[El_Hombre_Grande]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Hey all,

Thanks for your responses. There seems to be a mixture of opinions on the longevity of online poker. I certainly hope online poker is here to stay and continues to grow. But the pessimistic side of me doesn't like the situation. According to pokersitescout.com, there has been around a -20% users across a lot of the major sites since the legislation and banning of neteller.

I also realize how stupid I sound to some to be contempleting giving up a career in dentistry. However, I am far from impulsive and have given it much thought. I have very strict bankroll management and rarely tilt. These two factors I believe are the most crucial in being a long term winning player. I plan to move up the stakes slowly playing full-time this coming year, working relentlessly to improve my game. I have a year off before I attend dental school. If I cannot make a very good amount from poker this year, I will certainly go to dental school. But is it really that stupid to play poker full time if I can make a good living from it?

[/ QUOTE ]

If you don't mind me being blunt, in your position yes you would be stupid.

You are obviously an intelligent young man, keep your options open and go forward in your dentistry career. It is easy to be seduced when you see the likes of Ivey, Helmuth, etc on TV but for the vast majority of pro players its a long never-ending grind. It will be more like extracting teeth than being a dentist.

You don't have to give up poker - do that in your spare time. Who knows one day you may win the WSOP ME and can then do whatever the hell you like. And I may win the lottery.

[/ QUOTE ]

Maybe dentistry sucks. I don't know.
But to blithely say "become a dentist, make big bucks," without any reference to what he WANTS (yes, wants) to do with his life isn't terrific advice.

That said, there's a big market for dentists. Poker player wannabes are a dime a dozen.