Hi all,
This will be my first post and this might be as good a place as any. I've been a professional poker player for 3 years, ever since I got out of college. I'll try to convey my thoughts on these things.
I have been very successful, why? Because I was determined, I have read 30+ poker books and I have spent A LOT of time talking to good poker players and having various mentors help me along the way.
There are arguments that poker is bad, you take money from people. But what about poker as a game? It's their choice if they decide to play above their 'limits' so to speak. I am not saying we should ignore these people but what can we do? Stop playing this wonderful game of poker? I played poker for money for awhile and I hit a wall fast. Lately i've been transitioning from poker to starting up a few internet businesses that will be free content websites (I love that concept).
I still like to play poker for the fun of it, for the challenge. It's a fun mind game especially when you play headsup to 5-handed (I play No-Limit Hold'em at the moment, I played Shorthanded Limit Hold'em for 1.5 years).
I can't really say anything about someone going pro, if you want to do it then try it. You don't have to invest your whole life or all your money. I have never put any of my own money into poker. I started playing freerolls and then built my roll from $1.5 I won in a freeroll.
Something poker has done for me is improve my discipline tremendously, I would say I am very very good at handling tilt as it is called in the poker world and this is one of my big edges if you are looking at it from that perspective.
And as the big names in poker suggest, always play within your means. If it hurts losing play lower stakes, it's supposed to be fun, it's just a game!
I decided to chime in, hopefully someone got something out of this!
Something else, I lived and breathed (sp?) poker for 2.5 years, only poker. I loved it but now it feels like I am at an intersection and I have lost interest in playing a lot of poker. I still enjoy it from time to time and I really enjoy talking about it and helping people so that is what I will do!
Cheers
