I have made 40k Playing Poker but am lost - What Do I Do? - Please Give Me life advice
I have just turned 20 years old and started playing poker around the beginning of the year and it has really taken off. I am going to be completely transparent about every aspect as to what has happened over the last 8 ish months because I do not know what to do. From January-May I made around $1200 on Ignition Poker playing both .05/.10 and .10/25. I was never quite able to move up in stakes because I was a broke college student and was using money I made from poker to keep me afloat as I had no other source of income, but everything changed in late May when I got home for summer and decided to try out a new site in America - ClubWPTGold. I initially deposited 200 dollars and was immediately bewildered at the softness of the games. I was absolutely crushing and was flying up stakes while also improving at an exponential rate. By the end of June, I made $7500 playing up to 200NL, where in July I started shot taking 400NL. In July I made 18k and in August I made just over 10k, even though I went through an ugly downswing. In September I am now playing 400NL/800NL (if the tables are good at 800) and almost nobody knows about this. While I am aware and grateful of the sites softness, I find it highly unlikely that almost anyone is beating the games for as much as I am, as I personally believe there is only one or two regs who I can confidently say are better than me. This whole scenario has led me to the question - What tf do I do?
I am an academically overqualified student at a state school because I wanted to play a sport in college. I am going to graduate with a dual major in Finance and Accounting as well as a Math minor but at this point have little to no chance at landing an elite job after university, and have very few to no connections. I dread the idea of working a desk job, but I also don't enjoy the stress of playing poker (Albeit I think I would enjoy it better than a job). In my state online poker is completely legalized, meaning I will have access to games against American players for the indefinite future. I can also play live poker when I'm 21 where I assume I will crush if I can crush 1/2/4 and 2/4/8 online. Everybody says absolutely do not rely on poker as a source of primary income, which I understand why, but every sign has led me to believe I can make it work. I have had a knack for math and strategy games my whole life, and once I became obsessed with poker I rapidly became good, and I know I still have so so so much more room to grow.
But even if I can survive and maybe make 6 figures a year playing poker then what? There is no end goal rather than to just keep stacking money, I have to continue to be at the table to make money. In business and finance there always the prospect one day of starting your own firm, but poker it's I don't know move up in stakes? I am just at an extreme crossroads as to what to do after I graduate in 2027, I know I still have plenty of time to figure it out, but I am an extremely calculated and planned out individual, and I typically don't like to do something if I don't see how it can lead to something bigger.
Is it possible I could get extremely good and become one of the best out there? I really don't know. Is it worth finding out? I don't know. Should I just give up the whole thing and slave away at a desk? Maybe. I just have no opportunity anywhere else and am feeling stuck behind others who went to better schools with better internships. But I have this stupid game generating me more money than they will make out of school I just don't know if it is worth it. I am generously asking someone who has experienced something similar or even lived longer than I have to just give me some guidance, because I can't get this monkey off my back of fear of the future and if poker should be apart of it. Thank you for any responses.
There's a few things to consider
1.) How many hands have you played, smaller samples i wouldnt bother making life plans around
2.) ClubWPTGold will likely be banned in the majority of states within the next year or so
Regardless just keep playing so long as you enjoy it and see where it goes, considering altering your life path over winning 40k isn't exactly a particularly good idea
It's possible you're actually good, it's possible you ran very hot and maybe wouldn't have as much continued success or on other sites if CLUBWPT goes down - too soon to tell anything so stop sweating it.
Anyway the end game with poker is make enough money to pursue whatever exit plan you have, it's very unlikely these days to make retirement level money in the US with the remaining time online, particularly NL cash, has left if you're starting from essentially scratch.
Edit - I just skimmed your post and you have a dual major in finance and something, just go get some entry level job you could see yourself reasonably happy at after a 5 year track and play poker on the side - if you manage high winrates over 1M hands or something then consider your options.
On WPT Gold I've played 125k ish hands. Maybe I ran well but I also think that my win rate is way way way too high for me to not be crushing under any circumstances
Also - I'm in Pennsylvania which has online poker legalized and is one of the most gambling friendly states especially when it comes to online
125k hands doesn't mean that much, regardless why dont you just try out playing on pstars or something and see how it goes. I haven't played on clubwpt so dunno how it compares to other sites.
Your options aren't play full time starting tomorrow or never play poker again
I agree with alot of the first reply and WPT gold won't be in business anywhere in the states in the near future with the way it is going atm, if they keep being banned in state after state then even then there won't be enough of a business reason for them to hang around in the ones they are not.
If it was me I would continue with my career and play poker on the side. GL with whatever you do and wish you the best.
I agree 125k hands isn't much but win rate is probably north of 15 straddles/100, idk the exact amount because I can't track hands. But it would be an extremely statistically anomaly for me to not be a big winner at the bare minimum. Also I beat ignition micros when I first started playing for 6 BB/100 at 200k ish hands.
I'm not trying to belittle whatever you've done, im saying it's not anything close to what you need in terms of empirical evidence to start asking the questions you are re: your future.
If you can get an ok job, id do that and play part time, if you're beating 500+ comfortably over 400k hands or 200nl+ if you're willing to play 70k hands a month then consider if you want to pursue it for a few years.
Having 125k hands with a good wr is definitely awesome, but when it's on a sweepstakes site and you've never had the experience of playing full time, going through downswings ect.. it can be a lot to jump into.
I dropped out of college once I started beating 200nl and moved to mx so I get what you're thinking, but it was a different time/landscape back then - today starting from the same spot i would absolutely not do that.
You sound a bit more goal oriented than purely passionate about poker so probably will be better off going down the career road if you're looking for more well defined upward mobility than just "moving up stakes"
The problem with the current state of poker is profits per year have gone down over the past 10 years for the average winning player, and inflation/cost of living has gone up at least in the US. The other issue with poker is it's basically impossible to scale other than just playing higher stake games where you need more money, take on more risk, are more stressed, etc. You get paid for your direct labor(playing) - you can't hire someone to play for you. If you're 20 you have plenty of time so maybe give it a go, travel the world, enjoy your life. If you get to 27 and realize you don't want to do it anymore then start something else. Personally I only see poker viable if you can make a lot of money (250k+) and really set yourself up for the future. Making 100k-150k a year is ok in your 20s but if you start a family it's not really sustainable in the US.
I am generously asking someone who has experienced something similar or even lived longer than I have to just give me some guidance, because I can't get this monkey off my back of fear of the future and if poker should be apart of it. Thank you for any responses.
First off, you talk about how "good" you are as if it's a static state and not a relative one. Crushing one pool over a smallish sample doesn't mean anything except that you are likely way better than the players in that pool. What are you doing to study? Describe your methods and how much time per day/week/month you are devoting to them. Describe what steps you are taking to evaluate your game, both from a theoretical level and a practical level. How much time per day/week/month are you devoting to playing poker? How many tables are you averaging over this time? On how many sites?
In general, poker is a very poor full time job and a very good part time job. You're young, but everyone here has been where you are. Stay in school, get your degree, maybe get your MBA, get a decent job, make connections, move up in the world, play profitable poker to supplement your income. Try to break your mindset that you have to own your own accounting firm or play super high rollers or be the best at something in order to have a worthwhile life. Find some hobbies, make some friends, look for a balance in your life where you are the happiest for the most time.
Focus on career first. Online poker is fickle and likely has a downward trajectory.
Live poker isn't much better. Best case scenario is if you have a rare combination of being somewhat charismatic and a great player. Then be a vlogger like Rampage/Mariano, rake in the big affiliate money and get invited to the juiciest games.
I've thought about making a YouTube channel I am just a very very introverted person and I don't know if I could pull it off. But I think it's worth a shot potentially
First off, you talk about how "good" you are as if it's a static state and not a relative one. Crushing one pool over a smallish sample doesn't mean anything except that you are likely way better than the players in that pool. What are you doing to study? Describe your methods and how much time per day/week/month you are devoting to them. Describe what steps you are taking
In terms of studying, I have a GTO Wizard subscription that I use almost daily but could definitely devote more time to studying. Right now I probably play poker for around 4-5 hours per day but it's hard with school and playing a sport to put in insane volume. You are probably right about the fact that I am too hyper focused on success but I think a lot of it comes from the fact I don't really have many friends or close family and am generally very unhappy. Maybe it will change and I won't care so much but who knows.
Try and get a real job and play poker as a hobby/side income (if you enjoy it).
In terms of studying, I have a GTO Wizard subscription that I use almost daily but could definitely devote more time to studying. Right now I probably play poker for around 4-5 hours per day but it's hard with school and playing a sport to put in insane volume. You are probably right about the fact that I am too hyper focused on success but I think a lot of it comes from the fa
Well generally speaking success and more money isn't going to make you any happier. For for a short time and if you're a type A personality then the fact you're fulfilling your drive to succeed you will find some happiness in the process of that
However, there's not some amount of money or title you're gonna get where you just feel like you've made it now and you're just happy and content. You're going to have to find that inside yourself rather than searching for accolades outside yourself expecting them to bring it to you. In fact for many people getting ultra success/money only makes it worse bc the thing they thought was going to give them happiness is finally achieved/attained and they don't feel any happier and now get more depressed that they seemingly have no answer to their issue they thought they were fixing
If you have no real friends/close family atm you're actually in a good position as you really don't have much outside influence attempting to direct and then either approve/disapprove of the life you're living. I'd just spend a fair amount of time meditating and getting acquainted with your own thoughts and emotions and what drives you and then you'll be better informed how to move forward on your own
Well generally speaking success and more money isn't going to make you any happier. For for a short time and if you're a type A personality then the fact you're fulfilling your drive to succeed you will find some happiness in the process of thatHowever, there's not some amount of money or title you're gonna get where you just feel like you've made it now and you're just happy
Thank you I appreciate the thought out response. I know you're right about everything you just said it's just a tough pill to swallow.
Thank you I appreciate the thought out response. I know you're right about everything you just said it's just a tough pill to swallow.
Yea, the good and bad news is your happiness is in your control. The hard part is taking on that responsibility
What’s your screen name op
Since you've got some smarts, if you don't mind work, or you like work, then you can certainly be successful in whatever job/profession you choose. Way more upside to that path.
The lifestyle of a professional poker player isn't great, can easily get unhealthy (physically and mentally), and is subject to huge swings of variance.
Stay focused on school and your career, and play poker on the side. Poker will always be available.
Since you've got some smarts, if you don't mind work, or you like work, then you can certainly be successful in whatever job/profession you choose. Way more upside to that path.The lifestyle of a professional poker player isn't great, can easily get unhealthy (physically and mentally), and is subject to huge swings of variance. Stay focused on school and your career, and play p
I agree this is definitely the safest and best choice. The only problem is I don't have a good pathway to a solid job out of school at this point.
100% try and get a desk job. You can always play poker on the side, or do it full time if you absolutely love it and find out you absolutely hate a desk job. It is a lot harder doing things the other way around.
I played poker full time for around 5 years and then got a desk job. There is no real comparison. Poker is a complete dead end job. There are no benefits, no room for growth, no coworkers/no networking nothing. It is significantly worse than it was 10 years ago when I left, and even 10 years ago it was much worse than the 5 years before that. I anticipate that it will significantly worse 10 years from now.
For a desk job there are so many possibilities. You can phone it in at a chill job and make an ok salary, with benefits. You can hustle hard and the sky is the limit. So many shades in between. I mean of course you won't have a network at 22, that is pretty normal. Many jobs have at least some hybrid flexibility these days.
And you don't really have to choose between the two. You can do a desk job and then play poker at night/weekends when the games are going to be better anyway.
I agree this is definitely the safest and best choice. The only problem is I don't have a good pathway to a solid job out of school at this point.
If you have a college degree, decent grades, are smart, and are not completely unprofessional (e.g. no showing, not responding in a reasonable timeframe, etc.) then you can land a good job with upward mobility.
Why do you feel like you don't have a good pathway to a solid job with a finance/accounting degree?
FWIW - I went to a state school, majored in math+physics and had done 0 networking or any kind of career planning outside of planning to become a professor. Got into a PhD program, didn't enjoy it, and although it took a good 6 months to land a job in industry, I was making >$100k within 3 years. You could be in the top 0.5% of poker players are still make less money than me and all of my coworkers are making with far less talent and effort.
EDIT: Re-read some of the thread - get some hobbies you enjoy where you can make friends. You will be happier. If anything, going the poker route is going to be very isolating and probably not help at all with your happiness.
If you have a college degree, decent grades, are smart, and are not completely unprofessional (e.g. no showing, not responding in a reasonable timeframe, etc.) then you can land a good job with upward mobility.Why do you feel like you don't have a good pathway to a solid job with a finance/accounting degree?FWIW - I went to a state school, majored in math+physics and had done 0
I guess I feel like I don't have a pathway to a career that will out-earn poker for me for at least 5 years, maybe even more. I am already a junior and have not had a single internship yet and finance is all about connections and I feel like I could have done so much more to put myself in a better situation to succeed after college. But now I've got this and it feels like some sort of redemption for past mistakes but I don't know if it's the best thing to rely on. I feel I am just as capable as many at elite universities, but I simply don't have the same opportunity at this point, driving me to feel like I have to do it on my own. If someone believed in me and wanted to give me an opportunity to break into high finance I would drop poker instantly. But obviously no one would care about giving a random kid a chance and who am I to believe I deserve one over someone else. And I guess I do kind of have hobbies considering I play a sport in college it's not like I just play poker and do my homework and repeat. But making friends is so hard im extremely introverted and withdrawn.
