "make" their bf give up poker, especially when they can see it's making them money.

I would also play about 2 or 3 days a week. Its tilting me right now because we live an hour away from each other, so poker never interferes with the time we spend together. She just thinks that poker is gambling, and you "do nothing for hours and make money". I tried to explain that its more than gambling, and requires skill and concentration. I just gave up trying to explain, and just quit.

 

Originally Posted by widespreadpanc

speaking of the poker lifestyle, what is your input on relationships and poker? My gf HATES it, and she made me quit. I started playing online in April, and I have had some success playing low-mid stakes MTTs (profitable player). I know I am going to miss it, but I had to make a sacrifice in order to keep my relationship. Anyone had something similar happen to them?

You have to start as you mean to go on son.
If you give into her on this, it will just be the beginning!
Make her a compromise, and if she wont have it, give her the push.

Wow what a thread, just wasted 30 minutes reading it when I should be studying for finals. For starters I am a full-time law student who plays a lot of poker because I FUCKING love the game and love the grind. I sacrifice lots of sleep and drink lots of coffee. Some days if I go deep I sleep two hours before a full day of 10-12 hours of school and studying. The ups and downs are tough to swallow but then again I don't play for a living and am not harmed if I lose for a while so I can't speak on the stressfulness that poker brings to people who need to pay rent.
I am currently in my last year of law school and looking for a job. You wouldn't believe how hard it is nowadays to get a job. I have a law degree from a top 50 law school and with this shitty economy I am struggling to find a job that pays more than 50k a year. I guess I am absolutely shocked by how many guys who I see with 100's k profit complain about their lifestyle. 99% of the world would kill to have your money, be able to travel the world, meet cool ass people and make their own schedule. Basically from this rant my point is to be grateful for what you have. Most of us who want to make decent money from a job nowadays work 50-60 hours a week. So telling me its tough to put in the hours on the grind is just insane. You sit at a computer can get up and do whatever you want when you want. You want to take a day off you take the day off. You have no boss. Everyday you go to work your ass can't be fired or laid off for no reason. Enough ranting but be grateful for what you have. Enjoy your life and enjoy pokers.

 

Originally Posted by valasaraptor16

Wow what a thread, just wasted 30 minutes reading it when I should be studying for finals. For starters I am a full-time law student who plays a lot of poker because I FUCKING love the game and love the grind. I sacrifice lots of sleep and drink lots of coffee. Some days if I go deep I sleep two hours before a full day of 10-12 hours of school and studying. The ups and downs are tough to swallow but then again I don't play for a living and am not harmed if I lose for a while so I can't speak on the stressfulness that poker brings to people who need to pay rent.
I am currently in my last year of law school and looking for a job. You wouldn't believe how hard it is nowadays to get a job. I have a law degree from a top 50 law school and with this shitty economy I am struggling to find a job that pays more than 50k a year. I guess I am absolutely shocked by how many guys who I see with 100's k profit complain about their lifestyle. 99% of the world would kill to have your money, be able to travel the world, meet cool ass people and make their own schedule. Basically from this rant my point is to be grateful for what you have. Most of us who want to make decent money from a job nowadays work 50-60 hours a week. So telling me its tough to put in the hours on the grind is just insane. You sit at a computer can get up and do whatever you want when you want. You want to take a day off you take the day off. You have no boss. Everyday you go to work your ass can't be fired or laid off for no reason. Enough ranting but be grateful for what you have. Enjoy your life and enjoy pokers.

yea mainly this........im sure the guys who have been in the game awhile and are older have a much better perspective on how lucky they are to do what they do