Jump to content
Download the PL Forum App!
** ELO Ratings are now back **
Check Out Our Euro 2024 Forum!

Philossify launches a Full Time Poker career

philossify

By philossify
in Poker

 Share

Recommended Posts

philossify

philossify

Posted
Posted

Hi all, :drums :drums :drums just about to start my poker "career". Jan 5th I escape from work. "I'm not doing any work, give me some money and I'll go away" I said and lo and behold they gave me some money :lol. I'm a simple man with simple basic needs (wine, women. song, poker) and have happily discovered that my early pension will (just about) keep me in those basic needs, whats left over I intend to waste. So come Feb 1st or thereabouts I intend to start my retirement plan - playing poker a little more seriously (hopefully having left work behind the freed up brain cycles can be used for profitable fun :cow ). Its my intent to devote about 40 hours per week to Poker and reach a stage (by year end) where I'm supplementing my pension by something akin to minimum wage (£6 per hour) which equates (since its tax free) to me working for £15K+ per year - not a lot but as its all gravy its significant. I'm hoping to keep good records which I intend to share with you guys. If that works then I'll start stretching a bit and see if I can make more. If it fails, then I might have to look for a real job once more :puke or sell up and move abroad or find a rich widow to fund me (preferably looking something like the one off the Scottish Widows ad :ok ). I'm currently thinking that I will experiment for first 3 months (Feb,March,April) with a mix of STTs (£5,$10,£10) and "value" MTTs (such as the 9:00 am Betfair game - something to get me out of bed :) ) and see this site as helping me do that. Means I'll be cutting out some of the "lottery" freerolls (or entering them, playing lots of very loose all ins at the start and then if I survive playing very tight for a while, so that they move from cost ineffective to cost effective) . If that don't work might have to give NL ring games a go (not my preferred option). One thing I definitely won't be cutting out (unless it starts attracting lots more entries) is the "dollar up" on SO. Thats one fun (and profitable) tournament. I may even start doing a real face-to-face tournament once a week in one of the Casinos in Southampton (do they still allow smoking which was what put me off in the past). So watch this space and hopefully applaud a successful enterprise or sympathise with me as I fail. The initial funding is "free money" from the £2000 or so I've slowly accumated from playing freerolls and suchlike over the past year (ROI probably a huge percentage but amount per hour probably crap). I'm a tight so and so such that if it ever gets to the stage of funding it with my own money then I'll take that as a sign that my poker skills are not up to the requisite standard and go back to freerolls. :cheers

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • Replies 88
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Days

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Days

philossify

philossify

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Re: My poker "career"

Brave and couragous move
It wasn't that brave - after 28 generally happy years my current job just wasn't doing it for me any more - all my mates who've taken retirement packages etc. look very happy. Time for some adventures before bits start dropping off :rollin . Could have stuck around a few more years amassing a bigger pension but then being too old to enjoy it. I've told the kids that I intend to spend their inheritance before I die :hope , but if I go unexpectedly the grandkids are welcome to whats left.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
jomell

jomell

Posted
Posted

Re: Philossify launches a Full Time Poker career Very best of luck mate :ok :hope Something i would like to do myself,although at the moment with Wife and three kids to support,not quite the right time. I've managed to make a fair amount of money this year playing poker and casino's and at the moment i play for the pleasure factor (money's just a bonus) Good luck with your quest and may the cards be with you!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
DC

DC

Posted
Posted

Re: Philossify launches a Full Time Poker career BRILLIANT STUFF!! GO FOR IT!! :clap I'm glad you're keeping results as well! Don't overdo it though, remember you don't need to play every single day. All the very best. Danny

Link to comment
Share on other sites
The Quiet Man

The Quiet Man

Posted
Posted

Re: Philossify launches a Full Time Poker career Great decision Phil - you're about to live the dream that we all have.:nana You're a bloody good poker player and someone that I always treat with respect when you 'appear' at my table. (I still can't understand how you won the wooden spoon) :loon Anyway, the best of luck, we'll all be watching you very closely and I think you'll do brilliantly!!! :ok Great to see you'll still be competing in the 'Dollar Up' - maybe you won't bother after you win your first million? :lol GO FOR IT PHIL!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
spreadman

spreadman

Posted
Posted

Re: Philossify launches a Full Time Poker career Good luck, Mr. P......I know nothing about STT's MTT's, 'dollar ups', and 'poker' is something I use to stoke the fire. HOWEVER, I do know about earning a living from a skill revolving around 'gambling'. It sounds as if you don't have too many financial and non financial commitments, which is a good start, and with a little money to 'cushion' any , hopefully brief, hiccups, as surely there will be, you should manage. I use the word 'manage' specifically, as I think, for a start at least, that is all you can hope for, or, at least, expect. Sure, set your targets high, but be true to yourself by being realistic, by setting achievable goals. Good luck, again, keep in touch with us, we are all keen that you should succeed, I for one could never do what you are doing..... Sh*t......I am.........:unsure

Link to comment
Share on other sites
stekinguk

stekinguk

Posted
Posted

Re: Philossify launches a Full Time Poker career Hey phil, great post :ok A few of my friends graduate this summer and they will be playing professionally from there on, and I have somehow done all the research for them (i will be following same path in 18 months hopefully). If you are going to make your target, you shouldn't waste your time with freerolls. You will also not be able to hit your salary target if you play the £5,$10 stts. The lowest level you can play is the £10 stts and you will have to multi table them. Just a few more questions if you don't mind :unsure ; 1) Are you confident you can beat the low level STTs? 2) Do you have any experience playing them? 3) Will you be multi tabling? 4) Is the £2,000 quoted your bankroll? This thread could turn into a good one methinks, look forward to your responses :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
2damnhype

2damnhype

Posted
Posted

Re: Philossify launches a Full Time Poker career Hi Phil, before this thread gets into the 'how the hell are you going to do that' (which i am sure needs answering ) - just want to say I wish you the very best, will not mention the 'L' word and look forward to hearing regular updates of your progress. As has been said above - you are about to start living the dream that for many of us will remain a dream, and I feel privileged to be around when you are taking your first steps. :ok 2DH

Link to comment
Share on other sites
philossify

philossify

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Re: Philossify launches a Full Time Poker career Hi Winty and everyone else.... thanks for the good wishes and comments.......

1) Are you confident you can beat the low level STTs? 2) Do you have any experience playing them? 3) Will you be multi tabling? 4) Is the £2,000 quoted your bankroll?
Answers: 1. Yep fairly confident. When I first started online poker on betfair just over a year ago, had a month off work (owed vacation) and was regularly winning or placing in £5 STTs and the odd £10 STT (could just about make minimum wage), tailed off somewhat when I went back to work, found theres only so many hours you can concentrate and play well and work took a lot of my concentration for the day (and a lot of my mouse finger). Same thing happened when I had a few weeks off last july/august with bad back (it wasn't that bad) - was making £150+ per week (mainly from value MTTs) and the salary was still rolling in :dude . Had built up quite a database of notes on the "regulars" on betfair and found that helped a lot - though its amazing when I see how some "muppets" of a year ago have often learnt the ropes and are now reasonable or good players (survival of the fittest). 2. Yes see above 3. Generally would play two tables at once (single STT just too boring), occasionally 3 - biggest problem was/is overlapping screens - can just about cope with switching between 3 on my current 19in LCD display set at 1152*864 (I like screen a reasonable size and like to sit a fair distance back) - may invest in a new graphics card and have dual screens to give myself a bit more real estate. 4. The £2000 is not so much a bankroll as much as a cushion (anyway money isn't "real" , I learnt that lesson the hard way, its just a mechanism for keeping score :lol ). Have never been "out of profit" playing poker and my peaks/troughs graph has never failed to show a profit month on month (even when playing with work interfering). I would be highly suspicious and suspect I was venturing into the wrong part of the food chain if I bit into even a small part of that cushion especially playing only at £5/10 a throw. My intent is to start out back in the £5 STT arena for Feb through April and having hopefully got up to speed in STT play again I'll then move up the chain, but I want to keep the odd "value" MTT going as well as these are entertaining and occasionally you hit a big reward. Nice thing is I can afford (due to pension) not to win or to wait out any bad patches (but an extended bad patch IMHO often means you are doing something wrong ;) ). My biggest strength (and probably also my biggest weakness) is that I'm not a gambler - means that you are highly unlikely to see me in the WSOP but equally unlikely to see me bankrupt. No good inviting me to a £500 head to head cash game I'm far too cautious. I only spend "spare" money (money that I can lose and not be too concerned about) on my investment in poker :ok and so far that "spare" money has always grown. My current challenge is to vary my game occasionally to make it harder for people to read me with any consistency. I don't see myself as playing professionally, more of a serious hobbyist. Maybe if the next year succeeds I'll up the stakes (mainly because I'll have a bigger cushion) and I'll only consider myself professional when my yearly income from poker is greater than the above average amount I earned before "retiring". Once again let me say that this is not a brave move on my part, I'm not risking the roof over my head, the food in my belly or even detaching myself from a reasonable supply of beer tokens (aka cash) to do this. I just happened to find myself in a life position to do something I enjoy on a more regular basis. May as well enjoy myself before global warming gets me :loon . :beer
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Valiant23

Valiant23

Posted
Posted

Re: Philossify launches a Full Time Poker career

Hope you don't mind - really felt this deserved a thread of its own!!!!!!
Just to add that little extra pressure.;) :clap :clap :clap Phil. What can I possibly say? You are a good player, and see no reason why you can't make this work if you apply yourself properly. It is obvious that you have thought about this carefully, and seem to be aware of the risks/pitfalls as well as the rewards. All I can do is wish you as much luck as you need, and hope that your new lease of life leads to happiness and fulfilment.:ok
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Jaded

Jaded

Posted
Posted

Re: Philossify launches a Full Time Poker career Good luck Phil! Really hope you do well at this, will be interested to see how you go. (Especially since I want to turn professional myself one day - although in my case it's just one of 1523 careers which would be better than teaching!!)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
philossify

philossify

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Re: Philossify launches a Full Time Poker career Hi George, At the moment, I hardly ever play rebuy/addon MTTs or if I do I only play cheap ones and never rebuy/addon - once I've lost my initial chip allocation I go. What I find is that these tournaments attract more than their fair share of all-in maniacs, give them an A and they are away, so if you wait for a good hand and one of these all-in maniacs goes all-in you have a good chance of doubling up and then you have less chance of needing to rebuy anyway. If you can survive and prosper a little up to the break without a rebuy then you are effectively in a "added value" game. More I think about it, I should try a few of the more expensive ones and see if theres any maniacs inhabiting those as they could be good opportunities. Find betfred is the best site for all-in maniacs :rollin . :cheers

Link to comment
Share on other sites
georgej

georgej

Posted
Posted

Re: Philossify launches a Full Time Poker career Good luck with those maniacs. I've just uninstalled party poker to make sure i never play against the loonies again. $5 MTT and people going allin with AQo beat my JJ and also had trip 7's with 2 hearts showing after the turn. Went allin and beaten on the river with a middling flush. Maybe i'm just having a bad day.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
 Share
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...