Poker As a Part-Time Job

In the whirlwind of events that has been my professional life as of late, I have struggled to find the place where poker fits in. My initial exploits in poker were those of a hobbyist simply looking to play for fun while enjoying small and steady profits. However, as the profitability of the game reached levels that needed to be taken seriously, my attitude towards poker began to change as well.

I imagine these are the same feelings that many professionals feel when they begin to “make a living” at something that was previously performed only for enjoyment. The activity sometimes begins to feel like a job. While there are certainly times that I have a strong desire to play, there are also times where the game is the furthest thing from my mind, but I play anyway – only for the profits.

Since my “bread and butter” in terms of poker profitability is the multi-tabling of lower limit ring games, I have found that the hobbyist in me has taken to Multi-Table Tournaments (MTT’s) and Sit-N-Go’s (SNG’s) for entertainment purposes. Don’t get me wrong, both of these styles of tournaments are still extremely profitable for me, but they also are not as consistent as I have come to expect from ring games.

So What To Do?
In order to make poker more enjoyable, I have set up a monthly earnings contest with a friend who shares my interest in poker. This contest keeps me motivated and playing to ensure that I maintain my undefeated record against him. Additionally, I continue to make the time for MTT’s and SNG’s, both of which I derive great pleasure from playing (primarily when I win).

So for those of you in similar situations, I recommend finding ways that keep you motivated to play poker for both profit potential as well as for the pure enjoyment of the game.

Proofreading through this post reminds me how fortunate we are to have found a hobby that is not only enjoyable, but also can bring substantial supplemental income into your household. Other than fellow poker players, I do not know another person that doesn’t shell out their hard earned cash from their professions into their hobby. While there are also multitude of poker players that do the same, if you are amongst the elite few that make regular withdrawals from your accounts, you have to sometimes think to yourself that you have one of the greatest hobbies, bar none. Even if you are occasionally in the doldrums of viewing poker as a part-time job, there few jobs out there where you can make such an easy living from home and in your underwear.

The Greedy Gecko
I love this game…again.