Posted by Dan Cahillane on July 22, 1997 at 18:24:55
Background:
31 yr old CPA, playing poker in home games since about 8 years old. Nearly always a winner against the local boys. Very much an instinct
player-no real background in the statistical side, although the ability to develop those skills is definitely there. Have play in Vegas and
various cardrooms maybe ten times with this background-again with NO formal study-in low limit stud and hold'em and have basically
broke even-showed a small profit. From everything I've read it seems like a perfect foundation to build a poker education on, but I guess
it's just in the back of my mind that playing professionally still sounds like such a dream come true that surely it's not attainable. Just
self-doubt I'd like to think. Any thoughts anyone?
Being smart, having card sense, and poker instinct make up a great foundation for playing poker at a strong competitive level. However, it doesn't happen overnight. Beating the locals and breaking even at low-limit casino games is a good portent for your poker future, but it takes A LOT of hours to develop your skills and these hours need to be against increasingly more difficult competition.
One comment I'd like to take issue with is Mr. Sklansky's: "Since you are already a break even player using purely instinctive abilities and obviously given your CPA status you would have little trouble learning the technical side of poker, it seems clear that reading our books ought to immediately elevate you to expert status."
Internalizing the 2+2 catalogue is a must, but one shouldn't think that a couple of months of study makes you ready for the 40-80 game at the Mirage. You should seek out decent size games in your area (10-20 should be a minimum) and play as much as you can to practice your book learning and develop your skills. The best way to improve at any competitive endeavor is to compete against tough opposition. Game selection is very important once you're playing for the rent but til then try and play with the better players. After, say, 1000 hrs or so, assess your progress. Keep detailed financial records. See the formulae in Gambling Theory & Other Topics to assess your certainty in the validity of your results.
A second thing I'd like to comment on is the line: "playing professionally still sounds like such a dream come true that.." Playing professionally is a good thing. But dream come true may overstate it a bit. If you're able to beat the big games (say, earning $100k/year), it is probably very rewarding. But there are many pro players making $50k/year. Is this your maximum earning potential? As a CPA, I'd think your goal would be significantly higher. There are also many other drawbacks: smoke, questions of self-worth, no health insurance, no retirement, to name a few. Of course, if you make it to the very top you can probably take care of three of these, but not very many people make it to the very top. That's why it's the very top.
WARNING: Semi-indulgent pontificating starts here. Stop reading now if you don't care.
I played my way through college and when the job market went into recession in 91 and I had no exciting prospects upon graduation, I continued to play. I played for a living throughout my 20's and my "dream come true" was to develop myself professionally and "go legit." Now I'm 30, working in an entry-level position making significantly less than I did playing poker, but I've found my "dream come true." I still play as much as I can, but it is much more enjoyable when there is zero financial pressure. Without having a rent leak, I'm able to build the bankroll to the point where hopefully I can "take shots" at successively bigger games. If after many hours of play in big games, it becomes apparent I can make more money playing cards than i EVER can in legitimate employe, than that might interest me enough to go back. Anyway, I'm not much of a psychologist or anything, but I'd just say you gotta really decide what your "dream come true" is.
Last Modified 2/9/00