Should I go Pro? #132890213 (long)
 

OK. Here's a little background.

I am 18 years old and am finishing my freshman year at college (Northeastern University). I started playing poker in high school with buddies and as soon as I turned 18 I deposited $100 into PartyPoker. I lost it all in a day. I deposited another $100 the next day and I haven't looked back.

First semester of school I focused hard on my classes and did my work and got decent grades (3.0 GPA - needed for scholarship). The begining of this year, however, I started running really hot and turned my 2k bankroll (for NL100) into what is now ~50,000. I am currently 9 tabling NL$1,000 like a madman and I feel my roll is plenty big enough to handle the swings.

Anyways, back to the school part. This semester I have "fallen off" somewhat and am not caring as much about class/getting good grades. I worry I will not get my 3.0 to keep my scholarship ($8,000/yr) and my parents will be very upset. I have slept through countless classes (also one quiz and ALMOST one final) due to staying up to the wee hours of the morning playing poker. There are days where I will win $8,000 in a few hours (and then lose it all shortly after) so the money isn't much of a factor. Classes are over for the year and I have one final left.

This week alone I feel like I have barely left my room since I started 9 tabling NL$1,000. Perhaps I am addicted to poker but I really like to play it and make money. I feel that I could make it very well simply by playing online for the next couple of years and occasionally stopping by Turning Stone for their uncapped 10/20 game (which I will soon be rolled for).

This summer I have no plans. I used to lifeguard for 3 years and I love that job but I can make more money in one day of poker than I can make in the whole summer lifeguarding. I have a feeling I will spend a lot of the summer sitting around (probably on my patio) playing online poker trying to keep building this bankroll.

I have learned a lot about bankroll managment over the past 4 months since I hit my awesome heater. In January, I was playing NL$100 maybe 3-4 tables at a time. Took some shots at 1/2 and 2/4 and found I could do pretty well there playing a LAGish game vs the fish. Before I knew it I was taking shots at 10/20 with a 25-30kish bankroll.

Needless to say, that didn't go well and I lost about 1/2 of it. I went back to NL 400 and grinded out for a few weeks till I hit 600NL. Followed the fish around and collected some bucks and now I am doing NL1000.

At the moment, I haven't spent any of my poker winnings other than to play poker. If I do decide to "go pro" there are a lot of things I would need to keep in mind to pay for and budget around. I think it could be a great experience living on my own for a couple years playing poker online and live until the craze dies down in which case I will go back to college to study architecture, something I always wanted to do. But I just can't focus on school when I know I have this awesome opportunity waiting for me.

I know you guys see these posts a lot but I would like to get some advice. Thanks in advance.

-James

Re: Should I go Pro? #132890213 (long)
 

Read the thread in MTT about finishing college.

You really can do both, it's not that hard.

Re: Should I go Pro? #132890213 (long)
 

link? I dont see it

Re: Should I go Pro? #132890213 (long)
 

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link? I dont see it

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Linkhizzle

Re: Should I go Pro? #132890213 (long)
 

As a current NU student who went through the same thought process, I recommend you try to stay in school. I don't know what your major is, but when it comes time for co-op do some 20 hour a week internship. My first two co-ops were both closer to 10 to 15 hours a week and I had all the time in the world to play poker. (My last one was ESPN Radio in Charlestown).

You can't spend all your time playiner poker. You need to interact with people. You have one week left at school. Get out, go to parties, find random hoookups. While in school it shouldn't be that difficult (depending on major) to take 4 classes and play 15 hours a week of poker, while still having time to enjoy a social scene.

You could even do a 4 year program with no co-op and have the worlds longest summers.

Good luck with what ever you decide and PM if you want my screenname.

Re: Should I go Pro? #132890213 (long)
 

Another Northeastern alum here. Good thing poker wasnt around when I was in school or else my life would have turned out very differently.

It seems like you still have a a long way to go since your just finishing freshman year but my advice would be finish school while keeping a strict part time poker schedule. Its very easy to say eff school at this stage in your life esp since you are running well but may not be the best idea long term for your future/health.

I played for a living for 3 months in between jobs and did well but there are some types of stresses that come with playing without a safety net which is your college degree/ability to get a job.

Everytime I got in my car I worried what would happen to my bankroll if the person in front of me stopped short and I rammed into her, if I landed awkwardly on a layup and broke my ankle. For that time I was paranoid about alot of things, particularly my health and my bankroll. You should think about these things even though you are still under the security of your family to handle any major setbacks.

All I can think about these days is poker but I have the security of a great well paying and challenging job financing my bankroll. Life is more than poker...think about that when you consider it being your only line of income.

Re: Should I go Pro? #132890213 (long)
 

You need more perspective on life. Ggbman is particularly good at that. I'd spend way less time playing poker and way more time having fun with friends and going to class.

You also should be careful about burnout.

Krishan

Re: Should I go Pro? #132890213 (long)
 

Guys, how hard is it to go to class. Cmon. If you're smart enough to beat high-stakes your smart enough to beat your classes. Just finish school and then you can play as much poker as you want.

Re: Should I go Pro? #132890213 (long)
 

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I am 18 years old and am finishing my freshman year at college

[/ QUOTE ]

Trust me when I say this - don't do it. Live your life, go to college and do what you're supposed to do. Poker will always be there - you really can make plenty of money while still in school. But you should leave yourself outs - poker, while a big money maker for many and a good side income for many more, is death as a career choice for most people. If it turns out you make gobs of money at cards, you can always reconsider AFTER you finish school. Trust me, I'm 26 now and you will mature alot by the time you finish college - do the real life thing for a bit, then see where you stand.

Jeff

Re: Should I go Pro? #132890213 (long)
 

Grim,

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I am 18 years old

[/ QUOTE ]

Don't go pro. You will enjoy poker alot more if you don't.

Keep studying. Keep playing. Keep moving up.

If you are beating 10/20 etc when you have finished your education then decide.

Re: Should I go Pro? #132890213 (long)
 

whats your major grim?

i'm not nearily as good as you are and i dropped college b/c i had no career path. If your current major would more than likily bring you a high(er) paying job i'd strongly encourage finishing. If tommorow i found something i wanted to do with my life that would pay more than 35k a year and i felt that i could mentally do the schooling (i suck at learning) then i'd be back in school next semester.

Re: Should I go Pro? #132890213 (long)
 

This is offtopic, but how can you play at 9 tables of NL1000???
How do you have the time to make decisions??

Re: Should I go Pro? #132890213 (long)
 

Do you worry at all about the stability of online poker?
With all the legislation in recent years it at least has to cross your mind.....hope the ban never happens or eventually it's regulated, but before becoming an online Pro I'd at least consider it.

Re: Should I go Pro? #132890213 (long)
 

finish college man. Take 12 credits each semester and play 20+ hours a week. May take you 5 years to graduate but during this time you will be making tons of loot.

Re: Should I go Pro? #132890213 (long)
 

I would probably say wait a year. Also, you need to start pulling out a fixed amount of money from your roll each month for living expenses/investments.

Others will tell you, keep building your roll. But if you embark onthis as a career, you need to pay yourself a salary. You may have to move up slower, but thats not a bad thing.

I dont know, i just think all of these people running around with decent rolls who've never cashed out a cent are ridiculous. They run hot, post about it, lose it, run hot again. The only thing that matters is how much money has gone from neteller to you checking account and never back to neteller. Do that for awhile and you're good to go.

Re: Should I go Pro? #132890213 (long)
 

I think you know the answer to your own question, finish college. You have a lifetime ahead of you to decide what you what to do. Finishing college gives you more options and is, obviously, +EV (poker analogy), you know it makes sense.
You have plenty of time for poker - on-line pro/pro or second income. At your age you should be enjoying yourself!!

Re: Should I go Pro? #132890213 (long)
 

Northeastern is a great school stick with it. I'm on coop right now and let me tell you, you'll have plenty of time to play since u have no homework. Tough it doesn't sound like homework is holding you back. Like everyone else is saying, even with school work you can still get in a good bunch of hands.

pm me if u want my sn.

Re: Should I go Pro? #132890213 (long)
 

stick with college, go to parties, have fun. It will most likely be the best time of your life if you stick with it. If you don't, somewhere down the line you will regret it. You might not believe it now, but I'd put money on it.

Re: Should I go Pro? #132890213 (long)
 

If you're making so much playing poker, then the scholarship is really not an issue. I would recommend sticking it out and finishing up school just to get that degree, but if you can already make $50k or more a year, then you won't be hurting too much by leaving school for awhile. You can always go back. Or you can take one class per semester to just stay fresh and finish more slowly.

Re: Should I go Pro? #132890213 (long)
 

Drop out. The people who said "stay in school" are pencil-pushing pocket protector wearing vags. I dropped out during my junior year, however, I think I would wait one more semester if I were you just to be sure of your continued longevity. I wouldn't feel comfortable with 50k.

The life is a lot of fun though, I've been to Vegas, LA, Bahamas for PCA and on PP million this year and just barely 20. It's the opportunity of a lifetime, and people say poker will always be there when you graduate, well, college will always be there when you go broke.

Re: Should I go Pro? #132890213 (long)
 

good thing about going pro would be you'd be able to save up very handsome amount of money as your nest egg at such a young age, and you can potentially increase those winnings by investing them etc. you can always go back to school.

the downside is that you might not enjoy playing poker fulltime. after couple weeks of going pro, I'm not sure if you will feel motivated to put in 5 hours+/day to 9 table. playing multitables of poker is fairly mentally exahuausting thing, and it gets tougher if you do it on daily basis. secondly, you may lose the momentum to keep up with your education or finding a 'normal' job after making $400+/hr.

I think best option for you to is keep playing poker part time, unless you are willing to put in solid # of hands every day (5hr+/day). I think you can manage school/poker fine at same time if you are gonna put less than 3 hours/day.

gl

Re: Should I go Pro? #132890213 (long)
 

I agree with most people that you should just finish your degree. Don't put your entire future in poker. Granted you play a lot higher stakes than I do, but even if I was in your situation I think I'd want to finish school and keep the profitable hobby on the side.

Re: Should I go Pro? #132890213 (long)
 

[ QUOTE ]
good thing about going pro would be you'd be able to save up very handsome amount of money as your nest egg at such a young age, and you can potentially increase those winnings by investing them etc. you can always go back to school.


[/ QUOTE ]

Okay, I'm curious. Sometimes it seems like I'm the only person on here who ever considers the possibility of losing everything. A lot of people here make comments about playing until you win X amount of money. But I'm pretty sure there are some solid players who move up to these high stakes and run badly and get frustrated and tilt and have to quit down a bunch of money.

I haven't played the $2K NL games or even close to those stakes but I have to assume there are at least some decent players at those stakes.

Re: Should I go Pro? #132890213 (long)
 

Stay in college because of the hot girls.

Re: Should I go Pro? #132890213 (long)
 

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Stay in college because of the hot girls.

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Re: Should I go Pro? #132890213 (long)
 

Stay in college. You have no idea how long poker will remain this lucrative. Since you haven't spent your poker money on anything it seems like you don't even need or want it that much - you like playing the game more than anything. Are you really going to like it that much 2,000,000 hands later?

Having 50K at your age is a huge advantage - finish school and get a degree in something. If you play poker on the side and invest some of that money wisely you could have millions by the time you're 40.

Re: Should I go Pro? #132890213 (long)
 

MEEEELIONS?!

Re: Should I go Pro? #132890213 (long)
 

Take this scenerio:

You quit school to play poker full time. Everything is fine for a while. Then, something happens (legislation, bots, etc) and online poker is gone. What do you do?

You have no experience, no degree, and no source of income. If you were smart and had enough time, you might have a nice nestegg. However, from all the nice cars, expensive televisions and computer systems I see around here, most players like to spend a ton of money, so you probably won't have much beyond your bankroll.

Congratulations, you now have to work at McDonalds!

I honestly believe that anyone who plays poker for a living and hasn't held a real, full time job for several years is making a huge mistake. Dropping out of school to play poker for a living is probably one of the dumbest things you can do. Leave yourself outs. You'll be glad you did.

Re: Should I go Pro? #132890213 (long)
 

Um, it's not like he can't go back to school... You make it out like McDonalds is his only choice if poker fails. The average age of the US college student is 29. He's got a lot of time. If my kid wanted to drop out to play poker, i'd say ok go for it (assuming he's as good as this guy and he's already made up his mind). Same goes for him wanting to start a rock band, etc. Live the dream while you're young. You can always go back to school a few years later. It'll still be there. I would suggest again taking a class per semester to stay fresh, but you can do that online too.

Re: Should I go Pro? #132890213 (long)
 

[ QUOTE ]

...You quit school to play poker full time. Everything is fine for a while. Then, something happens (legislation, bots, etc) and online poker is gone. What do you do?

...I honestly believe that anyone who plays poker for a living and hasn't held a real, full time job for several years is making a huge mistake. Dropping out of school to play poker for a living is probably one of the dumbest things you can do. Leave yourself outs. You'll be glad you did.

[/ QUOTE ]

The problem I see here is that you implicity advise anyone who hasn't had a real job to take a poker hiatus and take up a real job for a few years, but then if the end of online poker eventually comes, they've just wasted a few of the last precious years away from it. Now they have the three years of work experience they could have gotten after the poker craze ended.

I think the most important piece of advice you gave was 'leave yourself outs', even if this just means having enough money saved up in case something drastic happens. If you have 6 months living expenses saved like most pros recommend, if you for whatever reason have to stop playing poker, at least you have half a year to find a new source of income.

I only skimmed the original post, so I can't offer any direct advice there. From what I read, you seem quite capable of an extremely good hourly earn from poker.

What you have to do is investigate what school means to you and what you're gaining from it. Most importantly, think long-term about everything when making crucial decisions. If you quit school for poker, is it possible to return? That should be a major factor, especially if school is just a means to getting a job. However, if you have financial support from your parents now, but leaving school will cut you off... then if poker doesn't work out, some poor planning later, you can't even afford to go back to school and you're in trouble.

For me, finishing my undergrad doesn't really do much in the way of leaving myself outs... I'm a philosophy major (oops, i think this part goes in BBV), so I must have reasons other than job prospects to be in school, and I do.

Just think about all possible situations, and if any of them leave you crying in a corner somewhere, figure out if the risk is worth the reward. You're not giving up much by playing poker while in school, but you might be giving up a lot by quiting school to focus on poker. Just critically analyze every last possible factor to figure out what's best for you.

Re: Should I go Pro? #132890213 (long)
 

A couple things relating directly to your situation:
You'll probably have a clearer perspective of what makes sense after summer. Use the summer months of playing professional poker to see how it works out.

Second, instead of building up your online bankroll larger than necessary, invest anything you don't require for your limit. Interest is a beautiful thing.

Re: Should I go Pro? #132890213 (long)
 

You have the summer to think it over. If it the end of the summer you're burned out of poker and wishing that you would have been a lifeguard then you can go back to school. If you're still enjoying poker you'll need to decide if you can do a good enough job at school or whether you're too addicted to/enjoying poker to go back. You can make these decisions every semester for the next few years.

I personally have enjoyed my life post-college more than when I was in college. Sitting in class used to bore the hell out of me. Just do what's best for you at this time and reevaluate on occasion.

You know more about yourself and the situation than we all do. Analyze your life every few months and make a decision on what you want to do.

Re: Should I go Pro? #132890213 (long)
 

college is awesome, nuff said

Embrace the Power of \"And\"
 

There is no reason why you can't both stay in school and continue to play online poker.

You have learned how to manage your bankroll, you say. You probably have what it takes, then to learn how to manage your time -- which is in fact one of the things they don't actually teach you that is one of the most important life skills for you to learn in college.

You can drop out and play online and disappear from friends, family, and social life. You can drop poker and follow a normal life, leaving behind this peculiar, exciting way of making money. Or you can spend some number of hours a week online, multitabling your best game, and make enough money for that to pay your way through school and still have time for the non-academic aspects of college life that make it so important.

Re: Should I go Pro? #132890213 (long)
 

Sure, he could drop out of school now and when/if online poker is no longer lucrative, he could go back to school, get an education and hope that potential employers don't question things. However, once you drop out of school, for most people, it becomes extremely difficult to go back.

Higher education is very important. Not only for finding a job, but the knowledge and experience gained helps in every aspect of life.

I believe that people should hold a "real" job for several years simply because if they don't, they might miss out on a career that they would thoroughly enjoy and find extremely satisfying.

Being an online poker pro means spending many hours alone in front of a computer grinding it out. It's great when it's just extra money, but once you start needing that money to survive, the beats hurt worse and the downswings are extremely stressful. Not to mention that increasing your hours is easier said than done.

Basically, OP, you are 18 years old. You are still very much a kid and you honestly don't know what you want. You've been playing poker for a very short amount of time. Do you think you'll still want to be grinding out a living in 20 years? How about 30 years? 40? It sounds like you are in the "obsessed" phase of your poker experience. Don't make any life changing decisions now. The point is that now is the time in your life for you to try to find what you want to do with your life. Find a major that interests you and keep poker as a profitable hobby.

Re: Should I go Pro? #132890213 (long)
 

Grim,

I think you def should go pro. When your lag azz finally realizes it just luckboxed its way into that 50K, same as shooting a 2 hour roll on the dice tables, you will have dumped 49.9K of that back into the NL poker economy that the rest of us full-timers depend on. Then you can go get a job in some service industry.

Or you could do the prudent thing and invest 48K of that as advised, and start back over at the NL100 tables and try to work your way back up while exercising prudent bankroll management for that 2K roll. If you can do that, then you can go pro and have a reason to believe you will succeed at it.

But most of us are rooting for you to do what I said in the first paragraph (sorry, but that's the way it goes - sharks need a constant supply of fish, and tourney donks who make big scores and luckboxes are especially juicy). [img]/images/graemlins/blush.gif[/img]

Re: Should I go Pro? #132890213 (long)
 

[ QUOTE ]
Sure, he could drop out of school now and when/if online poker is no longer lucrative, he could go back to school, get an education and hope that potential employers don't question things.

[/ QUOTE ]
What are they going to question? They cannot ask you how old you are. Period. You go back to school, you do your 3-4 years or whatever. You apply for a job. It's the same whether you're 22 or 32. I took 10 years off to see the world and have a good time and then went to college at 28. Got my PhD and am a professor. No one in all my 9 years in college/grad school ever once asked me how old i was. And, as i said, the national avg age for college is now 28. He'll be fine going back.

[ QUOTE ]
However, once you drop out of school, for most people, it becomes extremely difficult to go back.

[/ QUOTE ]
That's a decent point. I wouldn't say "extremely" though. It's just that most people aren't motivated. If you're motivated, then it's just as easy to get into college at 28 as it is at 18. In fact, it's sometimes easier since lots of colleges now are looking for the non-traditional student who will focus harder. I personally did one year at a community college first, got a 4.0, and then got a full scholarship the rest of the way through to my PhD.

Re: Should I go Pro? #132890213 (long)
 

I DO want to go through college and get my degree and become an architect, someday. But I feel that I am missing out on great oppurtonity to make BIG BUCKS playing online poker. Right, I can do both at the same time easily, but knowing that for every hour I spend in class I could be raking in $100s of bucks I just feel that I am underacheiving.

Re: Should I go Pro? #132890213 (long)
 

Grim, how many hours do you play on the weekend? Do you ever get tired/bored then? If you do, don't even consider dropping. Also, you can comfortably play 5 hours 7-12 or 8-1 9-2 every day and bam there's your five hours a day. Make up for Friday on the weekends or something.

Re: Should I go Pro? #132890213 (long)
 

[ QUOTE ]
I DO want to go through college and get my degree and become an architect, someday. But I feel that I am missing out on great oppurtonity to make BIG BUCKS playing online poker. Right, I can do both at the same time easily, but knowing that for every hour I spend in class I could be raking in $100s of bucks I just feel that I am underacheiving.

[/ QUOTE ]

You've already made up your mind. Turn on (your computer), tune in (to party poker), and drop out! [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]