One of the biggest decisions a lot of poker players have to make is whether or not to go “professional.” Online and live poker players contemplate the decision whether they should be "risking" or "rewarding" themselves. A lot of my friends have made this decision to stick to poker for the time being and concentrate on the reward. But what about the rest of us who don’t necessarily choose one option, but instead combine the two? I myself have always been pretty good at poker, but never considered making a jump to being a full time player. I had always wanted to go to college and get my degree, hoping while there I would continue to be successful at poker. For the last 4 years I have been successfully going to college and playing poker.
Like many online players, I quickly discovered that I could make more money playing poker than getting almost any part-time job. The freedom to “work” when I wanted, go where I wanted, and do what I wanted were all great reasons to play poker as a job instead of working. Even playing low limits, it was easy to maintain a higher income than almost anyone I knew. With a tough discipline and countless hours of hard work, I found myself consistently beating the games I was playing, and the thought of giving up school to play full-time.Playing poker while being in school has both is pros and cons. One can help or hinder the other, depending on how you approach the situation. Balancing school and poker can be done, as proven by tons of current poker players. This means that you may not just have to choose whether you want to become a “professional” poker player, or give it up and go to school. Poker players probably have some of the best minds around, and make some of the best students. The key to it is to manage your priorities, be flexible, have a competitive advantage, be self-improving, and make sure you are ready for the life changes.
