Thinking of taking the plunge into Professional Poker

On Feb 8, 6:31 pm, "XaQ Morphy" <a1c5....TakeThisOut@webnntp.invalid> wrote:
> On Feb 8 2008 5:58 PM, Preston wrote:
>
> > I guess I'm torn and looking for advice.
>
> Have you investigated housing/renting costs in the area you want to live?
>
> Have you investigated health insurance in the area you want to live?
>
> Do you have a bankroll of 500 big bets (minimum, I'd say) for the level
> you want to play?
>
around $1000 a month
health insurance at around $500 a quarter

> Do you have 6 months living expenses based on the costs above saved away?
>

I have access to $30k or so if it comes to that, but I'm not sure I
have the psychological fortitude to really go for more if I'm down
10-15k or so.

> Have you tried playing poker for 40+ hours a week for at least, oh, 12
> weeks in a row?
>

No
> ---
> Morphy
> xaqmor....TakeThisOut@donkeymanifesto.comhttp://www.donkeymanifesto.com
>
> ----- 
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 >> Stay informed about: Thinking of taking the plunge into Professional Poker 

Preston wrote:
> I've played poker as a hobby a lot. I keep records and I do win about
> the usual big bet an hour. Right now I have a cush job in Dallas that
> has allowed me to save up quite a bit of money, but my six year old
> daughter is in LA and I need to be closer to her. I've started looking
> for a job out there, but I find myself questioning why I would work
> harder and more hours for less money than the $30 an hour I feel I
> should be able to get at $15-30 at one of the LA casinos.
>
> Now my experience at $15-30 is pretty limited- about 11 hours or so.
> But out of those $20 hours I've won $1800 in some of the loosest and
> most bizarre games I've seen. I know that this is not even close to a
> long term average, but it does reinforce in my mind that the game is
> plenty soft if I chose to make my living that way.
>
> But the other people in my life actively discourage me and I guess I
> don't have the courage to really do it. I feel I need to have a day
> job to go to just so I can say I do something, else I will be labeled
> as a loser.
>
> I guess I'm torn and looking for advice.
>
> Sincerely,
> Preston
>


If you can go broke and not care. Do it. If you need the money for
your daughter, find a real job and put in hours to see if you can do it.

You have not played enough, and 1800 dollars is not enough money to make
a decision one way or another.

A bad streak will come, a point where you always get sucked out on. It
will happen, you will start breaking even and it will become really hard.

20-30 bucks an hour is freaking chump change. Get a real job. With a
real paycheck, and benefits an stuff.
 >> Stay informed about: Thinking of taking the plunge into Professional Poker 

On Feb 8, 7:07 pm, johnny_t <nobod....RemoveThis@home.com> wrote:
> Preston wrote:
> > I've played poker as a hobby a lot. I keep records and I do win about
> > the usual big bet an hour. Right now I have a cush job in Dallas that
> > has allowed me to save up quite a bit of money, but my six year old
> > daughter is in LA and I need to be closer to her. I've started looking
> > for a job out there, but I find myself questioning why I would work
> > harder and more hours for less money than the $30 an hour I feel I
> > should be able to get at $15-30 at one of the LA casinos.
>
> > Now my experience at $15-30 is pretty limited- about 11 hours or so.
> > But out of those $20 hours I've won $1800 in some of the loosest and
> > most bizarre games I've seen. I know that this is not even close to a
> > long term average, but it does reinforce in my mind that the game is
> > plenty soft if I chose to make my living that way.
>
> > But the other people in my life actively discourage me and I guess I
> > don't have the courage to really do it. I feel I need to have a day
> > job to go to just so I can say I do something, else I will be labeled
> > as a loser.
>
> > I guess I'm torn and looking for advice.
>
> > Sincerely,
> > Preston
>
> If you can go broke and not care.  Do it.   If you need the money for
> your daughter, find a real job and put in hours to see if you can do it.
>
> You have not played enough, and 1800 dollars is not enough money to make
> a decision one way or another.
>
> A bad streak will come, a point where you always get sucked out on.  It
> will happen, you will start breaking even and it will become really hard.
>
> 20-30 bucks an hour is freaking chump change.  Get a real job.  With a
> real paycheck, and benefits an stuff.


Abbey Johnsson
View profile
More options Feb 8, 7:40 pm
On Feb 8 2008 5:07 PM, johnny_t wrote:
> 20-30 bucks an hour is freaking chump change.

I'm not sure what you do for a living, but $30 an hour is just fine
for me.
And, in response to the other poster, I have thousands of hours of
live poker experience, just not much at $15-30.
As far as I can tell, the only difference is the color of the chips.
 >> Stay informed about: Thinking of taking the plunge into Professional Poker 

>
> Have you considered custody?
>
> --
> bigjimmf1

My ex and I get along quite well. She has physical custody of her, but
that's largely because I've been in another state. We have joint legal
custody of her and I have unlimited visitation rights. Why do you ask?
 >> Stay informed about: Thinking of taking the plunge into Professional Poker 

On Feb 8, 9:02 pm, bigjimmf1 <jimmyhoneyw... RemoveThis @gmail.com> wrote:
> Preston wrote:
> >> Have you considered custody?
>
> >> --
> >> bigjimmf1
>
> > My ex and I get along quite well. She has physical custody of her, but
> > that's largely because I've been in another state. We have joint legal
> > custody of her and I have unlimited visitation rights. Why do you ask?
>
> It doesn't seem like a good idea to move to CA and become a professional
> poker player because:
>
> - you have a family
> - you sound as if you lack experience
> - you have a "cush job"
> - you have money saved
> - you need to seriously re-think "I find myself questioning why I would
> work harder and more hours for less money than the $30 an hour I feel I
> should be able to get at $15-30" gambling
>
> Listen to your friends.
>
> --
> bigjimmf1

I don't lack experience. I have logged thousands of hours playing and
I don't understand why people don't respect that. But the feedback I'm
getting here is all negative. So I suppose that answers my question.
Ya bunch of haters.
 >> Stay informed about: Thinking of taking the plunge into Professional Poker 

On Feb 8, 3:58 pm, Preston <prestonpoul....DeleteThis@hotmail.com> wrote:
> I've played poker as a hobby a lot. I keep records and I do win about
> the usual big bet an hour. Right now I have a cush job in Dallas that
> has allowed me to save up quite a bit of money, but my six year old
> daughter is in LA and I need to be closer to her. I've started looking
> for a job out there, but I find myself questioning why I would work
> harder and more hours for less money than the $30 an hour I feel I
> should be able to get at $15-30 at one of the LA casinos.
>
> Now my experience at $15-30 is pretty limited- about 11 hours or so.
> But out of those $20 hours I've won $1800 in some of the loosest and
> most bizarre games I've seen. I know that this is not even close to a
> long term average, but it does reinforce in my mind that the game is
> plenty soft if I chose to make my living that way.
>
> But the other people in my life actively discourage me and I guess I
> don't have the courage to really do it. I feel I need to have a day
> job to go to just so I can say I do something, else I will be labeled
> as a loser.
>
> I guess I'm torn and looking for advice.
>
> Sincerely,
> Preston

Search a thread on RPG labled "FellKinght Goes Pro"
It should tell you all you need to know about this.

Slim
 >> Stay informed about: Thinking of taking the plunge into Professional Poker 

On Feb 8, 9:20 pm, Slim1Der <mkmor....RemoveThis@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Feb 8, 3:58 pm, Preston <prestonpoul....RemoveThis@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>
>
> > I've played poker as a hobby a lot. I keep records and I do win about
> > the usual big bet an hour. Right now I have a cush job in Dallas that
> > has allowed me to save up quite a bit of money, but my six year old
> > daughter is in LA and I need to be closer to her. I've started looking
> > for a job out there, but I find myself questioning why I would work
> > harder and more hours for less money than the $30 an hour I feel I
> > should be able to get at $15-30 at one of the LA casinos.
>
> > Now my experience at $15-30 is pretty limited- about 11 hours or so.
> > But out of those $20 hours I've won $1800 in some of the loosest and
> > most bizarre games I've seen. I know that this is not even close to a
> > long term average, but it does reinforce in my mind that the game is
> > plenty soft if I chose to make my living that way.
>
> > But the other people in my life actively discourage me and I guess I
> > don't have the courage to really do it. I feel I need to have a day
> > job to go to just so I can say I do something, else I will be labeled
> > as a loser.
>
> > I guess I'm torn and looking for advice.
>
> > Sincerely,
> > Preston
>
> Search a thread on RPG labled "FellKinght Goes Pro"
> It should tell you all you need to know about this.
>
> Slim

Thank you very much Slim.
 >> Stay informed about: Thinking of taking the plunge into Professional Poker 

I trimmed your post.


Preston wrote:
> I've played poker as a hobby a lot. I keep records and I do win about
> the usual big bet an hour. I feel I
> should be able to get at $15-30 at one of the LA casinos.
>
> My experience at $15-30 is pretty limited- about 11 hours or so.
>
> I feel I need to have a day
> job to go to just so I can say I do something, else I will be labeled
> as a loser.
>
> I guess I'm torn and looking for advice.
>
> Sincerely,
> Preston
>

Have you considered custody?

--
bigjimmf1
 >> Stay informed about: Thinking of taking the plunge into Professional Poker 

On Feb 8 2008 6:40 PM, Preston wrote:

> I have access to $30k or so if it comes to that, but I'm not sure I
> have the psychological fortitude to really go for more if I'm down
> 10-15k or so.

I asked questions that would come to mind for me if I were to ask the
question of myself if I could play poker for a living. For me the answer
would be never in a million years, because I wouldn't be able to make more
at the tables than what I make in IT, but if I were to consider it, those
would be the types of questions I would ask myself.

Another big question is this, at least for me. If I look back to how much
I've progressed over the years in my 15 year IT career, the technology has
taken drastic jumps along the way, and my skills and pay along with it.
If I were to be out of IT for even 2 years, I don't know how I would 1)
get back into it with that lack of keeping up with things, and 2) explain
to possible employers my 2 year absence from the industry without flat out
saying I was playing poker.

Just consider the big picture as you think things through. Don't have a
heater month and look back and say "holy shit, I could play for a living
with months like that" and jump right in.

Ask yourself what you would do if you lost 3 months in a row. It will
happen. Can you survive if you have not only zero income, but negative
income?

---
Morphy
xaqmorphy.RemoveThis@donkeymanifesto.com
http://www.donkeymanifesto.com

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 >> Stay informed about: Thinking of taking the plunge into Professional Poker 

Preston wrote:
>> Have you considered custody?
>>
>> --
>> bigjimmf1
>
> My ex and I get along quite well. She has physical custody of her, but
> that's largely because I've been in another state. We have joint legal
> custody of her and I have unlimited visitation rights. Why do you ask?

It doesn't seem like a good idea to move to CA and become a professional
poker player because:

- you have a family
- you sound as if you lack experience
- you have a "cush job"
- you have money saved
- you need to seriously re-think "I find myself questioning why I would
work harder and more hours for less money than the $30 an hour I feel I
should be able to get at $15-30" gambling

Listen to your friends.

--
bigjimmf1
 >> Stay informed about: Thinking of taking the plunge into Professional Poker 

On Fri, 8 Feb 2008 18:18:53 -0800 (PST), Preston <prestonpoulter.TakeThisOut@hotmail.com>
wrote:

>> Have you considered custody?

>My ex and I get along quite well. She has physical custody of her, but
>that's largely because I've been in another state. We have joint legal
>custody of her and I have unlimited visitation rights. Why do you ask?

If custody ever becomes disputed, do you think that being a professional
gambler will look good?
 >> Stay informed about: Thinking of taking the plunge into Professional Poker 

> Search a thread on RPG labled "FellKinght Goes Pro"
> It should tell you all you need to know about this.
>
> Slim->
> - Show quoted text -


>>>Did he ever really try being a pro in Vegas? From what I remember he moved to Arizona with Tanya and started a (now-defunct) clothing store called Ragz4hagz or something like that.
 >> Stay informed about: Thinking of taking the plunge into Professional Poker 

On Feb 8 2008 9:06 PM, Preston wrote:

> I don't lack experience. I have logged thousands of hours playing and
> I don't understand why people don't respect that. But the feedback I'm
> getting here is all negative. So I suppose that answers my question.
> Ya bunch of haters.

I wouldn't say haters. If you post a question like that (which by the way
has been discussed several bazillion times on RGP in the past), and all
the answers are negative, what does that tell you about your decision? I
can tell you've already made up your mind...you're just posting here to
get some approval so that you can justify your decision to yourself.

Bottom line is if you decide to play for a living we'll never see you
again so it really doesn't matter what RGP has to say.

---
Morphy
xaqmorphy DeleteThis @donkeymanifesto.com
http://www.donkeymanifesto.com

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 >> Stay informed about: Thinking of taking the plunge into Professional Poker