Response to 2+2 forum thread: Life as a "poker pro"

I replied to a post on 2+2 that someone mentioned on the pokerisk forum, thought I'd leave a copy of the response I made here as I think it is an interesting and undeveloped subject in the poker world (especially good for any players looking to go pro)

The thread + his story can be found here http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/54/poker-beats-brags-variance/2-years-degeneracy-tl-dr-also-pather-aler-1124887/ my response to it is below (and on the thread) - the gist of it is that he has been a poker pro for a few years and its messed him up mentally and financially lol and he seemingly has no direction in life.

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In my opinion mate, you need a "manager" for your poker - most successful poker players do this them self (maybe without even realising); but this person, especially if he plays poker but not at the same level/with the same passion as you and is already a friend who cares about your well being, this could bring a lot of benefits....even if just as a friend to help you through the tough times which every poker professionally goes through, financially and mentally!!!

We have to remember that poker playing as a profession is relatively new to the world, there is so much we need to learn and understand about it for it to work, e.g. the luck factor that no-one can control, how do we manage or prepare for something we cannot control? We also have to understand (as with most things in life) that to be a winner you have to stay ahead of the game - it is the same as having your own business, except this is in an undeveloped environment....

There are no standards or "starter packs" for poker players (you have to find it and learn it yourself, the good thing is that it is maturing very fast due to the internet and forums such as this and other learning facilities), you are not taught it at school or university, you don't know how good you have to be or how much luck influences the game, how much money you need to start out, what games you should play, how often you should play, how to prepare yourself mentally - any person could just go for it as a poker pro tomorrow and throw them self into an oblivion of financial and mental instability that could last for years and have a very negative outcome (which unfortunately sounds like you I am sorry to say). No generation before ours has done it before, you can't ask your e.g. dad, who has been a butcher for 40 years, how to manage your bankroll to sustain variance or how to cope/get out of a down swing that has lasted 3 months lol!

Anyway I think a manager could help you, s/he could; manage your roll/determine your game selection/control your temperament/provide encouragement and motivation/create ambitions and goals with you/talk honestly with you about how you feel and what you want to achieve/aid you in improving/etc.

I would not be surprised if in the future poker "managerial" services are offered to full time players as consultancy, although I guess some of the staking companies and mentoring services do this already but not so specifically....however there are certainly a lot more books focusing on it rather than poker strategy in recent times.

I've been playing poker for 3 years full time and there is a lot in your story I can relate to (although a lot less extreme lol, saying that I did live by myself for 3 months in Vegas playing poker on borrowed money only to come home to England with a big debt and very depressed :X) so I can't help but have a soft spot for you ha

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I think with girls just remember that they are a little bit more sensitive than guys...so maybe tone it down a bit around them? lol although lets be honest no-one really knows anything about girls, so it's not worth worrying about. You might as well just be yourself and have a good time. What happens, happens.

I think you should aim to be a good person though, it makes me sigh to read about your story's of drugs and hookers....have you ever slowed down for a second and asked yourself "what do I really want to achieve with my life, who do I want to be, how do I want to get there? Is this what I want???". I do not say this to pass judgement, as it is not my place to, but to offer my opinion.

Seemingly long reply apologies.

Hope it works out well for you, and gl at the tables ;)

Vegasngative

I havent posted for a while so thought I would put on here a response I wanted to keep anyway that I made on the pokerisk forum to a question about flips in MTTs

Intial post:

i m finding my self losing flips which take me out in latter stages of mtts regularly. is this because i havent done enough work previous to the hands ( ie not big enough stack) or because most mtts arent that deep later on . do you knowledgeable people of risk think thats its possible to regularly get there without taking on flips for your life?this maybe a little result orientated post but i.m tryin to avoid the flips as much as possible thruout my games of late .cheers for any opinions you care to share

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My response

Basically - I think no.

I think if you do win a tournament and have avoided any flips, then you are probably running very well in other areas, which you could say is covered under a general "run good" factor (i.e. there is more to running good than winning flips!! like flopping well, steals & re steals getting through, having position on a fish, etc.).

I think there are times in the tournament where you have to flip due to the situation or you lower your chances significantly to win the tournament.

There is always that balance between estimating when it is best to risk your tournament on a likely flip - against considering your stack size, position in tournament, the payout structure, how tough your table is (etc etc etc!).

I think the key is to review every situation uniquely and make what you believe is the most profitable play in that unique situation....that's what I think gives an edge in the final stages of the tournament to the top players, where flips are most common.

Having a lot of showdowns for only a % of your stack I think is very wise also as you will find yourself in a lot of "+EV" situations without the ICM "-EV" of going out of a tournament, and then you can re-evaluate your position and stacks size, etc. in the tournament post the outcome of the flip.