Has anyone ever quit their job to try to become a professional gambler?

Question

If I ever have the extra cash (which right now I dont) I would like to take a couple of weeks or a month or longer and try my luck at either v ideo poker or regular poker just to see how I would do. When I go to a casino I usually do pretty good and I certaintly enjoy it, I would never quit my job to do this (unless I hit the lotto or some huge jackpot) I was just wondering if anybody on this site has ever tried this. How did you do?

Answer 1

I have never known a professional gambler and I've worked for over 22 years with table games. I know thousands of poker players that play every day but they don't make a living out of it. They watch the same 10 bag float around the same 10 - 15 punters every day waiting for a pigeon to arrive at which point they all try to get some free money and go back to passing the cash around.

Answer 2

I am a pro poker player and have interviewed Greg Raymer.  We talked about this.  You can see the interviews in the Poker Forum of PokerGob.com

Playing poker for a living takes extreme discipline.  It is not as glamourous as it may seem on TV.  You must treat it like a business. I play 6 -12 hours a day and play 5 to 6 days a week.  There are times that I feel I can't lose and play all day, then there are times I feel I can't win.  In poker your job can be an emotional roller coaster, but when you're winning... it is the easiest job in the world.  You must constantly make good near perfect decisions with the cards dealt to you.  

If you are going to try it out.  DO NOT QUIT YOUR DAY JOB or even take a leave of absense.  Begin by playing 4 hours a day and keeping accurate records of wins and loses.  I have been pro for 4 years and wish that I didn't quit my job to play, I would have rather learned how to win by playing and had something on the side to help me through the variances.

I was a mortgage banker before I stated to play and had 10,000 to start with for poker.  I made a six figure income in mortgages and it took me two years before I started to earn anywhere near that.  I cannot say this enough, if you don't have patience and don't keep accurate records of wins/losses don't start.  

Poker is one the hardest careers that anyone could choose, but if you enjoy the game and have patience and know how to handle losses, give it a shot.

-Mark Fortune

PokerGob.com

Answer 3

I had thought about it. The last few weeks I had been doing pretty good at FTP. Thought about quitting my job or taking an extended leave but after the last two days of playing I realized it is more of a fantasy rather then reality. Let me tell you a little bit of what happened. I put in 550 dollars on Friday and I got it up to 4500 on Saturday. Today at 10:30 A.m. I lost everything. I was playing all face cards suited. I was getting beat on the river everytime and whenever I would flop a flush with K high somebody would call to the river and another spade would come and of course he would have the Ace. If you are willing to accept the big swings in poker then you should go for it. They say that Poker Pro's dont really live a great life style. They live stressing off what the next hand will bring as well as how the bankroll is doing. If your Dan Negreanu or any of them who play really high stakes poker then I am sure it doesnt really bother them but for the people trying to make a living off it, it will be really hard. Please if you decide to give it a try make sure you have all your credit obligations paid off and you have have enough money to make it 6 months to a year. I would really hate to see you on here upset over such a huge decision you made. Good luck in whatever you do.

...you say you do pretty good at Casinos. I do also but remember if you play in Casinos and your used to it then it will take you a long time to get used to Online Poker. A lot of bad beats or runner runners. Good luck to you man.

Answer 4

No, I could not do that...

As it is now we have a steady income and can spend some leisure money on gambling say we bet an amount and lose it all we just brush it off - the money was t play at a casino we played and unfortunately lost... but its not the end of the world...

But think of the casino being our only source of income and losing money... it would then be devastating !

... With no leve of stability I just coud not risk that...

Good Luck if you try it though :)

Answer 5

It's one thing to gamble for fun.

It's totally different if you are depending on your gambling winnings to pay the rent.

Answer 6

The problem with gambling is that it is addictive.  I have a son-in-law who is a gambler and has had some decent winnings which he proudly boasts about.  However, he is embarrassed when we ask him how much money he lost before he started winning.  He never brags about that part of it.  When all is said and done, subtract the losses from the winnings, and you're lucky if you break even.

Those people who are professional gamblers on TV have some support from financial heavyweights who take a heavy cut from the winnings.  In my opinion, it would be a very foolish thing to do if one quit their job to become a gamble.