Poker Discussion
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OK HERE'S THE SITUATION
I have been busting my ass at my job for the past year or so, as the GM of a restaurant, one that i really enjoy working at. However, I am very unsatisfied with my pay and bonus plan, although there is a bright future. Well, I like to live for the NOW !! The future is good and all...........but you all know how that goes. Anyways, I have been playing online poker, and poker for that matter period for about a year and a half now. Now, I am not that guy who is gonna come on here and say how sweet I am yada yada yada, but my last couple of months have really gave me alot of confidence. I am not some LEGGGGGGGGY who is gonna take down a large prize each and every night I play, or OZZY who flat out dominates the rebuys, I am just some normal guy who loves to play and is confident he can make a better living than he is at his current employer.
SO.......I guess my question is this : When you decided to "take the plunge" as I once saw it put, how, or for what reasons did some of you pros decide to make this lifestyle change. I am really curious to hear some of your stories.
TYVM ALL AND GL
GG real job ?!?!?!??!
ROLAND
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ssydd
(United States)
298
Posts.
Joined
12-22-2005.
01-19-2006 1:51 PM
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In reply to
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Great post. I quit my job last May to go full time. I had about 6months savings in the bank, was sick of my job and career and was making more playing part time than I was working full time.
In reality I just took the plunge and was fortunate to have alot of success (for me) right off. My experience has overall been great. I'm a single dad half time and have had more time and financial resources available for my daughter and girlfriend. I have a lotmore freedom which is something i've always prized more highly then security and I earned more in my first 8months than I ever have in a year of work.
Its not all upside tho. I had a losing month in November which was a first and very stressful. seemed like nothing could go right. Now that I know more I also know my bankroll was inadequate at the time I left my job. I love playing poker for a living right now but also imagine I might not want to do this forever.
It was the right decision for me but definitely is not the right decision for many people.
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Hey Mennas,
That's the golden question isn't it? A lot depends on your situation...I have a buddy (who doesn't) that is a pro now after he paid all debts, put away a year worth of living expenses and now clears on average 3-5K per month playing. But he had a low paying job and is actually moving forward by quitting and playing full-time. There's no way I'd go pro, even if I was lucky enough to donk like moneymaker (I'm married and have a 100K job), unless I'd already developed a residual income that already pays all bills. I like the idea earlier in the post that someone put about putting poker profits into real estate to get a residual to live on (Rich Dad, Poor Dad books outline this).
Best on luck with whatever you decide, hopefully gg real job, but for most of us if it were one or the other it'd be gg poker! Lucky that we can still play part time.
Cheers,
Graham
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ty all for your comments........much appreciated!! Any more would be appreciated as well.
gl all tonight on the felt.... and while on the subject, i got the day off tomorrow, so hopefully i will be bumpin into some of ya over the next 24 hours LOL
ROLAND
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I gave up poker all day for my crappy job cause i HATE poker. was way ahead from May to October in low level tournaments(was playing ALL DAY EVERYDAY all year) but instead of stepping up level of play, i yanked money out and paid bills. I had enough to play a few WCOOPs but didnt cash and it killed poker account which lead to needing money again and job. basically i'm stuck. need money to win money and just never save up enough on poker to go for serious cash.
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You work?!? j/k seem u spend most of your day at my table.
Anyways bro if u decide to go pro best of luck to you. You def have the
talent even if RP.com gives us-u no respect lol. I only play part time
and shuffle in school and work, but i will give u this ive made more
money part time online in 2 yrs than i have in 4 years at my 8$ an hr
job. If your family and friends support the idea go for it while you
are still young- all of what was said about the perils is probably
true, but f wondering what if.
Just my 2 cents c u @ the tables
KAJeremy
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I think there are "pro poker players" and "people who don't like to work" .... I think distinguishing the difference can be tricky sometimes.
1. What to do about health insurance? ( does the 18-25 year old kid know how much having a baby would cost without insurance?)
2. What about a retirement fund? (401k ect...) can you build enough of a bankroll to retire on or are you gonna have to be wheeled into the casino on your death bed to try to pay for your diapers?
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omg! good thing this is a great thread because it's definately a long one.
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I think you have to take this seriously. Plan. When I was thinking about starting my business (I only wish it were poker!) I busted my ass working both, until it got to the point where I was FINALLY making more at the business than I did at my *regular* job. Only then did I feel confident enough to lose the 401k, health insurance, vacation, and various perks. Yet, there are still rough times. No matter what you do, when you're self employed, and playing poker is self employment, you sweat each time you hear the word recession.. and when you hear the word TAXES.
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omg all of you who said to turn pro is basically telling him are giving
him bad advice. You want to see this man turn pro because it is not
possible for yourself to turn pro. Some concerns I have with the
posters. Do you know this person? Do you know what kind of exact
situation he is in? Unless you are close to him, then don't make advice
that can change this man's life drastically. Poker is a sick game. A
short term run of bad beats can hurt him and his family considerably.
Does this guy have money to back him up when he gets into bad shape?
Most of you are pretty young. Still in college or high school. You guys
don't know what it's like to be a true adult with responsibilities.
Sometimes the best thing to do is to be sure. Aight. bye
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If you have a full time job that you enjoy, and where you can move up
to make some real money in, don't ever quit. The best thing to do
is to play poker as a serious part-time job until you have results over
6-8 months that show that you can make more money from poker then you
can in 5 years at your job. And even THEN I would consider not
quitting and just doing both.
Anyway, I "took the plunge" when I won $141k and was able to pay off
all of my debts, fully fund a bankroll for the highest tournaments
online, and move to Vegas.
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Skoky
(Australia)
432
Posts.
Joined
12-07-2005.
01-19-2006 10:43 PM
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In reply to
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BB and BF
So good to see pro's like u 2 give an honest practical answer to this question
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Excellent post. By dropping out of the job market and playing
poker you risk doing big time damage to your career if the poker thing
doesn't work out.
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I agree with this. Don't quit your job. Have something to fall back on
if need be. I'm an undergrad at Michigan, and plan on starting law
school next year with the goal of becoming a corporate lawyer. That
being said, I plan on playing poker at least 4-5 hours a day throughout
school and to a lesser extent when I get a job. It would, in my
opinion, be foolish to play poker online exclusively. There's simply
too much risk involved, not enough interaction with real people, and
it's not rewarding enough IMHO. It is a LOT of work, and it can result
in lots stress on yourself, your friends, and family. I consider myself
semi-pro, as I make enough to pay out of state tuition at the most
expensive public school in the country.
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http://www.pocketfives.com/035E0927-C745-40D3-92E7-8EED8C0AFB55.aspx
This was the original thread when I quit the middle of last year. I think there are many many quality posts here regarding this subject. I said this when Truesyalose took the plunge "it the single most stressful yet self-gratifying thing you will do" I quit with a little under 10k in the bank and online sites, and focused on winning at the bare minimum 100-200 a day to pay the bills, I wouldnt "let" myself play in a $50 or $100 or whatever buy-in mtt, until I had atleast made (SnG's, cash game, Hds up) my quota for the day plus whatever the buy in was.. Be smart, I probably quit a little early considering that first month I took the losses and bad beats hard, and didnt let them slide off...But that first score after you quit (I got 2nd and first in the nightly UB $30 on consecutive days) will be better than anything previous...
Sorry for rambling, I guess I'm considered the poster boy for this type of "risk", as I made it public early and for the time being succeeded. Read the old thread if you havent already, particularly NSXT's post about optimism
oh yeah and F bowties
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If you play poker like its your job it should work for you
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