Becoming a Professional

Becoming a professional poker player is something that many players dream about. Chris Moneymaker has done it, Boris Becker has just announced that he is going professional, and even Ben Affleck has taken his interest in the game seriously enough to win some big games, including a win of $356,400 in the 2004 California State Poker Championship.

Whilst becoming a professional is not the easiest goal to achieve, it certainly isn’t impossible. Here’s our advice on how to improve your chances:

Hit The Books – Although you can win the odd game with a basic knowledge of poker, you won’t be able to win consistently enough to make going professional viable until you know the game inside and out. Your first task is therefore to hit the books and study the game seriously. Books like Super System by Doyle Brunson and Harrington on Hold’em by Dan Harrington are a great place to start as well as Poker School.

Build A Bankroll – Instead of taking out another mortgage on your house to create an instant bankroll of £50,000, start small and build a bankroll by playing in your spare time. The advantage of doing this is that you won’t be able to afford to go professional until you have demonstrated an ability to succeed at small stake tables. Most professionals play ring games to bring home the bacon in the early stages of their careers, with tournament winnings being viewed as handy bonuses.

Create A Safety Net – Before you quit your day job, make sure that you have enough money to live for at least a year without any income. If you don’t have this safety net in place, the pressure of having to play poker for a living could hit you too fast, too soon, and actually prevent you from playing well at the tables.

Don’t Rush – Although being able to call yourself a “professional” poker player is certainly attractive, it isn’t necessary if all you want is to make big money. If you have the skill required to make money as a professional, you certainly have the skill required to make money in your spare time whilst keeping your day job in place.

If you follow this advice and discover that you are consistently making more money from poker than you are at your day job, and you have money in place to act as a safety net in addition to your bankroll, by all means give it a go. But be warned: becoming a professional poker player is not easy, and you may well decide to return to playing on a part time basis in the future, so don’t burn any bridges.