A Glimpse into the Life of a Professional Poker Player

It used to be the dream for many beginners to one day be able to give up their job and dive into the world of professional poker. They imagined if they worked hard enough they would collect untold riches and their image would be published in poker publications all around the world. What wasn’t to like?

In years gone by the likes of Phil Ivey and Gus Hansen were known for their multi-million dollar swings both at the poker tables as well as on casino games. A lot of the high stakes regs were often seen blowing off some steam on the table games when the poker had gone wrong.

Poker might be known as an easy way to make a hard living but that doesn’t put people off at the start. After all unless you have experienced what it really means to be a professional player it’s impossible to know for sure how you will take to it. 

So what does it take to make a card game your main source of income in 2021? What kind of life will you really lead behind the public scenes? Here are some points to consider if you harbour ambition to one day be a professional poker player.

Dedication: There’s no doubt about it. If you’re not dedicated then you stand no chance of ever reaching your potential as a player. Almost two decades after the poker boom began we now have a wealth of information about the game and how the best players achieved their goals. 

Without exception, all of these players were dedicated. People never see the long hours put in behind the scenes, they only see the pros when they’re actually grinding. Natural ability will get a player only so far, but even the most gifted will still have to dedicate countless hours in pursuit of success.

Study routine: It’s a fact that once a player has rounded off all the rough edges in their game then they must take a detailed approach towards fine-tuning their skill set. This isn’t the most fun part of poker by any stretch of the imagination.

Many players find after a while that they only really enjoy playing and studying is just a chore. This will, of course, cause problems later on when they start to plateau and don’t work hard enough to overcome their deficiencies as players.

Travel: Players who are more inclined towards the live game will have to get used to travelling to and from the playing venues. There is no way around it. Live tournament specialists can spend most of the year cooped up in hotel rooms while they are on the circuit. This is particularly the case in the US where online poker is still not fully legalised throughout the country.

Health factors: Poker players of yesteryear were not known for their physical prowess. The poker tables of Las Vegas were mostly filled with specimens that hadn’t taken any kind of physical exercise in a long time. 

Today, keeping fit is seen as a prerequisite to success. Take a look at the top tournament players you see on the high stakes circuit. The vast majority are in great shape.

So not only are you looking at a schedule full of studying, travel, and playing, you also ended to make time for the gym. 

Summary

It is common for players new to the game to underestimate just how busy a professional player’s schedule can be. It is far more work than pleasure, for sure. 

This isn’t meant to kill anybody’s dreams, but hopefully it will make some readers think twice before taking the plunge and giving up their day job.