Only in the casinos, there are professional gamblers who earn professional money by gambling. With the sums involved, some hobby gamers get jealous and wonder whether a career as a professional player might not also be something for him or them. However, the dream of a quick buck leads some professional gamblers to financial ruin – up to private bankruptcy. What opportunities there are for professional players, what you should definitely pay attention to and for whom the profession is really suitable.
Professional Player: Is That Even A Career?
When it comes to gambling, many initially think of rather dodgy places where the money is gambled away at machines. However, professional gamers have little to nothing to do with it. After all, for them it’s about making money, paying bills, and covering all costs. Luck game literally is not suitable for it.
A professional player is described as someone who earns his living by playing for money. Professional players therefore do not rely on sheer luck. Rather, you choose types of games in which you can strategically influence your chances – especially against other players and not machines or computers. Slot machines are an absolute taboo for many professional gamblers. Card games, especially poker, are therefore usually the field of activity of professional gamers.
Numerous examples show that it is possible to win large sums of money in the long term. But not only millions in profits are interesting for professional players. Regular, minor successes can also represent a kind of salary from which one can live. Of course, luck always plays a role.
What Do Professional Players Do For A Living?
There are two variants for professional players: some use different games and vary them again and again. The majority, however, concentrate on one type of game and thereby become real experts.
One way to make as much money as possible is through betting. In all forms from horse racing to classic sports betting. With sophisticated betting and betting strategies, the highest possible profit ratio should be achieved. For professional players, what matters most is a balance between risk and security.
However, the different gaming tables in casinos are more popular with professional gamblers. In addition to roulette, it is card games such as blackjack and poker that attract professional players. The big advantage of poker: Here professional players do not compete against the casino, but against other players. Skill and ability, therefore, play a bigger role, and a professional player who simply plays better poker than his opponents will make money in the long run.
Poker is made even more attractive for professional players by the option of playing on online platforms. Instead of just sitting at one table, many rounds can be played at the same time.
Learning To Play Poker: How Do You Become A Professional Player?
If you want to play poker in the casino, you only have to be of legal age and should have a basic knowledge of the rules. It takes a whole lot more to become a professional player. There is no classic training in this area; almost all successful professional gamers have entered professional gambling through self-study, practice, and experience.
There are countless courses, offers, tutorials, training, and instructions online – all with the promise of imparting the knowledge with which you can clear away at the poker table and make big profits. In addition to the online offer, there are just as many books in which the art of poker is explained and taught.
For aspiring professional players, there is a long learning process before the game. The game principle and rules are easy to understand, the differences between a hobby poker player and a successful professional go deeper into the matter. What is the probability of winning a hand? Which strategy is the most promising for the current situation? In which position at the table is which approach is the strongest? How much should you bet to maximize profit? When is the right time to lay off a hand and minimize your own losses?
In addition to theoretical learning, the motto is learning by doing. You can do this on your own; if you want to benefit from the knowledge and experience of others, you can also look for a mentor. However, it is not easy to find a suitable mentor. Not everyone wants to promote their own competition who may be sitting at the same poker table a short time later. Possible mentors are therefore especially other professional players who have withdrawn from active play.
Professional Player: Not A Job For Everyone
The idea of quick, playfully acquired money undoubtedly attracts many adventurers. But not everyone is suitable for a career as a professional player.
For one, gambling can quickly become an addiction. It takes a great deal of discipline and self-control not to give in to the temptations of gambling.
In addition, professional players do not receive a regular income. One month things can go well, the next no profit will succeed. Maybe nothing works for weeks. The particular difficulty: In bad times, not only is there no earnings, there is even a clear minus, since professional players have to use their own money to play.
Not everyone can deal with such financial uncertainty and great ups and downs in the account. In addition, financial planning is all the more necessary in order to absorb fluctuations and not get into financial difficulties.
Finally, planning and launching a career as a professional gamer is difficult. Simply saying, “I’m going to be a professional player” after school or university is a daring, if not the wrong approach. If it does not work out, there is no Plan B .
If you really want to try yourself as a professional player, you should start slowly and not put everything on one card. To switch from a hobby and passion to a professional profession, you should take a step-by-step and two-pronged approach. So you have an apprenticeship or a classic profession at the same time, which can give you security, should it not work as a professional player.
Qualities That Professional Gamers Should Have
Professional players come from a wide variety of backgrounds with very individual requirements – it’s hard to say which of them are the best. However, there are some traits and personality traits that are beneficial to professional gamers. These:
Nerve Strength
When there’s a lot of money on the table, you need strong nerves to keep a cool head and make the right decisions. Professional gamblers who do not have enough nerves work up a sweat in such situations and lose their stake – or at least miss the chance of even higher profits.
Knowledge Of Human Nature
What could the other have on hand? Is his hand really as strong as he claims to be? Are there any telltale signs, so-called tells, that can indicate weakness? In direct contact at the poker table, knowledge of human nature is extremely important in order to be able to assess the other players, at the online table it depends on the ability to discover recurring patterns and thus to draw conclusions.
Poker Face
The others also try to look behind their own facade. The poker face is therefore not just a catchphrase, but an important aspect for successful professional players. A twitching corner of the mouth with every strong hand is not hidden from experienced opponents, just like flashing eyes or even accelerated breathing for professionals when it comes to body language. Those who do not attract attention or who can pretend to be credible have an advantage.
Self-control
It can’t always go well, sometimes even professional players have to realize that it’s not their day. Instead of burning more money, getting out is the better option. Only those who set limits for themselves can align their financial management over the long term. Patience is also part of self-control. In large tournaments, many hours can pass at the poker table in which there is hardly a good hand and accordingly little is played – impatient betting with bad cards only costs money.
Mathematical Understanding
A good understanding of math can be an important skill for professional gamers. Above all, probabilities play a major role and can decide between victory and defeat or a calculated risk, or simply stupid betting.
Note: So do not get into gambling and ruin your careers. This post is an awareness for our readers about online gambling’s bad effects on your life. So we suggest you keep away from this.