Does anyone really make a living playing online poker? We have all heard about big wins different players have had but does this mean they can quit their day jobs and rely solely on online poker to provide for them? Or are we only hearing about the gamblers successes, while they in reality are melting their finances?
Online poker has exploded in recent years with hundreds of thousands of people playing on many different poker rooms. The majority of these players will never experience any long term gains from the game, while a select few will learn their trade and employ various tools to ensure their success. The truth is that in every poker room there are “professional players” making a living from their online poker winnings Trusted online casino. How is it possible that a game which clearly involves sometimes large elements of luck could be played in a way that secures a pay check at the end of every month? Also is it possible for just anyone to achieve this lifestyle? Many of the online poker players I have met fall into 3 different categories in terms of their poker careers.
1st the part time player.
These players play for enjoyment and accept that any given hand may be a gamble and sometimes they win and sometimes they don’t. They have no real interest in learning different techniques or skills to change their game style.
2nd the ego based player.
These players often claim to be “semi pros” telling others about their skills at the table without ever achieving any long term success. These players are the at home gamblers we hear most often from, telling us how well they done in any one game while secretly they drown themselves. This group of players are mainly ego based and need other people to believe they are achieving, they will seldom ever offer to help other players out or talk strategy with you. They may have many of the skills needed to benefit long term from poker but without the proper instruction seem doomed to remain in this category.
3rd the professional player.
I hesitate to use the word “professional” because the player which qualify for this category very rarely claim to be professional. However yes there actually are players out there that rely entirely on their poker winnings to live their lives. The difference between the players and the other categories is their attitude towards the game. They never think they know everything about the game or they believe they are as good as they need to be to win. These players treat poker like any other professional sport; they learn the game inside and out. They practice, poker, they read about poker, they commit themselves 100% to their desired career path. These players will always be keen to talk poker with others, help them learn the game also.
Over recent years I have been in contact with hundreds of different online poker players and I’ve often wondered what differences there are between the long term profitable players and the at home gambler looking for a quick buck. The differences remain in the level of commitment to the game and the eagerness of the successful player to learn and develop constantly. They treat the game like it’s an ever changing playing field employing different tools to ensure they are always at the forefront of poker knowledge. Even during their downtime the career poker player is thinking, talking, and basically living poker. This has often become a detriment to their personal lifestyle, conside carefully the effect on family members and loved ones before committing to a career at the poker tables.
The successful online poker players will use a combination of self discipline, patience, statistics, probability, psychology, and experience along with many other attributes to gain their edge at the poker tables. The ego based players will generally only have limited control over many of these elements. In a nutshell online poker is both a gamblers bane and a career opportunity. The difference will always be in a player’s commitment to improve their game as opposed to their commitment to convince others of their success. A truly successful player gains no benefit by bragging about their wins, but would rather discuss different strategies or poker news.