I have been playing live poker recreationally for over 25 years. I am a winning live player over time and one of the most frequent questions I get is why I don’t I play poker professionally. Normally, I just respond with some off the cuff remark like “Too much pressure” or “I am too old for that” but the reality is I have given it a lot of thought and the answer is much more complicated. Here are some of my reasons why I never became a professional poker player.
I Want The Game to Remain Fun I love playing poker. At the end of every trip I wish I could stay longer and I always hate going home. I believe that going home is what keeps the game fun. I go home and get to be a mom, an entrepreneur and a community member among many other roles. When I play poker I leave all that behind and I get to just play. No responsibilities, no commitments. Just fun (and sometimes frustration if I am playing badly or losing). I am not sure I would feel that way about poker if I had all my responsibilities along with the daily grind. When I am playing poker I have the luxury of focusing on poker. If I was a professional then my other responsibilities would invade my poker space and could very well effect my play and take the fun out of the game. In the end, I am very happy to keep my poker persona and my real life persona separate. I Like to Make Correct Decisions I always take a set amount of money with me on my poker trips. This money doesn’t come from the kid’s college funds, our mortgage account or will prevent me from buying groceries if I lose it. This money is designated for poker and it gives me great freedom when I play. I don’t have the responsibility of my poker money funding my life, so I can make correct decisions not safe ones. It allows me to play aggressively, take chances, try new things and “go” with my gut. If I were playing professionally, I would also play with the intention of making correct decisions but how realistic is that when my poker playing is responsible for a certain amount of income? I realize plenty of people do it and do it successfully. If the truth be known that seems like a lot of pressure that I don’t really need or necessarily want. I Use My Gut I feel more confident making decisions based on my gut feeling when I can afford to be wrong – because sometimes I am. I would be hesitant to play that way if my life’s bankroll was on the line. The truth is I do use the math too but sometimes I know I should go against what the math is telling me. This of course is only an issue in big pots. Pots that can swing a winning session into a losing one in a single hand. If I was playing to earn income instead of just some extra money to buy my next handbag, I would be less likely to use my gut in those big pot decisions even though it's those decisions that make me a winning player. I Like the Social Aspects of the Game I hope the fact that I play poker for fun is coming through in this post. Part of the fun is chatting and socializing at the table. This helps me in building player profiles and understanding the kind of player I am up against. Socializing at the table also puts me in a great frame of mind for making good decisions. I play better when I am positive and having fun. I know that will sound stupid to some but looking back on my logs, where I jot down things like table dynamic and my mood, it has proven to be a factor. If I was playing professionally, then I would want to treat it as a profession. I think it would change my table personality and as a result could affect my play and my ability to have fun. I Value Money I work hard for my money. I am afraid if I played professionally, I would settle for moderate gains to avoid risking a big loss. As it is now, as a recreational player, I take money that I expect to lose. I let my play and the players at the table determine whether I stay, not the amount of money I have won or lost. I know over time if I am making correct decisions I will win. But the variance that occurs will be more unsettling as a professional and the value I place on money could be detrimental to my play. It is pretty obvious that I am not meant to be a full-time poker professional. Could I be? I think so but I would have to work on changing my mindset. Right now I am happy with the way things are. Well, I would be happier if I was closer to Vegas but you get the point.
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AuthorI like sport and all types of gambling games. Also, I`m a writer, so I help people to understand the online casino niche and other related niches like betting on sport, iGaming etc. Working with gambling projects: Archives
May 2019
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