Many people ask how long it takes to become a professional poker player. Our team has consulted numerous individuals who have been professional poker players for over a decade. Consequently, we can give you some insight into the time it takes to become a pro poker player.
However, we must warn you that becoming a professional poker player takes a different amount of time, depending on one’s skills and work ethic. Regardless, we will break everything down for you in this article. Continue reading to understand more about the time it takes to turn an average person into a professional poker player (additional info about poker strategies, tips & tricks are available at onlinecasinobuddy.com).
How To Become A Professional Poker Player: The Meaning Behind The Title
Before we can even start, though, it is essential to understand what a professional poker player means. It’s easy to become confused. An expert poker player is a person who can pay all or most of their expenses and bills with winnings from poker, Rakeback, and other poker-related endorsements and revenue.
Professional poker players have realized the importance of creating multiple income streams from the game. Consequently, you will see many professional poker players streaming live on Twitch, for example. Such entrepreneurship is killing two birds with the same stone. These individuals are making money playing poker and simultaneously creating an income stream through Twitch subscriptions/selling merch/affiliate deals etc.
When looking at how to become a professional poker player, this principle is also applicable to a sponsored pro at a poker site. For example, Daniel Negreanu, a well-known poker pro, was a long-time sponsored pro at PokerStars.
He received payments from the poker site to promote their brand as he played poker. There are countless unknown players online who receive sponsorship offers from several well-known poker sites. Receiving such offers is possible even if you are not a world-famous pro like Phil Ivey or Daniel Negreanu.
However, it is necessary to clarify that most poker pros make a significant portion of their income outside of poker tables. This fact is something that many people don’t realize. Professional poker players make a substantial part of their income from poker-related activities, including sponsorships, branding, and playing poker.
People who don’t try new things and rely on their poker winnings to make it through the more challenging games of today are more likely to fail. Conversely, intelligent poker pros make multiple income streams beyond playing the game.
The Average Time Required to Become a Professional Poker Player
While it may be unpopular to hear, it usually takes a minimum of one year to make a skilled poker player. This period is how long it will take you to master the game and be a consistent winner.
Nowadays, many people rush to become professional poker players. They are often incredibly good at poker for several weeks/months. In some cases, they even hate their day job. However, transitioning into a full-time poker player so soon is almost always a bad idea. The reason is that a mere few weeks or months is not enough time to prove that you are a good poker player.
You’ll often hear or read famous poker players stating that you should play at least 100,000 hands to draw any conclusions about your poker results. However, most people don’t want to hear these words. While their position is understandable, it does not affect the truth of this statement. Therefore, poker’s long-term results are much more valuable than most people believe.
So, what is the average time it takes to become a professional poker player?
Online poker can take many months to play 100,000 hands. Live poker might take a whole year. There are numerous examples of calculations conducted over large sample sizes of PokerTracker during many years of professional poker play. Consequently, most experts agree that 100,000 is the minimum amount of data players should consider before drawing conclusions about their poker results.
However, 500,000 hands are the minimum requirement before experts advise making the life-changing decision to become a professional poker player. Today, most world-famous poker players have played more than 2 million poker hands to date and were consistently winning at the game.
The Crucial Factors Of Becoming A Poker Pro: Lifestyle & Expectations
Considering everything mentioned previously, we must also emphasize that everyone has a unique situation, different expenses, and so forth. For instance, a single man living in a low-cost city like Bangkok will have an easier time becoming a pro poker player than someone with a family in LA.
The point is that the lower your expenses, you’ll need to play lower stakes to become a pro. In other words, you can be a pro poker player faster if you play lower-stakes games. It is also essential to consider your lifestyle and how comfortable you want to be. Do you prefer driving a 15-year-old Toyota or the most recent BMW? Are you able to live in a large apartment or a luxurious condo with a huge swimming pool?
These factors will all impact how long it takes to become a pro poker player.
In Chiang Mai, you can live for $500 per month. Conversely, if you move to a city like Vancouver, you can easily spend $5,000 per month. It is evident which city will make it easier to become a professional poker player.
A Large Financial Safety Net Is Essential For Aspiring Pro Poker Players
Additionally, you need to consider your investments and savings. Experts recommend having no less than six months of living expenses covered by a large reserve fund or liquid assets. This amount should be separate from your poker bankroll and any poker-related fees.
This aspect is critical because poker is a swingy game that can lead to long-losing streaks. Your poker “salary,” while it may exist, is not certain. You will also not receive any retirement, medical, or dental benefits that are often associated with more traditional career paths.
Therefore, professional poker players must be financially readier than the average person for an emergency (liquid assets/savings). Only you can answer all of these questions, including your cost of living, lifestyle expectations, how many people you feed, and your savings/investments.
Consequently, it is difficult to predict how long it would take to become a professional poker player. It may take five years for some individuals, while it could take five months for others. Good luck!
