Dedicating my life to poker for 1 year

I havnt been able to sleep. Ive been thinking lots re poker (yeh, one of them nights)...

I'm really considering making quite a big life decision. Previously I didnt ever want time-out from working to play poker due to having a gap in my CV. ...However I've ended up doing this anyway, and only worked 3.5 months through the last 12. Now, things are holding me back at the moment. Living in Brighton in a big house with 6 friends theres alot of distraction. Yes life is pretty dam good but Im going nowhere. I need direction, targets and goals but at the mo im plodding along slowly and spunking money / br on living.

Im not bothered about my CV anymore, Ive achived good enough grades through school and university and dont want the stigma of a gap in my CV to bother me anymore and stop this opportunity.

Now, Ive always said there is no-way Id move back home as its so boring there living with my parents and less friends, less things to do etc. However theyve always said I could live back home after uni for a year rent free.. theyd also buy food, pay bills etc. Brighton > Home is also only a 2hr train journy so I could still come and visit my friends here once a month or something (so my life does have some decent brighton entertainment).

So Im thinking of moving home for a year this August, where expenses will be tiny and I'll be able to put in alot more time into poker. My plan would be to get 25-30 hours in a week (playing time. I like to be realistic as I prob spend a good 20 hrs a week doing misc poker activities - reading forums, watching videos, chat, etc ).

Im really keen on doing this to give myself a chance to really get somewhere and do something very productive; continue to learn lots, build my br and move up through the stakes.

The bottom line is if I take this yr and work fulltime on playing / studying poker then in theory my poker skill / br should grow alot faster than if i continue bumming it in Brighton.

Thanks if you took the time to read my thoughts.. id love to hear any opinions

money grows on trees

Don't forget to factor in P0rn time

gl man... it's always good to start trying to get your life headin in the right direction

see what happens when people hit the Hooka pipe? lay off da weed man

no, seriously, you gotta just go for it - if you think you can stand living at home, then go for it - Best of luck...

The CV thing - you're right to not let it stop you BUT I really think you should have an answer ready for a future job interview. If you can find a part time job that sounds okay (i.e. ideally not bar work or whatever, though you're young enough (right?) for that to be fine too) then it might make a big difference. Or maybe some kind of course? The OU does some short courses which really don't take a lot of time but it'd look like you were improving yourself.

Bear in mind that if you play 30 hours poker per week as your "job", you're unlikely to want to do it in your free time, so you'll probably have more time available for studying/working than you think.

gl man, sounds like a plan.

Valid points Biondino, but I really cant see myself working in a part time job earning $12 pr hr when I know I can earn that or more now at poker.

You have a good point about studying, and I have actually done lots in my free time lately.. instead of courses I find the internet suffices and download audio books, lectures, articles etc. Mainly so far Ive been studying metaphysics philosophy when not thinking about poker

Originally Posted by biondino

Bear in mind that if you play 30 hours poker per week as your "job", you're unlikely to want to do it in your free time, so you'll probably have more time available for studying/working than you think.

This is untrue. If you 8 table 6+ hours a day, then if you play poker with some friends it will seem like entertainment.

And realisticly, If you can't put in 8 hours a day you either have a super special social life or no where near enough dedications. I suggest two 4 hour sessions, one early in the day and one late in the day. If you sleep 8 hours per day this leaves EIGHT hours on average to do things no poker related. You could do this at college...

Sink, maybe think about a part-time job not as something that earns you $12 an hour (We're both British, why are we speaking in $?), but as something that works toward a future career? You could even volunteer somewhere - 10-20 hours a week and it looks even better on your CV!

Originally Posted by swiggidy

Don't forget to factor in P0rn time

Originally Posted by Sinkrox

and spunking money

Done already.

Originally Posted by swiggidy

Don't forget to factor in P0rn time

i dont consider factoring it in because my schedule is built around porn time not the other way around

wtf is cv?

curriculum vitae

just keep in mind that for every year you spend playing poker for a living, one year gets taken off your life

I don't understand... if you go unemployed for a year in the UK it gets added to some record and looks bad on a resume or something?

It doesn't get added to a record, no, but aware employers will question you about it and will mark you down if you don't have an adequate explanation. Sadly, "playing poker" is unlikely to go down well with all but the most enlightened of bosses, and unless you can give an explanation that sounds good - making an effort to increase qualifications, say, or volunteering for good works of some kind - it may well work against you. No-one wants to employ a slacker

Just do it, but def get back into the workforce after 1-2 years unless of course you win the WSOP ME. As for the gap, just say you went travelling for a year to learn about other cultures or something.

But teach yourself some discipline and really put in hours, dont be lazy if you do it.

Change of plans, ive landed myself a web design job so will stick at it and see how that goes, hopefully play 15-20 hours poker a week part time. Its going to be awesome to finally have poker as a part time hobby where I wont need to cashout my roll for anything apart from treating myself here and there

At some point though I deffinatly want to do this 1yr full time poker plan, back home with tiny outgoings. Maybe I'll try it in 1-3 years time.