What would be between a ameteur and semi-Pro poker wise?

Question

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Answer 1

Interesting question.  I've never really given it a ton of thought until you raised the question.

After some thought, I think once someone has demonstrated 10 grand in profits pulled from the poker table, they just can't be considered an amateur anymore.  Semi-pro becomes a more appropriate term for this player.  I know this definition isn't perfect, but it's a quick answer without going into further explanation.

One problem with this definition is if you consider someone very wealthy that buys in to the "big game" in vegas, runs lucky against the best pros in the world for an hour and cashes out for a 10 grand profit and never plays again.  That's not a semi-pro.  But, that's a fairly contrived counter-example to my definition.  Another counter-example would be someone making an entry into a big tournament and netting a 10 grand+ prize.  A semi-pro isn't someone who make a big score here and there, but someone who also demonstrates a high level of skill over a long period of time.

Maybe in addition to the 10 grand in profits, you could add a requirement that they've sustained this profit margin at roughly their current game level over at least 1,000 hours of play.  This is a more conclusive definition, but generally the 10 grand definition is adequate barring extreme examples such as noted above.

So, in conclusion, a semi-pro is a player who has played at least 1,000 hours at the current level of play and has netting a profit of at least 10 grand at that level.  Compared to true poker pros, that's still a very modest entry into the sport.  But it's still a level above a true amateur.