Playing online poker to boost your income?

Karluk

Hi all

I'm a forum newbie and I hope I have started this thread in the best location.

I have been using the valuable info on this excellent site for quite a while and I wanted to add my experience of how I boost my income (by just a small amount at the moment) by playing online poker.

Firstly, let me say that I totally agree that 'Gambling isn't MoneySaving' but I don't believe playing poker is gambling. Playing bingo, the lottery, roulette, buying a raffle ticket etc is gambling beacuse you rely 100% on luck as to whether you make a profit or not.

I started playing poker about 5 or 6 years ago and at the beginning I really didnt have a clue what I was doing, I had never really understood card games and lost about £300 in about 4 months (I could afford to lose this amount and treated it as a 'learning fee')

Since these difficult beginnings I have read a lot of info in books and on the web and have become a much better player and now make a regular small profit which I believe a lot of other people could also achieve.

Getting good at poker will obviously take a different amount of time for various players but with proper bankroll management and discipline (which I didnt use at the start!), I believe most people could gradually build a pot of cash, with minimum risk and then make a small (but maybe valuable) regular income.

A lot of poker sites offer free cash to get you started, so theres no need to even risk any hard earned cash, or there are free 'play for fun' games that a beginner could try while they are getting used to the game and the rules.

I find the convenience of playing at home and playing for however long I want is a big advantage. I know that I could increase my bankroll quicker if I played more but I'm happy (and so is my wife) with the amount of time I spend playing at the moment.

I'd like to know what everyone thinks about this and I would be happy to explain / discuss my reasoning further if required.

RaksP_2

i play poker now and then, can you direct me to any good guides to improve my technique?

thor

How much profit do you make Karl?

nickmack

Karluk wrote: »

I'd like to know what everyone thinks about this and I would be happy to explain / discuss my reasoning further if required.

I used to make a regular small profit out of playing poker online about 5 years ago. I played mostly tournaments rather than cash games.

I only play for fun now, mainly for two reasons.

Firstly, the standard of poker online has improved in recent years. It used to be fairly easy with a steady game to turn a profit, now it's a bit more difficult which makes margins very tight. It was fairly long hours of being patient for a small steady profit and I worked out it's not worth my while now.

Also, I now don't have the time to concentrate on games. You generally need to have a decent 'session' free of interuptions if you're serious about making money.

I wish you good luck, keep concentrated and set yourself a regular schedule with limited funds, that way, hopefully it shouldn't spiral out of control.

Totality

I play now and again. Not for huge money, but I use the introductory offers available to try and make sure I break even at worst.

There are loads of offers around at the minute.

mrmajika

Karluk wrote: »

but I don't believe playing poker is gambling.

There may be a certain level of skill involved but playing poker for money IS gambling.

Karluk

thor wrote: »

How much profit do you make Karl?

With my current bankroll, it is increasing between £50 - £100 per week for about 20 hours of play.

I try not to think of the winnings as profit because I might win £20 from a couple of games but then lose the next 3 and lose £30.

Playing poker should be treated as one long session until you retire from the game i.e never play again (to account for variance due to bad luck, playing badly etc) but my bankroll has usually increased come the end of the week.

Karluk

mrmajika wrote: »

There may be a certain level of skill involved but playing poker for money IS gambling.

I agree that by definition, gambling involves risking money on the outcome of a game or event.

But in my opinion, poker is a game that relies mostly on your own ability and not the ability of a jockey to ride a horse, a footballer to score a goal or fielder to catch a cricket ball.

If you invest a little time and effort and become fairly good (and i would only say I'm only fairly good at best) and also manage the risk of the luck involved in poker (through disciplined bankroll management), then most people can become a winning player.

In one of my accounts I started with just $50 and played $1 games for about 2 months until my bankroll had increased for me to move on to the $2 games. I'm currently playing $20 games on this site.

In another account, 2 weeks ago I received $15 for free and since I'm no longer a beginner and having played just a few times, I now have $45 which, with discipline I can hopefully build up to a larger amount for free.

Twopints

Karluk wrote: »

With my current bankroll, it is increasing between £50 - £100 per week for about 20 hours of play.

Er, so, after 5 or 6 years experience, I can make £2.50 to £5.00 an hour (tax-free ) ?

greenoak

karluk.

You must either me the luckiest player around or one of the best.

If you start with a $50 bankroll and started on the $1 tables you were very very lucky to win anything.

There are so many idiots who do not understand odds who just play hands they should not but it seems the poker gods always help them out and your profit is gone in the bat of an eye.

Dont say it evens itself out because it does not - well it does not for me. I have lost count of the times when I am up $20 or $30 to suddenly see it all fall when I have lost $50 on a 1 out call.

The amount of all ins I lose when miles in front is just unbelievable.

To recommend poker as a way of making a bit of cash is insane. For every $ you win someone has lost it.

I am a fairly good player but have not won ( withdrawn any cash for months ) I have won a few hundred player tourneys. But the poker cream days are over.

For me I know I can play for free, I dont win or dont lose. I have just about given up on cash games and now play small sit n gos or 20 - 50 player tourneys and break even.

JimmyTheWig

Twopints wrote: »

Er, so, after 5 or 6 years experience, I can make £2.50 to £5.00 an hour (tax-free ) ?

That's what I was thinking. You'd be better off delivering pizzas.


Also, Karl, what is your current bankroll?