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How to Become a Professional Poker Player – The Elite Poker Strategy that Turns Enthusiasts into Poker Pros
While the vast majority of online poker players are recreational players, enjoying the game for entertainment, there are still a sizable number who look at poker as a way to make money. That could mean making regular profits from cash games or amateur tournament wins, but in terms of a poker career, being able to play online poker professionally is the ultimate dream.
Playing poker for a living, travelling the world to tournaments and winning millions of dollars seems like an ideal lifestyle, and for a lucky few it is. But what does it really take to be a professional poker player, and how do you go from being a good player winning regularly, to the pro circuit, playing for a living and everything that goes with it?
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Study the game for at least 20% of the time you put aside to play poker
Poker is a game where learning and improving is a journey that never ends. However high you rise in the ranks of poker players, there is always room for improvement, areas of your game you can refine for better outcomes.
If you want to become a poker pro, allocate at least 20% of your time dedicated to poker to study. Study game theory, strategy and hand values, but most of all, study yourself. Use your hand data to look back at hands played after every session. You must be objective and able to be self-critical here, identifying areas of your game where you could do better, and then working on it to improve your decision-making.
It is a constant process of refinement, because to sit at the top of the game as a professional, even those tiny 1% improvements can be the difference between being an also-ran or a poker tournament champion.
Don’t just play one type of poker to be a poker pro – You must have a broader understanding of the game
Even if tournament play is your goal, keep playing cash games too, as it allows you to refine your game in different ways. In particular, cash games focus on deep stack play, which might seem redundant for tournament poker, but in reality, you start every tournament playing deep stack, so it makes sense to keep improving your game in that area.
By constantly refining your game across multiple disciplines, you can become a better, well-rounded player who makes the most of your skills in every situation. This is important for anyone who wants to make a living playing poker, whatever they play, including cash games and tournaments.
To become a Poker Pro, apply a work ethic as you would for a business
If you want your poker playing to be your career, then treat it like your career from the outset. That mindset will not only help you maintain focus on achieving your goal, but instill a professional approach to the mundane aspects of your play, keeping profit/loss records, and identifying performance issues and leaks in your game that are holding you back. This will instantly set you apart from many poker tour players, and is something you can’t learn from poker training sites.
This approach even extends to the way you live. Being ready for your games means more than having the necessary entry and physically turning up. You need to be in the right mindset, staying professional will help you keep yourself healthy and in the best condition to play to your best at all times.
Use poker software to become a winning player
Poker software can help you rapidly improve your game, providing unmatched detail of your hands for analysis after each session. It can also provide valuable information on your opponents and makes for the perfect practice opponent that lets you focus on specific aspects of your game or more general training.
To play poker professionally, learn from other players
Look at how the very best players approach their professional careers, and learn from them. If something works, and works well, it doesn’t matter where that information comes from, use it. That applies to the game itself, but can also be how they train, how they prepare for games and more. Even when and how they travel to a tournament, what they do outside of playing poker, everything that can give an edge can help you too.
Always look for things they are doing that you don’t do, and try them. Not everything that works for someone else will help you, but by trying new things, you will find the solutions that do improve your game, and those are the ones you stick with.
Evaluate your bad beats objectively to find weaker aspects of the game
Perhaps the most important part of the journey to becoming a professional poker player is the ability to evaluate your own performance objectively. Being honest about mistakes, problems with your game and areas where you just got it badly wrong are crucial, because without accepting these things, you cannot improve them.
It is often tempting to simply blame bad luck or some other external cause for poor performances, but that simply leads to repeating the same mistakes again, as its no ones fault so nothing can be done. It is essential for anyone aspiring to reach the professional poker game that mistakes eliminated, weak areas of the game refined and improved, and that means accepting responsibility for them in the first place.
Conclusion
It may seem like a dream life, but it is one of hard work and both physical and mental stress. However, if becoming a professional poker player is your goal, then with a lot of hard work and perseverance, a commitment to study well, learn from errors and continually improving your game, you can reach that goal.
FAQ:
What are the key steps to becoming a professional poker player?
Improving your game enough to be able to hold your own against other professional players through careful study, practice and constant performance analysis to find those 1% gains that give you an edge.
How long does it take to become a successful professional poker player?
It depends on you as an individual and where you are with your ability as a player right now. Most professionals have been playing at least 5 years and often much longer.
Do I need to study poker theory to become a professional, or is experience enough?
You need to have a deep understanding of the game itself, experience can only bring you so much, you also need to master pot odds and other theory aspects to have the foundation you need to win hands at the professional level.
