Is Playing Poker a Good Career Choice?
Written by Peter Taradash
Up until a while ago I would have said playing professional poker makes about as much sense as expecting to live off of regular lottery winnings.
Then I met in Monaco a young kid, who was too young to play in his home country (USA) but won the Monte Carlo million dollar poker tournament. He had won other tournaments before this. He had talent!
Now from that encounter, I know that poker is not pure luck with long odds like the lottery. You can win enough to survive and prosper at card games if you are really good at it. You have to enjoy sitting in one place for days showing no emotion i.e. with a poker face. Your mind will be busy figuring out the cards held by your opponents. Card counters in 21/Blackjack games are also good at poker.
One problem is that in a tournament if you are matched in the entry-level games with players as good as you, you will probably wash out long before you reach the top of the pyramid. It takes luck and skill to be in the money for any of the top few pots. Getting matched to unskilled payers in the first few rounds — that is where luck comes into play.
Bottom Line: It seems that if you practice a lot and become good at almost anything, you can make it.
There are better ways than poker to get rich or even make a good living for most people. There is a lot of competition from poker players who are probably better at it than you will ever be — but maybe not! If you are good at it, why not keep playing as long as you keep winning…? or, try to get into a good 1st class business school like Stanford, Harvard, Amos Tuck (Dartmouth), Wharton.
Read books about entrepreneurs, by entrepreneurs and you will have invested your time well — better I think than playing poker.
Source : http://petertaradash.com