You, like many other people, are dreaming of becoming a professional poker player. This may because you are unhappy with your job or you just think your good enough to hand with the current pros. Then there is the laid back lifestyle of working when you want to and being your own boss. I am not here to burst your bubble, but you really want to think about this before jumping into it. But we are here to help you out if that is what you think is best for you.

Poker Pros on TV

First off, forget everything you see on TV with poker. TV is going to give you a false sense of reality. To be a poker pro you obviously need to be an excellent poker player. You also need to have a nice size bankroll to begin playing with, and skills to be able to manage that bankroll. You must also be able to handle the bad beats and swings of the games that you "Will" have.

You Must Love Playing Poker

Now this is considered to be one of the most important factors if you are only thinking of becoming a pro. You must completely love the game! Not just like it, you must love it with a passion. If you do not totally love the game you will become miserable with your new occupation. You should be exited to get to the tables every day. If you are not in love with the game this much, find another career. As a poker pro you will go through days that the game will be fun, some days will be horrible. You are going to go pass through long losing streaks, and when you think you hit a rough, there are most probably bigger ones to come.

How to Become a Poker Pro - Tips and Strategy.

To start playing as a poker pro you must first chose the type of game your are going to play in and stick with that game. In other words, you basically want to specialize in an area. Remember that "practice makes perfect". Practice online with money and in freerolls. Play live games with friends, and in different local tournaments. Deal yourself a couple hands and make note of how cards fall. Maybe play poker video games. Practice heads up with as many people as you can for a buck and with different chip stacks.

Get Poker Lessons

Constantly study and read about poker and your specific game. Read many poker books, constantly read poker articles, watch videos, join forums, talk to other poker pros, and join a poker school.

Start with an Adequate Poker Bankroll and Choose the Right Limits

You want to start with a nice size bankroll in the range of 500x the size of the big blinds of the limit your are going to play in for cash games. You "ALWAYS" want to enter these games with the max buy-in. If you show up with the minimum buying, you're starting out as a short stack at the table, and you will get bullied around. You are going to want to start at an affordable limit until you have the maturity and bankroll to move up. Many players win a couple of times in a row and feel they are ready for the next level. You want to play for months in a limit before moving up. The higher the limit, the longer you must stay at that level. You must play at a level where you are going to win a majority of the time.

Poker Pro Lifestyle

It may be easier to become a pro poker player when you are young and single. This is so that you only have to worry about supporting yourself. If you are single, love poker to death, have some money saved, and are VERY good at the game, you can very well take a shot at being a poker pro. The worst thing that can happen is to go broke. It was once said that "There's no shame in going broke, only in staying broke". If you are really thinking about taking the plunge, take our advice, and make sure you try it out before quitting your job. Take a crash course of a couple of weeks in a row to see what it is really like. If it doesn't work out, there you have a day job to go back to.

Courtesy of pokerwants.com

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