Are You Strong Enough To Be a Pro?

Have you got the tools to be a professional poker player? You might know your straights from your flushes or your full house from your set, but have you really got the mental assets to tolerate the highs, the lows and the many inbetweens that a professional endures each day, week month and year? We look at professionals enjoying amazing results and earning millions of dollars and wish we could do it too, but everything I read suggests it’s far less straightforward than we might think. Professional poker is a tough way to make an easy living, so let's look at the facts.

Poker Toughness

Professional poker is tough and anyone that tells you otherwise probably hasn’t played professionally for any length of time. You need a mental toughness to tolerate the swings you will certainly encounter as a player when you make the correct call but the cards do not reward you. If you are a laid-back character you will have the best chance of success, but thinking you are laid back will be given a stern test by the poker gods.

The silver lining is that as you gain experience you will encounter the bad beats in all their forms and if you can withstand them and maintain your professionalism and your status as a professional you will find your ability to resist the emotional swings improves. Having experienced them once you will be well-placed to tolerate them again. As you gain experience you will congratulate yourself for being tough enough to handle it.

Relationships

It might be difficult for your family and/or your spouse to understand your chosen career path and see it as a sensible choice for you based on expected results and a definitive edge at the tables. We know we have five streets in Texas Hold’em, none of which are easy street, but your family or spouses family may still feel you are searching for an easier life than holding down a job. Perhaps you are, but it will still be hard work.

There is the potential that your relationships will suffer. Many poker players find having relationships with other poker players, either platonic or romantic, helpful as they understand what you go through. That does not mean your non-poker playing spouse must be replaced, but you must manage the relationships carefully. With the stresses of poker to deal with, a difficult spouse or added stress via negative energy from other relationships are an unwanted distraction and a drain on the mental strength you need to succeed.

It is important not to become obsessed and put poker before your relationships with family, partners and friends, however, both you and they need to understand it will be a priority. Poker will be your livelihood so it must be as important to you as their job is to them. On the positive side, you will have more freedom to put more time into your relationships and set your own schedule.

Health

Without real effort you could slip into an unhealthy lifestyle. Sitting at a computer desk all day can lead to back problems if you have bad posture, so consider a standing desk or ergonomic chair and mouse. In the short-term this may seem over-the-top, however, surely you are planning to make poker a career long-term?

Are you engrossed enough in poker to play for many hours each day without getting bored? You must build balance in your life with alternative interests and hobbies to keep you mentally stimulated. Use Twitch, bankroll challenges and travel to poker tournaments to maintain variety and interest. Do not get stuck in your bedroom playing poker for hour upon hour and finish not knowing whether it is day or night, with your only gauge on whether your are feeling good or not whether your bankroll is up or down for that day.

Wealth

When the dust settles, we play to win money. You have to stay ahead of the game over the long-term to be a winner and this takes hard work and dedication. Can you put in this work on an ongoing basis? Do you believe you are the finished article already? If so you are in for a surprise as most pros constantly work very hard to stay ahead of a game and it’s getting harder to win all the time. Your longevity as a professional depends on whether you are humble enough to consider yourself a player that can and should improve. Treat this as a positive thing as it gives you a reason to work hard where you need the drive to keep motivated to renew yourself and your game on an ongoing basis.

These are just some of the challenges you face. If you have read this article and are still determined to become a professional I commend you on that dream and I hope you achieve it. With hard work in all areas you can get there.