Why poker professionally?
Most people play poker just for the sake of fun and the sheer excitement it brings. They may invest huge amounts and if they win its great, but even if they lose they can look at it as money well spent on entertainment.
Even if someone doesn’t have a lot of money to invest they can still enjoy the thrill of poker games just by using play money.
However there are also those who treat playing poker as their profession and in fact their livelihood depends on the bets they win and the money they make on the poker table.
Now if you are one of them then you need to know how much money you need to have in hand to be a serious poker professional.
A word of caution
We start off with a word of caution. If you are new to the game or if you have not yet mastered the skills that are generally considered a must for professional poker players, it is better that you restrict yourself to a small amount.
It is always better that you start off with something to the tune of 50 to 100 and place your money in micro bets.
This way you won’t lose a lot of money even if you lose a few games in succession. And although if you win the returns wouldn’t be great, you still will learn a lot about the game.
So you may consider this initial investment as money spent on a poker-learning course. It is only after you have mastered the basic skills and are relatively confident about your playing that you should move on t more serious gaming.
What should be your approach?
If you are decided that you want to play poker professionally, then you must consider it as your business venture.
It is a business that is run by the capital you invest and being the only shareholder you deserve some returns on your investment.
Once you approach the whole thing as a business venture it is always easier for you to manage your money wisely.
You would need a lot of self-discipline as there would be no one to motivate you here and playing poker as a professional is not just about playing, it is your profession.
You should also know how to save the money you earn because if you end up spending all that you have earned after a string of wins it can be hard for you when things are not going exactly as they were planned.
How much should you invest?
This depends largely on how much you can invest and how much you want to invest. If you have been playing poker for a while and if you are seriously considering turning pro then it is expected you would know how much you need.
But as a thumb rule you can do with 200 times the amount of the biggest bet you want to play. So if you plan to play bets of 10-20 you need to have 4000 ready.
Poker indeed depends a lot on your skill but the luck factor also has a key role. So it can happen that after all your efforts and even with a very good hand you manage to lose.
It is better to have the flexibility to lose a few games and still survive so that when it’s your time you can be around; if you are running short on cash you may miss that opportunity. So poker does require a fairly good bankroll, as we all know to money makes money.
