Going Pro

Flexible Hours, Great Pay … And No Job Security
Understanding the pros and cons of choosing the life of a poker professional
BY MARC LICHTENFELD

THINK YOU’D LIKE THE LIFE of a professional poker player? Waking up at the crack of noon in glamorous places such as Las Vegas and London, matching wits with the likes of Phil Hellmuth and Doyle Brunson, pulling in huge wads of cash at various tournaments? Sounds like a dream job, doesn’t it? Unfortunately, what you see on television isn’t necessarily an accurate representation of reality.

Sure, the players can sleep late if they choose, travel the world, and don’t punch a clock. But it’s more of a grind than you might think. If you’re considering telling the boss where to shove that nine-to-five in order to pursue a career at the felt, heed the stories of several pros about what it takes make a living playing poker.

Many of the players that ALL IN spoke with for this story never really had a traditional career, much less a job. The ones that did toil for “the man” turned to poker after becoming unemployed, rather than quitting in order to play.

Barry Greenstein, Jennifer Harman, Kristy Gazes, and Vanessa Rousso all made good money playing poker when they were still in or just barely out of school. Greenstein only took the more traditional path and went to work at Symantec due to child custody issues. “The courts would never give custody to a professional gambler,” he explained. “So I had to get a job.”

Joe Sebok and Erik Seidel tried poker full-time after the companies they were working for shut their doors. Sebok worked for several dot-coms that ultimately closed. After the last failure, he was trying to figure out what to do next when a conversation with his stepfather, who happens to be Barry Greenstein, sparked his interest in poker. “Bear [Barry] brought up how well he thought I could have done at poker had I gone in that direction, and I just took it from there,” he said.

At the time, Sebok didn’t even know the hand rankings. His family had purposely kept him away from poker, stressing education instead. Joe read every poker book he could get his hands on and, from day one, approached it as a career. He logged hours and hours on computer simulators and live small-stakes games as he honed his skills. Certainly, having Greenstein as a mentor “took years off the learning curve,” Sebok acknowledged. He made two final tables and cashed for about $100,000 at his first major tournaments at the 2005 World Series of Poker and has never looked back.

Seidel was an options trader before playing poker full-time. After his company closed in 1995, Seidel’s wife suggested they move to Las Vegas to pursue the dream. “She knew I hated working and loved playing poker,” he said. Seidel had been playing for 10 years at that point. “I knew I had the skills to be successful,” he stated. Everyone else knew it too—Seidel had already won three World Series bracelets and finished second to Johnny Chan in the ’88 WSOP Main Event. The Seidels arrived in Vegas with a plan to give it five years. Five more bracelets and about $6-million in tournament winnings later, things seem to be working out just fine.

Others like Gazes, Rousso, and Greenstein started playing poker at very young ages. Gazes used to sneak into casinos while still a minor. Rousso, who learned the game as a child, began playing online as soon as she turned 18 and in live games at the Seminole Indian poker rooms in Florida when she became 21.
While they all taught themselves the game by various methods, one thing they agree on is that a lot of hard work goes into being able to play at the level where you can even begin to think about being making a living at it.

Gazes, who is now actually trying to spend more time trading options than playing poker, said she was infatuated with the game when she started out. While working various odd jobs, Kristy would always find herself in the poker room during her spare time. “It was never a conscious decision to become a pro,” she said. “I was just always there.” But while she loved to gamble, when it came to poker, “I was a true grinder for 10 years.” She started by setting small goals for herself such as winning $50 per day. Then she raised it to $100 and so on. Gazes attributes her longevity to a conservative approach. “I never played super high stakes and was always careful about managing my money correctly,” she divulged.

Similarly, Seidel said he played tight to the vest when first starting out as a full-time player. Greenstein could also be considered a grinder, having made a lot of money in cash games before televised tournaments became popular. He explained, “People have to realize, there are great poker players who are never on TV, who you’ve never even heard of, making a great living playing poker.”

Those who do will tell you that there are an abundance of both pros and cons to playing cards to pay the bills. Everyone we talked to loves the freedom of not having to answer to anyone but themselves. Rousso also enjoys the “depth of exposure to people and places. I get to travel to amazing places,” she beamed.
However, it’s not all big money and fancy hotels. “It can be an emotional rollercoaster,” said Harman, a thought conveyed by several others.

While they clearly love the game, a few players expressed the desire to do something more productive. “There is a lack of tangible creation,” Sebok said. “We don’t really get to create or build anything, other than bankrolls, and I miss that feeling.” Gazes echoed that sentiment and added, “We feed off other people’s weaknesses, especially chronic gamblers.” Seidel stated that poker can be so consuming, it’s difficult to find time for other things.

While each of these pros’ stories are somewhat unique, their advice for wannabe pros is fairly uniform. “Read all the poker books out there,” said Rousso (see sidebar). “If you don’t, it’s like trying to be a doctor without going to medical school.” The third-year University of Miami law student also advises, “Have a backup plan.”

The pros all advise putting in lots of hours before thinking about sitting down at a table with one of them. Harman believes it takes about 2,000 hours for a player to accurately determine if they can be successful. Rousso suggests playing tournaments for two years and keeping accurate records of how you play in order to assess whether you have the chops to make it.

Not surprisingly, Sebok advises finding a mentor or mentors. “Pick the brains of players who are better than you. Spend as much time with them as possible, as they will push your thoughts in new directions that would normally take you much longer on your own,” he counseled.

Gazes recommends playing online in addition to live cash games because you’ll see more hands per hour online. Both she and Seidel believe cash management is key, especially in the beginning. Seidel offered, “Take it slow. Many people I meet have confidence beyond their abilities.”
And that’s precisely why many people believe they can make it as professional poker players, only to fail. But if you move at a measured pace and allow your confidence to advance in step with your abilities, maybe, one day, you’ll be able to travel the world, sleep until noon, and get rich outplaying the very pros whose advice you’ve just absorbed.

Marc Lichtenfeld is a radio host and writer from South Florida.