If you love poker and always seem to dominate the table wherever you play, maybe you have what it takes to be a pro poker player. There are many ways that you can play poker for a living. Some people go after the big tournaments. Others prefer playing cash games online or offline. You even have people who get rich playing penny tables.
Playing poker professionally is possible, but you need to have a clear roadmap of what you want to do and be prepared for a lot of hard work. Let’s take a look at what you need to start a career as a pro poker player.
Study the Game
There is one thing that all pro poker players share, and that they never stop learning. You should spend all the time that you can on learning the game, watching tournaments, and studying hands and strategies. We suggest that you get yourself a book on how to play poker or get a coach. There are also many poker training sites that you can join or apps that you can use like the WSOP poker app.
Decide What Type of Player You’re Going to Be
You have to decide which type of poker you’re going to invest yourself into. If you’re a good live player, you might want to concentrate on live play, though it would help to get familiar with online poker and online casinos in general if you’ve never played online.
If you’re looking for a great place to start we would suggest you try www.spincasino.com. This will give you some basics on the dynamics of online play and make you more comfortable with playing online.
You should also join as many poker sites as you can. Online poker has the benefit of letting you see a lot of hands and pots, and this could accelerate your progression. You’ll also be forced to take more of a mathematical approach to the game, as you can’t rely on visuals as much.
Join Satellite Tournaments
Once you feel like you have the skills needed, we would suggest you look for satellite tournaments and smaller tournaments in your region. Satellite tournaments are tournaments that allow players to get entry into some of the world’s biggest poker tournaments like the WPT or the WSOP. This will give you a lot of multi-table tournament experience and you might get a chance to play at a table with some of the most famous players in the history of the game.
Be Ready to Grind
Another thing you have to do is be very realistic about the type of career that will be attainable to you. Very few end up being famous tournament players or cash game legends. The wide majority of people who make a living in poker get up early to hit up casinos or spend days playing multiple games at once online. So, while you may think you’ll be playing for a living, it may feel more like a job than you think, and you will have to approach it as one if you want to be successful.
These few tips should increase the chances that you make a decent and consistent living as a poker player. Always remember to keep learning and grinding and your efforts will hopefully pay off.
