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Question for advanced players/professionals.

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  1. PraguePoker PraguePoker is offline

    Simi Valley, CA
    United States

    Posts: 3
    Joined: Dec 08

    Dec 23rd, 2008 (12/23/2008 9:59pm)

    I'm making a valiant effort to play poker for a living.

    I have all the traits of a successful poker player, live.
    I splash around online and have learned much, but I still
    stick to my live games.

    My question is quite simple,
    playing a single table, $1/$2 NLHE game, what should I expect to
    earn a day? What should my goal be? Daily, weekly, monthly?
    And my starting bankroll is $2,000.

    I need to know where I should set the bar at.

    Thank you and appreciate any insight and advice as well.
  2. chevychase chevychase is offline

    Posts: 368
    Joined: Oct 08

    Dec 23rd, 2008 (12/23/2008 10:03pm) in reply to PraguePoker

    If your bankroll is 2000 I strongly recommend putting 1500 on the cowboys and leave yourself 2 and 1/2 buyins for 1/2 NL. GL. Oh and don't have a mortgage or any other bills.
  3. Marcus5 Marcus5 is offline

    Carrollton, TX
    United States

    Posts: 234
    Joined: Aug 07

    Dec 23rd, 2008 (12/23/2008 10:10pm) in reply to PraguePoker

    not to burst your bubble man...... but $2000 is not enought, I reccomend at least $4,000 when playing 1-2. But if you still continue with $2,000 good luck. Playing poker for a living is the best thing in the world. Have fun.

    If your also pretty good playing online, I suggest that because you can make alot more money quicker because of multi-tabling.

    but anything is possible..
  4. wvu138 wvu138 is offline

    Morgantown, WV
    United States

    Posts: 289
    Joined: Oct 07

    Dec 23rd, 2008 (12/23/2008 10:21pm) in reply to PraguePoker

    Call me a bankroll nit, but I think you need way more then 2 or 4K to play 200NL. I'd reccomend 10 to 12K to play to be safe. Now single tabling I guess you can use considerably less, but no one can single table all day.
  5. AFink93 AFink93 is offline

    Norwich, CT
    United States

    Posts: 14,381
    Joined: Mar 06

    Dec 23rd, 2008 (12/23/2008 10:27pm) in reply to wvu138

    2000 is plenty to play a Single Table of 1/2.. You wont make any money longterm but you probably wont lose either.. I doubt your going to lose 10 buy ins at a Single Tabl of 1/2 well at least for a long time.. You would be better off 20 tabling 50NL with 2000 roll.. 40 buy ins should be plenty. You can increase your hourly rate. Plus the FPP's youll rake in playing that many tables with some volume you should easily clear Gold each month..

    This of course is assuming your any good at poker. Any dope can beat a live 1/2 NL game.. ITs a bit different online.
  6. Sigmapoker Sigmapoker is offline

    Lakeland, FL
    United States

    Posts: 431
    Joined: Aug 07

    Dec 23rd, 2008 (12/23/2008 10:29pm) in reply to PraguePoker

    If you're good I can't see any reason why you can't make some good money playing live 1/2 but doing it for a living would probably depend your expenses and your lifestyle. Still, don't you think a roll of 2k is a little short for full-time 200NL? I mean depending on where you're playing that's at most 20 buyins.
  7. paidchex paidchex is offline

    Posts: 960
    Joined: Oct 08

    Dec 23rd, 2008 (12/23/2008 10:37pm) in reply to PraguePoker

    $2K is kind of small, so I keep playing $1/$2 just buy in for the minimum. You should have 25 buy-ins for a cash game.

    You can average $20-$25 an hour, give yourself a stop loss of 3 or 4 buyins.

    Read up on bankroll management, make sure you can control your emotions during swings, NEVER loan money. good luck, pm if you need more advice, i've been in your shoes

    also be stingy when tipping dealers and waitresses, they will eat up your profits
  8. Jennifear Jennifear is offline

    Niagara Falls, NY
    United States

    Posts: 10,222
    Joined: Nov 05

    Dec 23rd, 2008 (12/23/2008 10:45pm) in reply to PraguePoker

    When you make 1.5 times what you would be happy with making fulltime per hour, over a large sample, and you are well rolled for any game you will need to play, you can consider it. I'd say that anything less than a 20k bankroll will be very hard to make it on.

    Keep in mind that things like health insurance are a bitch, and obtaining credit as a professional poker player is very difficult. You'll need to make more self-employed than you will have to make in the working world to enjoy the same standard of living.

    Also, once it's a job, it becomes a job. I'm very lucky that I still enjoy what I do for a living, but sometimes I feel I am in the minority. It can kill the fun for you. The comments in this thread say it all about that:

    Problems with going pro

    I'm not trying to discourage you. I just want you to be prepared if you decide to take the plunge.

    Good luck!
  9. clovus clovus is offline

    Posts: 329
    Joined: Sep 07

    Dec 23rd, 2008 (12/23/2008 10:49pm) in reply to Sigmapoker

    First advice. Play only GOOD SOLID poker and Learn MONEY MANAGEMENT.

    Read every book you can even at the table to visualize what the book is telling you.

    On a 1/2 table depending on the location:

    Florida $300 per 8 hour session would be a goal. Higher limits are an easier game as they tend to be gamblers.

    At $1/2 you will get grinders in retirement.

    At $2/5 you will run into better solid players so you will not win as much.

    At $5/10 an average session would be from $600 to $3000 in profit in Florida due to the $100 cap for buy ins.

    Your buyins would be 40 X $50 at min and 20 X $100 on a $1/2 and you have at least 33 orbits.

    Vegas the play is tighter so you would strive to make $30 to $60 per hour in a 1/2

    and allow for Variance.

    Remember you can run bad at times and suffer badbeats so when you win put $100 of your winnings towards next months Bankroll. DO NOT TOUCH IT.

    So if you win 50% of the time and hit your goal of $300 a day break even 20% and lose 30% you should maintain your bank roll and profit from 500 to 2000 per month.

    And you have a guaranteed bankroll for the next.

    Now big question. Who pays the RENT? and the Rest of your bills?

    If you move up in stakes your bank roll must increase exponentially.

    Other locations are hard to judge as I have only played in Vegas California Canada ( Hourly Rake) Mississippi ( Deep Bank Roll needed for lower limit games) Bahamas and Costa Rica ( Best only for Tourneys) Wild players in all location except Vegas and California.
  10. PraguePoker PraguePoker is offline

    Simi Valley, CA
    United States

    Posts: 3
    Joined: Dec 08

    Dec 24th, 2008 (12/24/2008 5:48am) in reply to PraguePoker

    Thanks everyone for the very helpful advice.

    What I am trying to learn (fast) is bankroll management / variance etc.

    I play 100NL 1/2.
    I already took a small swing but recovered within minutes. Too many jokers out there who love to try to take down every pot.

    I do my best for to shoot for 200 a day. If the table is tight/unprofitable I leave.
    I'm content for now playing 1/2 NL with a goal of 200/day. Once my bankroll looks a little nicer I'll move to 2/4 hopefully by February.

    So I'm hearing a lot of numbers, and still am unclear what my BR should be.

    Like I said I started with 2k. 20x the buy in. 100x the bb.
    Not enough?
    I've found a place swarming with people who 'play for fun' and just plain gamblers.
    and am loving it. up 700 in the last 2 days and lookin good. made quick friends with the other regulars (who think they are sharks) so that they dont play into me as much as they would others. So far I've got everything going my way..

    Thanks again for the help. Always willing to listen and learn something new.
    Thread Starter
  11. freeworld777 freeworld777 is offline

    Ireland

    Posts: 3,910
    Joined: Dec 07

    Dec 24th, 2008 (12/24/2008 7:35am) in reply to wvu138

     
    Originally Posted by wvu138 View Post

    Call me a bankroll nit, but I think you need way more then 2 or 4K to play 200NL. I'd reccomend 10 to 12K to play to be safe. Now single tabling I guess you can use considerably less, but no one can single table all day.

    yeah but it'll take him a while before he can multitable live, at least 3 weeks i reckon.
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