Play Poker or Work?
Most college students are short on a valuable commodity – money. While many college students get a part time job to pay their bills, cover entertainment expenses, and to live; some college students explore the possibility of making poker their job while furthering their education.
How to Determine Whether to Work or Play Poker
There are several things to consider when determining whether to work or play on titanpoker. How much money you have to start, how profitable a player you are, as well as how much money you stand to safely earn are a few of the many factors one must consider when making this decision.
Bankroll Size
In first deciding whether to play poker or get a job, one must first consider how much they can afford to begin their bankroll with. For intents of this article, your bankroll is defined as the money dedicated solely to playing poker. Look at this money as a tool. Just as a carpenter cannot build a house without his hammer and saw, a poker player cannot turn a profit in poker without first having money. Money is an important tool for playing poker. Without it, you cannot make money.
Profitability
Are you a profitable poker online player? Before deciding to play to make your living, you are best served knowing the answer to that question. Using a program such as poker office to analyze your past play, you can determine how much money you can expect to make hourly at this level, as well as determine if you are profitable or not. If you are not historically a profitable player, then it makes no sense to play for a living, and thus you should go the route of getting a job.
Can my Bankroll Sustain my Lifestyle?
After taking into consideration your bankroll size, as well as determining your hourly rate; project out how many hours a day you can comfortably dedicate to poker play. Can this money meet your needs? Additionally, if you go on a bad run for a period of a few weeks, do you have enough backup money to live off without tapping into your bankroll?
Can you Make More Money with a “Real Job”?
When looking at your projected hourly rate, can you make more or less money by getting a real job than you can expect to make playing poker? Or is it the other way around – that poker will provide you a better opportunity to make money than any available job would provide for you? Being honest with yourself on this question will really help putting your job decision into perspective.
By carefully considering and comparing the benefits of getting a job or playing poker while in college, you will be better informed as to which of the two is the most correct path for you. Being honest with yourself about the resources you have available, as well as whether or not you are in fact a profitable poker player will help to put you on the poker table or off it for all the right reasons when it comes to supporting your lifestyle while in college.