Many people deeply involved in the game of poker – be they players, writers or other industry professionals – have given their opinions on whether someone should take up the activity as a profession. Three-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner Dutch Boyd has now added his thoughts to the mix, giving many something to consider.
On the website Quora.com, a person asked a simple question. “How long would it take for someone normal to become a professional poker player?” the person asked. “I’m 22 years old and I’m aiming to become (a pro) and I am interested in how much time would need to be invested.” Boyd didn’t hold back when issuing his response to the question.
“I’m going to give you a good straight up answer, buddy,” Boyd began. “If you spend a few hours actively working on your game – not just playing, but reading forums and books, watching videos on training sites, watching replays of final tables online and off, etc. – you can get to a pro level in about six months.”
Boyd didn’t stop there, however. He went on in his reply to state that, overall, it is VERY difficult to turn oneself into a professional poker playing machine. “(That timeframe is) assuming you have what it takes to beat the game in the first place, because quite simply there are plenty of people out there who just don’t,” Boyd noted. “Not anybody can make it in poker. I’ve known a lot of people in my life that could spend 10 years studying and reading and still would just lose. With the rake, it’s a hugely negative sum game. The vast majority of players lose, and the vast majority of “pro” players are actually just passing through. It’s become a misnomer… a way of saying ‘unemployed and not looking.’”
Boyd finished his comments by offering some sage advice to the inquisitor about the pursuit of poker as a profession. “My best advice is to examine WHY you want to be a professional poker player,” Boyd opined. “I would suggest that there are very few reasons that should lead someone to seriously take it up as a career. It’s stressful, low reward, unproductive, unstable. If you are looking for freedom, there are better ways to get it. If you are looking for fame, there are better ways to earn it. If you are looking for money, there are easier ways to achieve it. If you want to play for the love of the game… well… I guarantee you after ten years of playing for a living, that love will be gone.”
To be honest, Boyd’s thoughts on poker as a profession have some solid roots. In his book Poker Tilt, Boyd detailed out his rollercoaster ride through the professional game and what impact it has had on his life. As a veteran of the game, Boyd has also seen many players who have passed through being a “professional poker player” and have now moved onto other careers in their lives.
Boyd puts a little better spin on the life of a professional poker player than “Big One for One Drop” champion Daniel Colman did earlier this year. After winning his title – and being less than willing to engage in some of the various media requests afterwards – Colman penned his thoughts on the game of poker on the Two Plus Two forum. In that post, Colman stated that he has played poker “long enough to see the ugly side of this world. I capitalize off this game that targets people’s weaknesses. I do enjoy (poker), I love the strategy part of it, but I do see it as a very dark game.”
What the person asking the question about “being a professional poker player” doesn’t state is what type of poker he was wanting to play. The list of successful “professional tournament poker players” is an extremely limited one; you could spend well over $1 million in just traveling the circuit alone, counting entry fees, lodging and various other expenditures. If a person is looking to be a “cash game professional,” just what would be the level of success that a person would set? And how would that person handle the inevitable swings of the game?
All in all, Boyd’s comments – and even Colman’s – do strike a note of reality to those considering whether to stroll down the path of a “professional poker player.”