Should I go Pro? #132890213 (long)

[DanPoker]

Don't drop out. I did this a few years ago, and am back in school now. It's nice to have plenty of money, a sweet apartment and tuition that's paid for by the interest from the bank.

What sucks is being 27 (I know, not that old) and taking classes with 20-21 year olds). Being in classes is also no fun, but I made a promise a ways back about getting a degree by 30, so here goes.
Also, it depends on your major. I had started with Electrical Engineering so I figured I'd finish up with that, being halfway there an all - well, I don't care about the material now. I'm in the middle of finals week and all I can think of is driving back to Las Vegas in less than a week. If you choose a major that you will be interested in, it's probably easier.

Sorry for the length. To summarize:
Stay in school. It may not be the best feeling now, but it'll be tougher and more annoying later.

[dragon14]

It doesn't appear that Dan is making a strong argument in favor of staying in school. He states that it is boring and that he does not care about the field he is taking classes in.

He further states that he can't think of anything besides driving back to Vegas.

Everybody's different, if you enjoy your classes and the social life that college offers then stay in school. If you're not currently into college for whatever reason, consider taking some time off.

It is important to remember that once you are a certain age you will lose out on some of the college experience. Taking a little bit of time off will not hurt you however.

[DanPoker]

Ahh - my bad. I meant that if you do intend to graduate from college at some point do it now, rather than later.

[TStoneMBD]

hi grimstar, i havent read any of the replies in this thread but here are my thoughts:

playing poker for a living is easy. you probably wont have any problems at all. if worse turns to worse you can just go back to college. realize however that if your parents dont support you turning pro that you should not expect them to continue to support you nor provide for your education if you ever decide to return to school. if poker doesnt work out for you or you decide school is important to you you should pay for it yourself with your poker earnings. god knows you can afford it.

reading your post however, it definitely appears that you arent ready to make a life changing commitment yet, so i would be very careful if i were you. its very easy to make a living at poker which generates a large incentive to turn pro. providing for yourself should not prove difficult. what is important however is to make sure that you dont become a professional poker player just because its easy to do so. you dont seem like you really want to commit your life to becoming a professional poker player so you need to be careful if you do make that commitment. again, it seems like you want to turn pro just because its easy and the money is great. that could be a dangerous combination. of course, it could also be a very life-fulfilling combination if it suits your personality.

i would be careful however. you seem to be very excited about making larges sums of money and playing internet poker. i was too the first few months i started playing online and was making lots of bank. it gets old and it will probably become a grind once it sets in that you are wealthy and will have lots of money. hearing that probably makes no sense to you but take it into consideration because when i was your age making lots of money playing poker i didnt ever think making lots of money would ever get boring, but it can. if turning pro means making a life commitment i wouldnt recommend doing it until playing poker becomes boring (so that you know its still worth being a pro despite its boredom) or you are sure that it will never become a bore.

you should speak with some players who have been pro for a long time and see how their mentality is towards the game. some may still love playing poker and making money thrills them. others may have become bored when they were once excited even though they are still making lots of money.

you will always have the option to play poker on the side or full time to line your pockets. you should be careful about making a life decision about whether you want to spend the rest of your life at home on your computer or in cardrooms grinding out cash games. it doesnt seem to be something you are gungho about quite yet.

[chicagoY]

it's the most overrated movie in history and i'm the ONLY one who thinks so.

[JuntMonkey]

Rounders isn't "overrated" by anyone, and I'm sure you're not the only one who thinks so. Nobody thinks it's one of the best movies ever made. It's just fun as hell and was a big catalyst for the poker boom.

$640 / hr

[TomHimself]

stake me plz

Tom, don't you play $50/$100 NL?

[Binbs]

oldie but goodie.