How To Become A Poker Pro | Becoming a Professional Poker Player
So, you’re searching for how to become a poker pro and you’ve found this page, you want to know if it is possible to become a poker pro, how much you can make as a poker pro, what it’s like to be a poker pro and maybe even the chances of you becoming a successful professional poker player?! Well, I’ve been there done that and got the T-Shirt so sit back and listen closely to what I’ve got to tell you.
Is it possible to become a poker pro?
Simple answer to this question is yes it is possible to become a poker pro. The problem is there are lots of buts that go with possibility. But you’ve got to have the right mind set, but you’ve got to have emotional control, but you’ve got to be good enough and possibly the biggest but of them all but you’ve got to have enough money behind you.
If you are winning poker player but don’t have a bankroll that can support you both on and off the tables for at least a 6 month period then you shouldn’t be quitting your job just yet. Don’t have a job? Then make sure you’ve got enough money behind you to support yourself at your current level of play. Cash games we are talking a 100 buy ins bankroll. When I first turned professional I had rent and bills to play, I had food and living costs as well as a $15,000 bankroll to support myself at 100nl ($0.50/$1).
I’ll let you into a secret here, you probably don’t need to have as much as I had. Some players go pro with much less and make it big. However it’s a lonely road at times and the financial pressure you are under can get the best of even the most skillful of players. Big tip coming up here …. you need to get yourself a god damn rakeback deal if you intend to or are even thinking about going pro. Not having a rakeback deal is like burning money!
At Full Tilt Poker you can get a 27% rakeback deal which means that at the end of every month they will pay 27% of the rake you’ve paid over the course of the month back into your Full Tilt account. There is no better way to release the grip of financial pressure as a professional poker player than to know you’re getting at least a certain amount of money in your account at the end of the month no matter what.
How much can you earn as a poker pro?
Honestly, the sky is the limit and that’s one of the most appealing things about turning pro. Obviously it depends on how good you are and what limits you are playing but in truth some of the best up and coming professionals are churning out $30,000 months on a regular basis. Some of these guys are only playing as high as 200nl as well!
A more relevant question would not be how much can you make as a poker pro but how much do I need to make as a poker pro? You need to work out what it’s going to cost you to live with bills and rent included and find a number that you’re sure you can live on. Then you need to look at your previous months and work out if you are hitting that target or not.
I know I just mentioned it but before but seriously this is where rakeback becomes your biggest friend! For the first three months I played as a pro the pressure got to me, I didn’t play my A game and as a result broke even. If it wasn’t for the $1,000 rakeback payments I was getting from Full Tilt at the end of every month I may well have bottled it and given up. So for gods sake don’t underestimate the power of rakeback. Find out how to get rakeback by clicking this rakeback guide link.
What are the chances you will make it as a pro poker player?
There are two types of people who turn pro. The first type don’t think about what they are doing, they dive straight in and it’s just a matter of time before they fail miserably. The second type of person works out what they need to earn, weighs up the chances of them meeting that figure, has a bankroll behind them and puts thought and effort into thinking about measures they can take to sustain themselves as a pro during both their good and bad periods at the table.
To be honest I don’t care which type of player you are but I can tell you this… If you get a rakeback deal then I’d say your chances of success more than double if not triple!
