[Sherman]

[ QUOTE ]
I never judged anyone. I never said people should or shouldn't take a stab at playing poker tournies for a living.

The thread title sums up the motivation for my line of inquiry.

For something to be a profession, smart, talented, hard-working people who apply themselves have to have a reasonable chance of making a good living at it.

I seriously question whether that's the case for online poker tourneys.

First, you've got to put significant amounts of your own money at risk. It's not an investment. It's a job. Significant amounts of time are required. To make a profit at all, you must be one of the very best.

It's kindof like wanting to play in the NBA. That kind of life/career risk. Only the very best make a living at it.

For that kind of risk I think you need a serious payoff if you do succeed. I seriously wonder whether the majority of profitable players are getting anywhere near a payoff that justifies their time/stress/risk. I think you can analyze by working backwards from the top on down.

And, yes, a large part of the motivation of many to pursue poker tournies is the prevailing mantra that getting expert at tournies equates to enormous amounts of money. And the associated lifestyle paraded about reflects that.

I just find it interesting that this may not be the case at all.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think you over-estimate how good one has to be to make money playing tournament poker.

Some people don't make a lavish living playing tournament poker. But they are good enough to get by. They play because they enjoy and don't like doing anything else. Gosh, it kind of sounds just like any other job.