Becoming a professional poker player is difficult. Not only do you have to be good at the game, you also have to have a good head for business. To that end, you must learn to treat your beloved card game like a business, rather than a hobby that you have been good at in the past.

If you are thinking of becoming a pro, read this first.

Business element

Like most companies, there will be good times and bad times. You must be prepared for the latter and use the former to make up for your losses. The game of professional poker also needs capital like any other business, and for poker this means having a substantial bankroll.

To that end, you should try to calculate how much you will need to maintain a stable income from playing poker. A very competitive profession, if there ever was one. From the income figure, you can estimate how much you will need to finance your professional gaming career.

Every player has a severe losing streak no matter how good they are. You must be able to cope with this financially.

You are going to work on your own. This is scary and difficult at best, and instead of making a sale, you will have to earn a considerable amount of money for your business to prosper.

Evaluate Evaluate

To become a pro and a better pro, you need to be able to honestly assess your playing style after every game. Ideally, it is best to have an honest opinion of someone you trust. A fresh, unbiased pair of eyes will be able to tell you if you are filtering out too many signals, if your bluff was too obvious, and will generally detect your weaknesses. In essence, you must be able to accept criticism and be honest with yourself to know when your great loss was. All of this will improve you as a player.

As a professional poker player, constant improvement is needed. Otherwise it is a long way to the poor house and back to ordinary work.

The evaluation of your poker game should have already begun. If you can find a mentor or at least someone you trust who understands the game, so much the better. Many players record their games in the form of notes. How much they bet, how much they won, almost every stat you can imagine. Then they refer to them constantly.

Why?

Many professionals started out as good amateur players and realized that playing a game they love for a living would be a good way to live. You most likely have the same mindset. On the surface there is lifestyle edginess that is very attractive. A bit like being a spy. However, the reality is that it is a business and a job. In ten years, will you enjoy the game so much?

You may not see the game again as you do right now. A point to ponder perhaps?

Social life

Once you embark on being a professional, your social life will turn to poker. Poker will dominate: your friends will be poker players, your partner will be experienced in poker, and even your pets will be able to shuffle cards. You will study poker when you are not playing it and your math will improve.

This is an aspect that you must think about to become a professional. Are you ready for change and sacrifice?

Percentages

If you haven’t figured it out yet, you will see poker as a business. This means working in percentages up to the nth grade and then participating in tournaments. You will start to think about the game statistically and, in fact, you will begin to study your own game in the same terms. This is common to most games of chance.

summarizing

A career in poker is tough. Make no mistake, big losses and incredible lows are on your way. There will be times when you will wonder why you thought it was a good idea.

However, with a clear and firm mind, a good business manager, and a mentor or friend who is willing to help you, you may be successful.