Tips for Becoming a Professional Poker Player

06:20
11 Aug

There’s a lot more to becoming a professional poker player than simply playing well most of the time. Beginners who harbour ambitions to one day make a living at the felt don’t always appreciate many of the wrinkles that come up, and therefore don't prepare correctly.

Here are a few tips to consider before jumping into the pro game.

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Practice Makes Perfect

There’s no getting away from the fact that in the early days it’s all about study and practice. Always think about where this practice is done, too. Many players prefer to keep away from the mainstream online poker platforms and look for super soft games found on online casino sites.

There are guides such as casinoenlineahex.com/ that help people find the best site. Make sure that you feel comfortable playing on your regular site.

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Bankroll Management

If there’s ever a tip that was roundly ignored it’s this one. Anybody who ever wants to play poker for a living must learn how to manage their bankroll. Taking too much of a risk with your capital will eventually lead to you going broke.

Ignore any stories you’ve ever heard about well known stars of years gone by who repeatedly went broke but are still playing. Many of those names are playing on borrowed money.

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Learn a Balanced Strategy

To one day become a professional, you must learn a complete, balanced strategy. Many players are still stuck in the old days and stick with an ABC plan that doesn’t include much bluffing as they’ve been told that’s the way to win without much risk.

Playing poker without bluffing correctly is like only playing half of the game.

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Learn about the Mental Game of Poker

The poker landscape today is much tougher than it was even a few years ago. For that reason it has never been as important to make sure that your mind is properly prepared to perform at its best.

The mental game is far more than stopping yourself going on tilt. It teaches you how to recognise why it even happens and how to prevent it from affecting your game.

You will also learn how to learn. Adults learn differently from children and must pay attention to different factors to make the learning process as efficient as possible.

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Prepare Your Personal Life Before Taking on the Pro Life

It should go without saying that you should get your house in order before giving up your job to play cards for a living. On top of the bankroll management advice you should also make sure to have at least 1-2 years worth of living expenses put by, in case everything turns out differently than hoped.

Many players won’t admit it, but there is a big difference in how it feels to be playing for fun and playing to put food on the table. Mentally this is a totally different prospect and often previous results are no longer a strong indicator of what to expect in the future.

The cure of any ills of this kind can be found in your study of the mental game. But that said, prevention is drastically better than the cure in this case. And it’s not even close.

Never ever put yourself in a position where you’re playing with scared money because your decision making process will deteriorate. With plenty of life saving to back up your goals during the early days the pressure will be much reduced.

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Be Honest with Yourself about Your Expectations

It is natural to feel a certain level of excitement when you’re tantalisingly close to being good enough to call yourself a pro. You might have worked for years to reach this point in your career and now it’s all within your grasp.

Unfortunately for many players, they cannot resist making the jump up before their game is ready. This can be a fatal mistake which has the potential to cripple your hopes for the future, or at least set you back by years.

Any player who is considering making the jump will have an idea of what a good sample size is for their game of choice. Before making a final decision, complete honesty with yourself is a must. Just imagine the pain of not making it once you’ve packed in your job and having to go looking for work again.

Don’t make the switch to professional poker if you even think for a second that there are some improvements to your game that are needed.

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Final Thoughts

Professional poker is a tough gig in 2021. It’s not as easy as it was in the glory days of the mid-2000s, but it is still achievable given a lot of effort. If you think it’s for you then go for it, but don’t ever think it will come easy if you don’t prepare yourself in the right way.