How to Become A Proficient Poker Player

Ever wondered how you could make a living from playing poker? Maybe you have ever dreamed of quitting your 9-to-5 job to spend your time online. Perhaps you have a dream of making it to Las Vegas in the World Series of Poker.

Although it is possible to become a professional poker player, it is not easy. Are the rewards worth the hard work? These are seven steps that you can start right away to get you on the right track.

1. Research and Understand the Game

You must understand the game you are playing if you want to be a professional poker player. Understanding the nuances of Texas Hold’em cash means you need to understand how position, bankroll management, and table selection work.

Live casino tournament players need to know where the best value is and how to make the most of their trips. This means looking for good hotel deals to make your bankroll stretch further.

If you want to make real money playing poker online, you need to know the best online video poker sites. Talk to other grinders and pros before you start. Millions of poker pros are making a living from low-level games. 

2. Learn the Rules

If you are looking to make a living at poker, this might be the most important rule. You will lose your money if you don’t have a good grasp of the rules before you start playing.

Texas Hold’em is the most common variant of poker. This variant is the easiest to learn but also attracts the most skilled players. It would help if you found out how to make a difference against the poor players and then choose the right level to avoid losing money.

Although, at online sites, you could find many unique variants like Razz and Badugi, where the pool of good players is smaller. It is possible to master lesser-known variants online and become a professional poker player.

No matter what game you play, you’ll need to have a basic understanding of key concepts in poker to become a proficient poker player.

• Drawing hands
• Hand Combinations
• Ranges
• Pot Odds
• Implied Pot Odds
• Reverse Implied Odds
• Equity folding
• ICM (Independent Chip Modeling)
• Expected Value (EV).

Good knowledge of Game Theory Optimal (GTO) is a must for serious pros. This is a complicated poker strategy that can be used to avoid being exploited at the poker table. GTO is a key component to becoming a pro poker player.

3. Practice makes perfect

How to make a living at poker. The key is practice. The sheer amount of hours that they work online will give them a lot of experience.

You can also improve your experience by playing multiple tables at once. You can start by playing at least two to three tables simultaneously and gradually increasing the number if you feel comfortable.

Low-level pros might make minimum wage to start with if they don’t go up to their volume. It’s easy to go on a downswing or see your profits eaten up by rake and fees. You can make more out of long game sessions by practicing hard and long at lower stakes.

4. Only play better hands

Although it may seem obvious, you must be careful when playing pro poker. You can tilt the odds in your favor by playing poker well. The best way to do this is to make sure you have the right-hand selections.

Hold’em is best played with a tight-aggressive strategy. Premium hands should be used when possible. Call only with marginal hands in late positions, and pay attention to your opponent.

You can use a Heads-Up Display (HUD) on online poker sites. These tools are valuable in the professional player’s arsenal. These tools allow you to keep track of the percentage of preflop raises made by your opponents and how often they have put money into the pot.

Push Fold charts are great for tournament players looking to make it big. It will show you the range of hands that you should move all-in with, based on your position and your stack size. This is the best trick you can follow to become a proficient poker player.

5. Build a big bankroll and liferoll

You think you are a pro at online poker, even though you have completed all the steps. You may think you know how to play online poker, but are your bankroll and other financial affairs in order?

Poker pros prefer to keep at least six months of their living expenses in an additional bank account if something happens. It is a bad idea to dip into your poker account to pay your bills. 

Because you don’t want to lose your stakes, your bankroll should be higher than that of a recreational player. This will make it much more difficult to achieve your financial goals. It is better to have a bankroll problem than it is to go broke.

6. Act professionally

Pro poker players often point to the freedom that comes with playing for a living. However, it doesn’t mean you should not have a professional attitude toward the job. The best poker players around the world are very disciplined. They have a consistent approach to every day.

It’s not like you would go to work, sit down at the desk, and read a book on your computer. How do you become a professional poker player? Act like a professional.

7. Keep an eye out

Recognizing how to play pro poker is not just about knowing the odds but also about taking care of yourself. Poker will be your only pursuit each day if you become a pro. 

For 16 hours, you could be glued to a computer screen for 16 consecutive hours. You might play 12 hours per day for several days if traveling to a major live tournament.

It would help if you took care of your mental and physical well-being. You can be sharp at the table if you eat well and do enough exercise. You’ll also be better equipped to deal with the inevitable downswings if you take care of your mental health.