OMG.

I am a semi-pro. . Last month, I was in the most awful losing streak I ve ever been and just moved up to NL$50 and finished with +$1500. About 600 in bonus. 16K hands at 6-7PTBB/100. I lose a bit playing limit 1/2 in the criptos (I hate that game!).

As I said in the NL section, I live in Dominican Republic and I´m a Civil engineer, recently graduated. I am worth about 700USD/month in this market and I just dont want a job for that. I have some other investments that help me out. I am single and dont pay even rent because I live with my father for a few days and with my mother for the rest of the days (might be odd in USA but here that s standard: doing 500-700/month there are not many options).

Last month losing streak proved me that you can actually make a living out of this (I mean I COULD) . That damned losing streak was the most ubelieveable shit I have seen (poker related that is) and still I managed to not lose my ass on it. I have family in the USA who are not doing $1500/month and they are living, not in luxury but living. Specially out of the big cities where people need to leave a kidney monthly to pay the housing-rent.

Anyway, before I took this seriously I was in a vacation and was experimenting. After april, may, june (broke even because of another poorly handle losing streak where I lost 12buy ins) and july consistently winning I think I could depend on poker income. My win rate is not very clear to me, because my style has been changing a lot in all this time. I think now I should do something very near 10PTBB/100 (my last 8.5K hands - 11.75PTBB/100, the last 14.5K hands 7.24PTBB/100, mostly because of the osing streak, which is part of the game) at the NL$50 tables. That is way more than the max I could get in a job here. Anyway I keep another source of income because as rdale and Kenny said, this is gambling.

I just dont understand how this guy wants to leave his job for something he hasnt been successful. DESICIONS. Every day we take a lot.... success depends on how much of them are right and how much wrong.....your friend is soooo wrong there stealth.

Rdale said it all. Very nice post!

Uhmm something else. The most hijacked thread of all times of all forums I think was (or IS because we are still hijacking!) "Question for the Iceman".

rdale's post should be isolated and carved into a granite rock and placed somewhere those who follow can use as a guidepost. That was close to perfect.

Stealth, Re: your friend, Quixote

I'm sorry to say you're wasting your time. He isn't going to listen to you, or me, or rdale's brilliant advice above. He's simply beyond the help of anyone but a qualified professional. Sorry if that's harsh, but it's the truth. Your friend may be suffering from severe acute or chronic depression. I hope he will get some counseling before he falls, or leaps, off a cliff. He's headed that way...straight to Hell.

Re: the hijacks and hijackers

Guys, all in good fun, but sometimes you gotta know when to be serious. This was one of those times. There's a life involved here. Sorry to be an ass, but this was one of those times when it was not appropriate.

CJ

I agree, Rdale's post is gold.

As someone who is going to take a shot at going pro for a few months next year I am taking on board as much as I can. I have basically about 9 mths to bullet proof my game as much as possible so I am as ready as I can be. Even playing as I am I have had some awful losses but I am coming back for more.

I think the mental aspect cannot be over looked. Up till now when I have played and won it has been nice. I don't have an dependency on winning and when I lose beyond the frustration I can deal with it. I am playing right now putting my mind in the pro stance, i.e I am setting myself targets to reach and seeing how things go.

Last month I had it nailed till the last weekend when I managed to lose $500 playing $100NL! Truth is there were some poor hands and some bad luck attached. Lesson, walk away quicker. The good thing being that I am hitting these walls now so when they happen in future I can see the patterns of behaviour and get out quicker.

I think this friend does need to put a lot more thought into it and should really be "dry running" himself to show he can do it. I know I have targets on where I want to be by the time April comes for me to be confident I can pull this off. Its the time I am putting in now that will dictate for me whether next year works out.

Rich

I think rdale's post should become some kind of sticky somewhere so it is not lost in muck of what is the "Anything Goes" forum. Not that I don't love all the filth peddling that goes on here but that post is a serioius piece of advice that I think alot of people should read. It certainly helps put alot of things in perspective, I know it did for me.

Excellent work rdale.

Did your friend get that book? Might pay big $$$ to do so.

He needs a good psychologist. He does NOT need to try to be a professional poker player.

Addictive personality. In Vegas. Needing to make money to pay the bills -- bills he doesn't even want to pay in the first place, because he resents hix ex.

God. What a disaster waiting to happen.

I'm not a religious man, but if I were I would be praying hard for this guy.