Can You Earn a Living with Good Poker Skills?

We've all seen the World Series of Poker, wherein the best players from all over the world compete for an absolutely massive pool of money that's appropriately presented in a treasure chest. In fact, one of our own, Australian Joe Hachem, won in 2005. But those are the big dogs. not just professionals, but millionaires and tops of their class. Still, the question remains: Is it possible to earn a good living with good poker skills? The short answer is yes.

The most common form of professional poker playing is Texas Hold'em. Each player is dealt two cards each, there's a round of betting, and then three community cards are dealt. Continuous betting as a fourth community card is drawn, and a fifth community card is drawn.

To be successful at Texas Hold'em, there are two extremely important factors, and while the importance of one factor over the other is debated, it's not really relevant, because you pretty much need both in order to be a professional. The first factor is knowing the odds of you winning based on your cards, the community cards, and what the other players might be holding. The second is being able to read your opponents, making sure they can't read you, so that you know when to check, fold, or raise whether you have a bad hand or a strong hand.

So, if you have the ability and skills, and the proven track record to support the opinion that you have the ability and skills, then it's not possible just to earn a living playing Poker, you're probably already earning a living, or at least adding a good amount of money to your bank account through playing the game.

However, if you are new to Poker, this is going to be a long ways off. It will take a lot of practice, study, experience, and the ability to lose a lot and still continues playing. In fact, you have a better chance of winning with Video Poker than you do at a busy night in an average casino. The Jacks or Better Video Poker variation has a house edge so low that it's comparable to Blackjack, so you do stand to win a good amount. Not enough to make a living, but still.

Another question is, if you do have the skills and ability, then what?

Well, you have a couple of options. There are people who make a steady enough living playing online Poker in various poker rooms. This takes a large portion of reading your opponents, but if you have been playing long enough, how they bet in general as well as how they bet leading up to when they have to show their cards. This is also why it is recommended for avid online poker players to play in multiple poker rooms so that they have as many pools of players to choose from, and the opportunity to play in as many tournaments as possible.

Speaking of tournaments, that's how the big professional poker players make a steady enough income throughout the year. They don't just show up to the World Series of Poker once a year. Tournaments involve a buy in amount, which could be $5 all the way up to $10,000, and the pot is everyone's buy in combined. Most tournaments pay out for more than just first place, so even if you come in 10th you still might get a payout.

Outside of tournaments, you do not have that guarantee of the pool if you eliminate the other players. Instead, you are at the mercy of other players' budget and bankroll, though you could still end up winning the same amount presumably.

The tournaments and normal tea table play apply to both online and brick-and-mortar poker casino poker, as well as illegal underground poker games I guess.

Where to play online poker, especially for Australian players, can be a tricky question, because there are so many scam sites out there. Luckily, there are independent, expert review sites that scour the player and other forums and sites to find the best, most trusted, most rewarding places online to play poker online. The skills you learn and the ability you hone online will apply to in-person play as well.

In conclusion, it is possible to make a living playing poker, but like any new career path, it takes time, so don't expect to be paying your bills right away, and don't play with more than you can afford to lose.