Can it be done

[jimmym]

TP we were thinking investing 10k on your comments do you reacon 60k would be the amount needed, the very most we could afford to lose in the year if worse was to happen would be $20k £15000, before I would have to return to work. Personally do you think this is enough. Obviously I would be looking into having a planner up and running of what tournys schedules ect to enter play in ect.

Who knows we may meet in a wsop in coming years.

[JDMcNugent7]

I personally think u will HAVE to learn to play and consistantly win at cash games if u want to do this professionally - and at decent limits too - unless u are just a crazy good tournament and SNG player - cash games it is very possible to win a good, and consistant amount of money , this can't be said for MTT's - and i guess SNG's u can win at a pretty consistant rate, but cash games are where the consistant money is at.

[2Tone]

Sorry man, I know this is not what you asked for, but …

Don’t do it.

Take the advice of Phil Ivey
(, the other posters on our forum and 2+2, and re-consider.

If poker is enjoyable now, it won’t be if you are doing it 40 hours a week. Even if you did enjoy playing for 40 hours a week, knowing that paying your bills depends on not getting sucked out on could ruin that fast.

If you want to play more poker, that’s great – go for it. Take a two week holiday, and put in 80 hours in front of your laptop if you want. Or join a bunch of us at the WSOP – I’d love to buy you a beer. And if you want to take a shot at higher limits, 10k would certainly allow you do so as well.

But putting the pressure of earning your living playing poker, especially without a long and proven track record, is most likely a mistake. I don’t mean to be discouraging, but it would be irresponsible to advise anything else.

That said, I would also imagine that rake back would be much more lucrative than bonus clearing at the volume of play you are talking about. The only bonuses that might be worth it are the massive ones at HollywoodPoker, which you’d basically have to play full time to clear anyway. You might also want to check out occasional TP poster O Doyle Rules, who is trying to organize some benefits for extremely high-volume players.

Best of luck, and I look forward to hearing about how it goes no matter what you decide.

[Boobie Lover]

It should be noted that to take advantage of bonuses, you will be forced by most sites to play cash games. The exceptions are Pokerstars, Full Tilt, Bodog, and PokerRoom network. Pokerstars is doing the VIP thing, so don't expect a bonus, um, ever.

I agree with the sentiments of the above posters that at some point bonus whoring just does not make much sense. I would recommend reading post on bonus whoring and why they become futile once you move past micro limit play.

[eejit101]

I agree with TP when he says bonuses are not worht going after. However, i see noone has mentioned rakeback... There is a site offering 45% rakeback on all tables over 0.50/1, and if your playing for a living then this is surely the way to go? This rakeback isnt my making, its something i know someone is doing, and its on the prima network.

Surely that would be a big factor in playing for a living? correct me if im wrong

[Boobie Lover]

For a player to make a living they have to play on the big sites. The Prima network is the home of the biggest cash games on the net (watch mahatma sometime), but the majority of the mid-high limit games, are basically non existent on that network.

I would say the only poker room that offers rakeback that has some game selection is UB

[PShabi]

Don't forget about Party Poker!!!!!

You just gotta know where to look.

[junYUN]

just to put in my 2 cents...

i had this same idea about a year ago and went full blast at poker, as a profession. i quit my job that paid me enough to pay my bills and have a decent amount of spending cash afterwards...... and ive never regretted anything more. after about 2 months of playing poker 40 hours a week i was absolutely washed up on the "fun part" of poker. i usually made enough to cover about what i was making with my job... but the key word is usually. there were at least 3 or 4 months out of that year where i either had losing months or not enough to cover my bills. poker instantly went from being something i loved to do to something i had to do.

when your rent money is riding on that TPTK against a couple of rags and they hit runner-runner you want to throw up repeatedly. since then i have gone back to the working life and im glad i did. i probably play poker once every other week now... so its pretty much lost its appeal to me. if you really enjoy poker... i wouldnt recommend it.... unless you can make tons of cash.

edit:
lol i got a negative reputation hit for this post.. awesome