Is poker a best way to make a living while you're still looking for a job?

Answer 1

If you dont have a job then you obviosly dont have very much money (unless you are lucky and have a inheritance in which case you wouldnt ask this in the first place !). The problem is if you dont have too much money then you dont have a bankroll. As a pro in a no limt game of texas holdem you need at least 2000-4000 times the bb for the stakes you are playing. So if you wanted to play .50/1 you would need at least 2000 dollars. (if you are playing it as a hobby you just need 1000x-2000x the bb, but as a job if you lose you bankroll you're ****** for life and would have to work at mcdonalds).

Even with 2k dollars you can only play .50/.1 and your hourly rate will only be about 10 dollars/hr. And if you didnt have any real income you would have to use this little money to buy food, increase your bankroll, pay for your internet, rent etc.. So basically its a grind AND it will get boring.

Then of course you have to be good at it (know all the important concepts). Then ... you need to resist the urge to go to higher stakes because you feel you arent making good money. Then.... you need to resist the urge to dump all your money away because of monkey tilt because you got rivered by a one outer that cost as much as the filet mignon you were planning to get.

Of course, if you are really desperate then go for it by all means OR if you love the game. But there are alot of obstacles. Maybe try doing it for like 2 months. If you're not feelin it .. then try another job and just play it as a hobby.!

jayellison: if poker is soooo lucky then why are there pros?? I mean they are consistenly winning. Are they consistintely luckier than us? Not just pros, but a lot of people are winners consistenly. Its the people that belive in luck and go allin with 10,5 that end up losing everything because they think they can flop a boat And you wont end up losing everything if you have some bankroll management and are somewhat good.

Btw if you want to make money consistently you should play a tighter style. You can multitable easier, have less varience, and pay less attention to hand reading. if you need money quck because you are being blackmailed or something a lag style is better, but you need to put more effort because its a lot harder to do.

Answer 2

NO!!!

Work for a temp agency, do some handy work or house cleaning, or get a job waiting tables... ANYTHING that generates immediate income! (Assuming you need it, that is.)

I'm a good example. I'm a very solid player that's been playing with a positive EV since I began about ten years ago. I know first-hand just how hard it is.

A while back I lost my job at a time in my life that I was pretty much living paycheck to paycheck. (I made plenty of money, but admittedly blew most of it on booze, b*tches, and assorted other spoils.) What's worse is that it happened during a time of the year employment is impossible to find on the tourism-dependent island on which I live. :(

So, having payed my bills with poker before, I got back into it out of necessity, really. Let me tell you, there's a BBBBBBBBIIIIIIIIIIIIIGGGGGGGG difference between playing with disposable and scared money.

For example, I nearly folded pocket aces pre-flop once. I was already stuck and could not afford to lose my remaining chips and still leave enough money just to gas my car up and hit the job trail again the next day. Imagine being in that situation -- two players all-in (both in the dark, no less) ahead of you and one you know for certain will call any bet behind you. Sure your aces look like a dream, but in reality you have less than a 50% chance of having the winning hand at showdown with that many players! Thank God both I and the gentleman, er moron, left to act behind me had the other two goofballs covered which made for a decent side pot and the ONLY reason I called. And thank God I did, won big, was dealt queens on the very next hand, won again, and went the hell home for the day with a nice profit. How often would that scenario play out the same?

BTW, a day or two later I got a good job and now play poker (with a hell of a lot less stress) for spending cash. And I've now grown up and actually put money in the bank rather than b*tches' bras. ;)

Anyway, that's just an anecdote as there are surely plenty of better players than I out there. You may be one of them. Nonetheless, even for a truly gifted player, playing professionally, especially if you're shortstacked right now, is not likely worth the stress.

Answer 3

Heh... yeah, kid. Bring your money, put it in the game. You're bound to have some kind of luck.

Of course, you'll probably get an expensive lesson that the luck you'll get will be all bad. If you're asking questions like this, any decent poker player will skin you alive, rub you down with salt, and leave you whimpering on the curb.

Save your money, and try harder to get a job. Flip burgers, work at a nursing home, sweep streets, clean offices, sweep up after the late shift at the local factory... you can find something if you're not too proud to take the work, or too lazy to do it.

Answer 4

I am going to have to guess your bank roll is low and that money is your living expenses, so in that case it is not.

I feel you need to have at least 6 months of living expenses and a large enough bank roll before you turn pro.

Poker is mainly a game of skill (some luck is involved) so before you decide to go pro you will need develop your game, it is not as easy as it looks on TV.

If you are looking for a full time job, get a part time job first, those are easy to find. Play poker you have with your extra money after your expenses are paid. If you start using the money you live on to play-you will be playing with scared money and will not be able to play your best.

Answer 5

Why look for a job? Just stake your house and become a professional poker player NOW! Do it!

Answer 6

No one can truly make a living playing cards. The poker pros u see playing on tv have endorsements, book deals, and even some collect money off the rakes of their affiliated poker website ( full tilt, pokerstars, ultimatebet, etc )

Now if you played hours and hours a day and staked yourself at thousands of dollars and headed to a lower limit table and picked on the small stacks after hours and hours of play with pots of 5 dollars max you might make 20-30 bucks day playing hours and hours. But most games for that very reaon have a max u can bring to the table.

Not to mention with the profit you MIGHT make than you have to wait weeks to get the check in the mail if u live in the US or have an additional fee to draw out your winnings from a site like Epassporte or netteller.

Thats like you going to Bank of AMerica to cash ur hard earned money and them wanting 7 percent of it.

Short answer. Dont bother playing poker for a living. In a game of chance ( which poker is a lot of chance/luck ) you are going to end up losing everything. And without a job in the first place how do u rebuy in ????

Answer 7

definately no, unless you are too good

Answer 8

only if you win lol