Going (semi)Pro

[PShabi]

Well, in a couple of weeks, I'll be on vacation for the summer. No work, all poker.

I've decided to try and set some goals for myself, to see what it would be like playing professionally.

During the 2 months I'm off, It is my goal to play a minimum of 30 hours/week. Right now, I'm probably at around 10-14 hours, so it will be a lot more poker. But, I'll have a lot of free time. I'm going to try to go at it like a job Monday, Wednesday, Thursday 8 hours a day. If I can stomach it, I'll squeeze whatever else I can into the other days. I've never played much more than 6 hours straight before, but I'll be able to knock out 8.

I'm going to start out 4-tabling 3/6. Rakeback should be nice. My goal is to eventually get to the 5/10 6-max tables. I do have some work yet to do at 3/6 though, as this level has been tough for me so far.

Will I get rich? Will I die trying? Will I get sick of poker? I'm interested in seeing how this turns out. I'll also be looking forward to being able to sharing my trials and tribulations with you guys. Look for more posts starting late in the first week of June.

School's out for summa!!!!!

[junYUN]

good luck...

[Talking Poker]

This should be fun for us to follow. Try not to go bust, and of course - let me know if you want to switch and play under me, like we have talked about

[junYUN]

TP check your PRIVATE MESSAGES i have a secret message for you

[GeoffM]

14-16 hours a week ???

Hell, I might as well call myself semi-pro, I play somewhere around 30 hours a week as it stands now. I hope to eventually move up in limits but as of now just trying to build my current bankroll (~$2,200) up to about $4,000 before I do that.

[Aequitas58]

Very cool, Shabi ... when do you start? This Monday? Keep very accurate records. I would suggest an excel spreadsheet in addition to PokerTracker, which you already have.

You mentioned that you want to have the BR for $5/10 short... is there a reason for that, or is that where you just want to be? Assuming that the standard bankroll for $5/10 is $3000, I would imagine you need more for the 6-max tables. $4000, or $4500.

[lightfungus]

well good luck man. Im on summer vacation but i dont quite have as much down time and will start a job at beginning of june. honestly i think i have more time for poker during the school year, but then again i dont think you are a student. i look forward to following this adventure.

[badblood44]

If I may offer any bit of advice, it is to take regular breaks during your stints. Perhaps every 2-3 hours, get up for 20-30 minutes and recharge. For me, I find my skill drops at about the 3 hour mark and if I planned to play 6-8 hours a day, I would definitely need a break.

[Kurn]

I'm going to try to go at it like a job Monday, Wednesday, Thursday 8 hours a day. If I can stomach it, I'll squeeze whatever else I can into the other days. I've never played much more than 6 hours straight before, but I'll be able to knock out 8.

I'm going to start out 4-tabling 3/6.
[/quote]

I'd suggest not doing more than 4 hours straight. Play 4, take 2 off to eat and chill out, then play 4 more. Much easier on the brain cells, especially if you multi-table.

[junYUN]

breaks, breaks and more breaks. usually when i know i have to be living on my poker funds for the month i play in 2 hour spurts, for a total of 6-7 hours a day.

[Talking Poker]

For someone who plays that much... you should PM me too.

Do you have an Empire account yet?

[GeoffM]

Empire
Party
Stars
UB
Absolute
Pokerroom
Paradise
Interpoker
Noble
True

Think that is all of them. PM ME if you can find any more.

I play 4 hours every night after work 5 hours X 3 days a week, Saturday for about 3 hours and Sunday, well lets just say I have been known to top the 10 hour mark at times. But minimum I'm on 25 hours a week.

Keep in mind, I will need O8 traffic.

[junYUN]

god damn thats a lot of poker

[Talking Poker]

Maybe your girlfriend or brother or someone you know needs an Empire account............................

[Reel Deal]

Good luck pshabi... will be looking forward to reading the trials and tribulations of a semi-pro!!

[Aequitas58]

Since you're playing for a living, but you're only planning on playing certain days out of the week, why not try to get more weekend action? I would imagine that Fridays, Saturdays, AND Sundays are much better for action as opposed to any weekday.

Just something to consider.

[PokerGreed]

It's encouraging to hear others with similar thoughts. I too am taking some time off this summer and will be playing at a pro/semi-pro level. It doesn't seem to be extremely difficult to accomplish a reasonable annual income via low stakes multi-table play (I currently play 10 tables simultaneously).

Definitely keep up posted on your progress.

[GeoffM]

If my ex-girlfriend stops being a duchebag, you're on. I'll keep you posted man.

[Tony Cheval]

Good luck, I'm trying to take a step back myself after living a couple months off poker (and savings). Personally I think I have disipline and related issues to conquer before I can truly call myself a 'good' player, though I can certainly bottom-feed all right at the moment. And they're so right, you need to put your time in, but not too much at once, remember that 'phoning it in' is far worse in poker (or anything else where YOUR money is directly on the line) than in your average job.

[Talking Poker]

10 tables??? Holy crap - what site(s) do you play on? How many hands do you play per week or month?

That is a LOT of poker. I guess at low limits where it so mechanical, you can get away with it. I'd love to see your numbers. What are you, around 16% VPIP, I bet?

[PShabi]

Actually, let me clear this up. I'm not "playing for a living" in the traditional sense. My salary is paid out over the whole year, so I'll still be getting a pay check every two weeks even though I'm not working.

I'm not playing for grocieries or anything like that. But is a serious source of secondary income and it is going to be my total focus during those couple of months.

I have ABSOLUTELY no desire or intention of taking this past the point of a really cool "summer job." I feel good about it knowing that I won't have the pressure of trying to make ends meet playing poker.

[Talking Poker]

This is the perfect situation to give it a real shot. I think you're going to do well.

[ChipFish]

You should do quite well Pshab.
Good luck