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Author Topic: Road to being a pro  (Read 139798 times)
shipitgood
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« Reply #465 on: May 01, 2016, 03:02:50 PM »

Hey Kp

If you are still staying at home, why not get a part time job whilst playing poker also?

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POWWWWWWWW
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« Reply #466 on: May 01, 2016, 06:21:43 PM »

What games/stakes are you playing?
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Ransom
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« Reply #467 on: May 01, 2016, 07:33:02 PM »

We're both in a similar situation I think.

As mentioned, we are both 10 years too late but are far too stubborn to give up something we've sunk so much time and effort into. It's frustrating to think about how you could have got on in poker if you know what you do but it was 2005 again. Like you watch old EPTs or WSOP on Youtube and think "Jesus I would be printing money if I could go back in time".

We probably both have days where we think this is going to work out after all, and then we get cruelly reminded that poker is a massive soul crushing grind a lot of the time unless you're one of the super-elites.

I stopped having an interest in become a 'pro' a long time ago. You don't need to be the piss bottling, hoodie wearer with 3 monitors on the go to enjoy poker and make a few quid out of it.

If your BR is £500 per month, and it never increases much even if you win because you dip into it to pay for living expenses - then you need to find another source of income for a while. If only to keep you sane when someone gets there in a big pot against you and you don't feel you need to cash your remaining money off so you can eat more than instant noodles that month. Get away from poker for a couple of months, save a bit up, go out and explore. You might find that you prefer it this way.

When I got back into poker about 4 years ago, I was jobless with no real direction. Just split up with my girlfriend I was living with, and freshly moved to Bedford because I had nowhere to stay back in Cornwall and my family moved up here. I got ~£110 in jobseekers each fortnight. Saved up £300 of it and put it online, and then LOLpunted it because I hadn't played poker for 3 years and the 10NL crowd owned my soul $3 at a time. I developed an obsession with it as a way to get my mind of my shitty situation in general, and after getting a job a couple of months later I had a nice floating bankroll that I could replenish if I had a bad month. Because there was no real financial burden on me, I could experiment with different things in poker and not stress if it went badly.

About 3 months into that, I really wanted to do it for a living. Until I actually tried to. I had decent results, but it felt no more liberating or free than working a normal job. I used to see people on the tube in London with their suits and briefcases all miserable because they have to spend their lives in the corporate office bubble. I used to really look at them and think they were stupid, and that I've found the greatest life hack in the world in poker. 21 year old me thought he'd never be a suit with his head buried in paperwork from 9-5, and that it was the nut worst situation in life for anyone. I thought that until the 'grind' became a grind. Instead of being buried in paperwork, I'd be buried in hand histories all day. I'd go days without speaking to anyone, living off cheap energy drinks and Dominos pizza. Stuck deep for a fortnight before getting out of it and back to even. If those people on the tube saw me they'd be the ones laughing I reckon. I was free in the sense I didn't have to clock in and report to an overbearing, micromanaging boss, but the reality of it is I was stressed, not sleeping and neglecting myself so much for the poker dream that I was slowly going mad.

---

There are always going to be mutants in poker that show up on the EPT having just turned 18 and seem to win the world within 6 months, and it's tough not to compare yourself to them and get a bit down about it because you've been at it for a while with bugger all to show for it except GoldStar and 15000 Starscoins.

It's easy to tell you to get a job and take some time off, but if you're anything like me in 2012 then taking time off would make you feel like you're drifting further and further away from what you want. I think it might be what you need though. Some steady income, something else to focus on for a few hours a day.

If you're as like minded as me as I think you are, then I think it could be just what you need.
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verndog158
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« Reply #468 on: May 01, 2016, 07:57:17 PM »

Agree with the 'get a job' advice. Not thought about potentially getting staked?
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muckthenuts
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« Reply #469 on: May 01, 2016, 11:47:25 PM »

I have been in this position too. From 2009-2013 i absolutely crushed the Birmingham live cash games. I was making so much it was like genuinely like having money on tap and i could do whatever the fuck i wanted. In the end a 5 figure downswing in £1-2 games (fml lol) crushed my soul and resulted in me quitting. I obviously struggled to adjust to a lower paid and structured 9-5 lifestyle in the beginning, but flashing forward to 2016 i've truly found a career i love with far greater prospects for me than poker and i actually thank God for that downswing as it was such a blessing in disguise.

I envy none of the current crop of young live cash regs in Birmingham and kinda feel sorry for their inability to move on - games suck now and are miles from the gravy train they were five years ago. In fact most of them are staked now which definitely wasn't the case when i was around. Can't they see the signs? But anyway the longer you leave it the harder it will be to move on. I believe Zerofive was in the same boat too, but he left poker and is now a badass personal trainer and probably wants to play poker for a living 0%. I love my job and definitely don't want to go back to the grind. Eventually neither will you, i promise its not all doom and gloom in the real world. 
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KingPush
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« Reply #470 on: May 02, 2016, 01:03:10 AM »

Agree with the 'get a job' advice. Not thought about potentially getting staked?

I've spoken to people about it and they've normally told me not to. I haven't looked into it that much myself though. I also have kind of unprovable results since I play on a load of untracked sites.

Hey Kp

If you are still staying at home, why not get a part time job whilst playing poker also?



Did do this before when I pretty much went busto and couldn't pay bills. Actually worked ok so I'll def have a look.
What games/stakes are you playing?
6max nl, have played from £10 nl to £250nl in the last 2 months, would say I am confident in beating anything below 100nl on shittier sites and have a pretty good winrate at those stakes for a long time.

I appreciate all of the advice and I'm going to reread all of it before I respond, I'm just replying to the direct questions at the minute but it seems fairly unanimous.
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Omm
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« Reply #471 on: May 02, 2016, 05:20:59 PM »

Could always become a dealer, stay in and around the game you love, build up a bank roll at the same time. Make friends and contacts within the industry. Who knows what it could lead to.

Good luck whatever you decide
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KingPush
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« Reply #472 on: October 13, 2016, 10:29:44 PM »

Hand History #1088096525 (21:16 13/10/2016)
Player   Action   Cards   Amount   Pot   Balance
Jrubis25    Small blind       £0.10    £0.10    £12.41
KingPush    Big blind       £0.20    £0.30    £58.68
     Your hole cards   
Q
Q
          
kidwiz10    Fold            
walks2311    Raise       £0.60    £0.90    £65.59
stingerbil    Fold            
Jrubis25    Fold            
KingPush    Raise       £2.20    £3.10    £56.48
walks2311    Call       £1.80    £4.90    £63.79
Flop
         
3
Q
10
          
KingPush    Bet       £1.18    £6.08    £55.30
walks2311    Call       £1.18    £7.26    £62.61
Turn
         
5
          
KingPush    Check            
walks2311    Bet       £5.00    £12.26    £57.61
KingPush    Raise       £13.63    £25.89    £41.67
walks2311    Call       £8.63    £34.52    £48.98
River
         
7
          
KingPush    Check            
walks2311    Bet       £24.60    £59.12    £24.38
KingPush    All-in       £41.67    £100.79    £0.00
walks2311    Call       £17.07    £117.86    £7.31
KingPush    Show   
Q
Q
walks2311    Show   
6
4
walks2311    Win    Straight to the 7    £116.06       £123.37

Accept the risk
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Ransom
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« Reply #473 on: October 14, 2016, 01:06:16 AM »

Hand History #1088096525 (21:16 13/10/2016)
Player   Action   Cards   Amount   Pot   Balance
Jrubis25    Small blind       £0.10    £0.10    £12.41
KingPush    Big blind       £0.20    £0.30    £58.68
     Your hole cards   
Q
Q
          
kidwiz10    Fold            
walks2311    Raise       £0.60    £0.90    £65.59
stingerbil    Fold            
Jrubis25    Fold            
KingPush    Raise       £2.20    £3.10    £56.48
walks2311    Call       £1.80    £4.90    £63.79
Flop
         
3
Q
10
          
KingPush    Bet       £1.18    £6.08    £55.30
walks2311    Call       £1.18    £7.26    £62.61
Turn
         
5
          
KingPush    Check            
walks2311    Bet       £5.00    £12.26    £57.61
KingPush    Raise       £13.63    £25.89    £41.67
walks2311    Call       £8.63    £34.52    £48.98
River
         
7
          
KingPush    Check            
walks2311    Bet       £24.60    £59.12    £24.38
KingPush    All-in       £41.67    £100.79    £0.00
walks2311    Call       £17.07    £117.86    £7.31
KingPush    Show   
Q
Q
walks2311    Show   
6
4
walks2311    Win    Straight to the 7    £116.06       £123.37

Accept the risk

Punters gonna punt.

Bet bigger flop IMO
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SuuPRlim
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« Reply #474 on: October 14, 2016, 09:22:37 AM »

We're both in a similar situation I think.

As mentioned, we are both 10 years too late but are far too stubborn to give up something we've sunk so much time and effort into. It's frustrating to think about how you could have got on in poker if you know what you do but it was 2005 again. Like you watch old EPTs or WSOP on Youtube and think "Jesus I would be printing money if I could go back in time".

We probably both have days where we think this is going to work out after all, and then we get cruelly reminded that poker is a massive soul crushing grind a lot of the time unless you're one of the super-elites.

I stopped having an interest in become a 'pro' a long time ago. You don't need to be the piss bottling, hoodie wearer with 3 monitors on the go to enjoy poker and make a few quid out of it.

If your BR is £500 per month, and it never increases much even if you win because you dip into it to pay for living expenses - then you need to find another source of income for a while. If only to keep you sane when someone gets there in a big pot against you and you don't feel you need to cash your remaining money off so you can eat more than instant noodles that month. Get away from poker for a couple of months, save a bit up, go out and explore. You might find that you prefer it this way.

When I got back into poker about 4 years ago, I was jobless with no real direction. Just split up with my girlfriend I was living with, and freshly moved to Bedford because I had nowhere to stay back in Cornwall and my family moved up here. I got ~£110 in jobseekers each fortnight. Saved up £300 of it and put it online, and then LOLpunted it because I hadn't played poker for 3 years and the 10NL crowd owned my soul $3 at a time. I developed an obsession with it as a way to get my mind of my shitty situation in general, and after getting a job a couple of months later I had a nice floating bankroll that I could replenish if I had a bad month. Because there was no real financial burden on me, I could experiment with different things in poker and not stress if it went badly.

About 3 months into that, I really wanted to do it for a living. Until I actually tried to. I had decent results, but it felt no more liberating or free than working a normal job. I used to see people on the tube in London with their suits and briefcases all miserable because they have to spend their lives in the corporate office bubble. I used to really look at them and think they were stupid, and that I've found the greatest life hack in the world in poker. 21 year old me thought he'd never be a suit with his head buried in paperwork from 9-5, and that it was the nut worst situation in life for anyone. I thought that until the 'grind' became a grind. Instead of being buried in paperwork, I'd be buried in hand histories all day. I'd go days without speaking to anyone, living off cheap energy drinks and Dominos pizza. Stuck deep for a fortnight before getting out of it and back to even. If those people on the tube saw me they'd be the ones laughing I reckon. I was free in the sense I didn't have to clock in and report to an overbearing, micromanaging boss, but the reality of it is I was stressed, not sleeping and neglecting myself so much for the poker dream that I was slowly going mad.

---

There are always going to be mutants in poker that show up on the EPT having just turned 18 and seem to win the world within 6 months, and it's tough not to compare yourself to them and get a bit down about it because you've been at it for a while with bugger all to show for it except GoldStar and 15000 Starscoins.

It's easy to tell you to get a job and take some time off, but if you're anything like me in 2012 then taking time off would make you feel like you're drifting further and further away from what you want. I think it might be what you need though. Some steady income, something else to focus on for a few hours a day.

If you're as like minded as me as I think you are, then I think it could be just what you need.

Superb post. I will follow it up if you don't mind Smiley
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moustache
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« Reply #475 on: October 26, 2016, 01:40:57 PM »

Update please, how are you getting on?
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KingPush
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« Reply #476 on: December 04, 2016, 02:23:38 AM »

Been a while. Back into full time education now as the qualifications I did have were in no way good enough for me to do anything I wanted or was capable of. Poker wise I've still been playing and studying a fair amount but only microstakes on N8 and a little bit on sky and just churning a little bit of money but nothing life changing. So yeah nothing has really changed although I guess I am no longer on the road to be a pro. I'd still like to get as good as i can possibly be at the game though whilst getting good at other stuff. I still enjoy the challenge and the learning of it extremely enjoyable and also I don't think there are many other things in life where you need to be top 10% in your pool to make any money, if not you lose money. Because of this I think poker forces you to try to get better whereas doing your average 9 to 5 I think you are generally encouraged to stay the same. I still can't see myself doing that in the future, working a 9 to 5 for someone else. It just doesn't appeal to me, I know I have been called a nihilist in this thread before but I don't really care, and that's probably coming from a place where you also had those thoughts as well until you bottled it or realised it was never really what you wanted anyway.

On the other hand, I can definitely see how poker is and can be a pretty damaging thing. It provides a great escape for people who are just running away from other issues and i definitely think this was one of the reasons I started. As Ransom said you feel like its a life hack but in reality you are just running away from actual life. As with all things I think poker can be part of an abundant life and it can also be a terrible method for people not to really live a life at all for whatever reason, eventually though you are going to have to shit. And yeah being a poker pro really isn't what it is cracked up to be for most people and i don't think i'd recommend it to anyone unless they genuinely loved it but i wouldn't recommend anything to anyone unless they generally felt like it was something they wanted to do and were inspired to do, rather than something they needed. I won't lie though I still see myself playing high stakes one day online and live but I'll be happy if I don't as well.

https://youtu.be/wzdrAU8q0fk?t=12m50s
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Magic817
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« Reply #477 on: December 04, 2016, 03:57:57 AM »

We're both in a similar situation I think.

As mentioned, we are both 10 years too late but are far too stubborn to give up something we've sunk so much time and effort into. It's frustrating to think about how you could have got on in poker if you know what you do but it was 2005 again. Like you watch old EPTs or WSOP on Youtube and think "Jesus I would be printing money if I could go back in time".

We probably both have days where we think this is going to work out after all, and then we get cruelly reminded that poker is a massive soul crushing grind a lot of the time unless you're one of the super-elites.

I stopped having an interest in become a 'pro' a long time ago. You don't need to be the piss bottling, hoodie wearer with 3 monitors on the go to enjoy poker and make a few quid out of it.

If your BR is £500 per month, and it never increases much even if you win because you dip into it to pay for living expenses - then you need to find another source of income for a while. If only to keep you sane when someone gets there in a big pot against you and you don't feel you need to cash your remaining money off so you can eat more than instant noodles that month. Get away from poker for a couple of months, save a bit up, go out and explore. You might find that you prefer it this way.

When I got back into poker about 4 years ago, I was jobless with no real direction. Just split up with my girlfriend I was living with, and freshly moved to Bedford because I had nowhere to stay back in Cornwall and my family moved up here. I got ~£110 in jobseekers each fortnight. Saved up £300 of it and put it online, and then LOLpunted it because I hadn't played poker for 3 years and the 10NL crowd owned my soul $3 at a time. I developed an obsession with it as a way to get my mind of my shitty situation in general, and after getting a job a couple of months later I had a nice floating bankroll that I could replenish if I had a bad month. Because there was no real financial burden on me, I could experiment with different things in poker and not stress if it went badly.

About 3 months into that, I really wanted to do it for a living. Until I actually tried to. I had decent results, but it felt no more liberating or free than working a normal job. I used to see people on the tube in London with their suits and briefcases all miserable because they have to spend their lives in the corporate office bubble. I used to really look at them and think they were stupid, and that I've found the greatest life hack in the world in poker. 21 year old me thought he'd never be a suit with his head buried in paperwork from 9-5, and that it was the nut worst situation in life for anyone. I thought that until the 'grind' became a grind. Instead of being buried in paperwork, I'd be buried in hand histories all day. I'd go days without speaking to anyone, living off cheap energy drinks and Dominos pizza. Stuck deep for a fortnight before getting out of it and back to even. If those people on the tube saw me they'd be the ones laughing I reckon. I was free in the sense I didn't have to clock in and report to an overbearing, micromanaging boss, but the reality of it is I was stressed, not sleeping and neglecting myself so much for the poker dream that I was slowly going mad.

---

There are always going to be mutants in poker that show up on the EPT having just turned 18 and seem to win the world within 6 months, and it's tough not to compare yourself to them and get a bit down about it because you've been at it for a while with bugger all to show for it except GoldStar and 15000 Starscoins.

It's easy to tell you to get a job and take some time off, but if you're anything like me in 2012 then taking time off would make you feel like you're drifting further and further away from what you want. I think it might be what you need though. Some steady income, something else to focus on for a few hours a day.

If you're as like minded as me as I think you are, then I think it could be just what you need.

Superb post. I will follow it up if you don't mind Smiley

Serious slowroll going on!
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Magic817
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« Reply #478 on: December 04, 2016, 04:08:36 AM »

Been a while. Back into full time education now as the qualifications I did have were in no way good enough for me to do anything I wanted or was capable of. Poker wise I've still been playing and studying a fair amount but only microstakes on N8 and a little bit on sky and just churning a little bit of money but nothing life changing. So yeah nothing has really changed although I guess I am no longer on the road to be a pro. I'd still like to get as good as i can possibly be at the game though whilst getting good at other stuff. I still enjoy the challenge and the learning of it extremely enjoyable and also I don't think there are many other things in life where you need to be top 10% in your pool to make any money, if not you lose money. Because of this I think poker forces you to try to get better whereas doing your average 9 to 5 I think you are generally encouraged to stay the same. I still can't see myself doing that in the future, working a 9 to 5 for someone else. It just doesn't appeal to me, I know I have been called a nihilist in this thread before but I don't really care, and that's probably coming from a place where you also had those thoughts as well until you bottled it or realised it was never really what you wanted anyway.

On the other hand, I can definitely see how poker is and can be a pretty damaging thing. It provides a great escape for people who are just running away from other issues and i definitely think this was one of the reasons I started. As Ransom said you feel like its a life hack but in reality you are just running away from actual life. As with all things I think poker can be part of an abundant life and it can also be a terrible method for people not to really live a life at all for whatever reason, eventually though you are going to have to shit. And yeah being a poker pro really isn't what it is cracked up to be for most people and i don't think i'd recommend it to anyone unless they genuinely loved it but i wouldn't recommend anything to anyone unless they generally felt like it was something they wanted to do and were inspired to do, rather than something they needed. I won't lie though I still see myself playing high stakes one day online and live but I'll be happy if I don't as well.

https://youtu.be/wzdrAU8q0fk?t=12m50s

Have followed the diary for a while. Should of posted more before but haven't so apologies...unless what I say is rubbish and if so, you are welcome for me not posting more!

You need to think seriously about what you want. You seem to think of extremes. A 9-5 job means you dread it from day to day and cant wait to get out the door. That is bollocks, that means you have the wrong job/are in the wrong industry. You can be just as passionate about the right job as you are about poker. However if you think the path to get where you want is easy you are kidding yourself whether that be in poker or in a job. You are young and with whatever you do you are the bottom of the ladder. There isn't a magic formula apart from be passionate in what you want to succeed in and work hard at it. You seem quite driven in one post then in another you talk of working hard and doing 60hrs a week. 60hrs a week if you are passionate about a future in something is the kind of commitment you need I would say. Gone are the days were you can do very little and make a chunk from poker. Winning mirrion aside from an MTT, the only way to make a go of poker is to grind your arse off and constantly increase your roll and slowly play bigger and increase the amount you make. There isn't a sensible quick fix.
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tikay
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« Reply #479 on: December 04, 2016, 10:05:58 AM »



^^^^

Tremendous post.

And for background, the author of that post has a day job (though I'd not call it 9-5) & makes, in relative terms, very good money at poker. But he works real hard at both jobs. 
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