Are you thinking of taking your love for Poker to the professional level? It is an interesting proposition, after all. Professional poker players are known to earn a large portion of their income by only playing Poker. Becoming a Poker player might require dedication and skills, but it can also be played for fun and leisure.
It might not be easy to drop your 9-5 job and make a living as a Poker pro, but isn’t it with every other profession? A professional poker player makes a living out of playing online or offline Poker. The game is based on playing live tournaments or in Casinos to win cash wagers.
The life of professional Poker is filled with ups and downs, as is with every life opportunity. Everything has its pros & cons, and it likely is the case with playing online Poker on a professional level. Before you get on the path to follow your dream of making it big in the field of professional Poker, hear us out.
Pros of Being an Online Poker Professional
1. Flexibility & Freedom
Being an online poker professional is easily another career where you are your own boss. You choose the hours, the days, and the time of the day when you wish to work. There are no defined holidays, so you can take an off as and when you wish. No early mornings, no deadlines, and neither no office you need to travel to every day.
While you hold accountable only to yourself, on the other hand, it can also be troublesome not to have any disciplinary rules to work by. So, make sure you have the mental endurance & discipline for this career.
2. Pursuing Your Dream
The majority of the employment section is based on employees dragging themselves to the office and through the 9-5 jobs every day. There are only so few who have it in them to drop the whole charade and follow a career path of their interest. So, if you have a great understanding and skills for Poker, the only remaining factor you need is the vigor to pursue your dream of becoming a professional poker player.
And if you are simply passionate about making money, what can be better than professional Poker? “Being in it for the money” is actually the game’s sole purpose. You win big if you have the right strategy and passion.
3. Decent Earning Potential
Without a doubt, Poker is the hard way to make an easy living. Nevertheless, once you become skilled at what you do at the table, really good money comes your way. The best poker professionals around the world are making millions of dollars every year. The amount is much greater in comparison to any other profession.
So, if you have the will to improve, work hard, and learn your way through the craft of playing some good poker hands and winning at it, chances are that you get to the point of making decent money and a comfortable living soon enough. And, fewer taxes are to be paid if you are playing cash games!
Cons of Being an Online Poker Professional
1. The Stress of Instability & Variance
Certainly, a conventional 9-5 job will give you what Poker never will; stability and security, both financially and mentally. While being an online Poker pro may give you the thrill and excitement of doing what you love, the disadvantage to it is the inevitability of negative variance and an unstable income that’s normal in businesses.
There will always come that point where you experience downswings in your winnings. There is no avoiding that since the game is also heavily dependent on your luck. What you can do is be emotionally as well as financially prepared for such downswings. Acceptance is the key here.
2. A Test of Your Patience
As mentioned before, you need to have or develop mental endurance to become a pro at online poker. Be it the start of your career or the middle of it, patience is tested at every point. You need to be patient through the bad beats and not let them affect you or discourage you.
So, getting into this field will ask for endurance and patience before you start earning big. There is no need to worry as these two qualities are the fundamentals of even your 9-5 job or any other business. What you need here is to acknowledge that you need to change your mindset and approach toward life as per the circumstances.
3. Initial Capital Investment
Poker is all about cash wagers for the professionals. So, obviously, you need to have some money initially as well so that you will begin playing. Since wins cannot be guaranteed, you must have an initial capital that can cover a beat.
We are not trying to scare you off, but there are some down moments as in other professions. So, make sure you can cover the losses on your own before getting into the professional poker field.
With the right strategy and knowledge about the crucial factors, excelling in any career turns easy. Even with some cons that Poker has, a controlled lifestyle can help you take advantage of all the pros to an extent where cons shall feel diminished.
