There was one a time when professional poker players were limited to casinos. Still, the online world ensures that those with a passion for poker always have access to live games with challenging opponents. However, is it possible to make a living from playing poker online?

• Making a living playing online poker is something that requires many hours of study. At first, most of the players think that playing poker online is equal to big amounts of money, few hours at the gaming.
• Making a living from playing poker is one of the most exciting jobs in the world - but it’s not easy. It’s important to assess whether or not you have the necessary skill set to actually turn a.

Although it is possible to make a living playing poker online, it is not for everyone. Of course, big wins can make the prospect very alluring, but those with uncertainties or a lack of experience should ensure that playing poker online is something that they can contend with.

If you're trying live poker after playing online poker, be prepared for a but of slower, more loose-passive play. There will likely be softer competition, deeper play, and multi-way pots. We have a whole article about live and online poker differences and tips here.

How Do I Know If I Can Make a Living from Online Poker?

In short, if you are fearful of losing money that you cannot afford to lose, then making a living from online poker is not for you. However, if you find you can contend with bad days and be responsible when the wins occur, then it is certainly possible to make a living from online poker.

Necessary Character Traits Require for Making a Living from Online Poker

Although a game of poker has elements of luck involved, there are a series of character traits that help when making a living from online poker, which include the following:

Self-Control: Winning a small fortune following a game of online poker can be exciting, but it is essential that the prize money is accounted for and dealt with responsibly. Simply splashing out after every big win could mean that you have truly little spending money during turbulent times.

Confidence: Those who are not confident in their role will find that they are less likely to take risks, meaning the returns could be limited. This is not to say that professional online players should risk everything, but not having the confidence to take risks now and again could mean less concerning winnings.

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Focus: Depending on the income you are trying to achieve, playing poker online can involve exceptionally long hours. In some instances, online poker players can find themselves investing as much as 50 hours per week, so playing online poker for a living can be harder than conventional job roles.

Like any job role, the playing of poker can become stressful and monotonous at times, but poker players mustn’t lose focus. Those that do typically lose a small fortune in the process.

Other Requirements to Make a Living from Online Poker

As well as possessing the correct character traits, those looking to make a substantial living from playing online poker also need the following to ensure that they can sustain their career. The great thing about using poker apps is you can practice and play from anywhere. You can hone and tune your skills whilst on a break at work, or in front of the TV and really ramp up your game.

Reputable Poker Rooms: It can be assumed that if a business is offering poker-based games, then it is trustworthy and reliable. Although this is true for the most part, there will be online platforms looking to take advantage of online poker players.

As such, you should ensure you carry out some research on each online poker platform you are interested in and garner a good understanding of how each platform works.

Reliable Devices: Regardless of whether you are using a smartphone or laptop, it is vital to ensure you are using a device that can be relied on. It is easy to assume that all computers and smartphones are the same, but nothing could be further from the truth.

Budget tablets and laptops are ideal for light users, but every second counts when playing online poker, and any stuttering or device failures could mean losing a small fortune.

Realistic Bankroll: Those that are approaching online poker as a living will already know the importance of a realistic bankroll, but it is important to reinforce how integral it is.

Regardless of whether you are looking to make a substantial living or just enough to take care of the bills, it is essential to ensure that you have the right investment to hand. If you are unsure as to how much that amount should be, then it can be worthwhile backtracking before committing to online poker.

While not a role for everyone, those with a passion for poker and the right personality traits could find that they can make a substantial income playing poker online.

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Video poker is one of the best ways to make a living in a casino. That may seem impossible to the average person that only gives action to small casinos or the Las Vegas Strip. There are thousands of advantage gamblers in the world that make enough to support them from video poker play.

Basic Strategy Imperative to Learn

Learning the basic strategy of any video poker game that returns at or near 100% is the first step in making a living playing video poker. Our video poker section shows the best play for the types of five-card hands that are dealt in video poker. It is imperative that you not use these plays on machines that do not offer full-pay tables. Some of the moves will change if a full house or flush pay lower than the 100% games.

Make A Living Playing Poker Cash Games

It is one thing to know how to play. Most casinos do not offer 100% games, and when they do, they are usually for VP games that are tougher to learn. It is nearly impossible to find one on the Las Vegas Strip. A couple of Atlantic City and California casinos offer these. Check out VPFree2.com to find out if the casino that you are visiting offers good video poker pay tables. If they do not, you should not expect to win unless you get lucky.

Getting Video Poker Comps

The Las Vegas locals market is the best place for quality video poker in the world. There are more than 100 video poker machines in Lad Vegas where the pay table returns more than 100% when five coins are wagered. Some games, like 10/7/5 Double Bonus and 10/6 Double Double Bonus, are offered in denominations as high as $1. Full pay Deuces Wild and Joker Poker are common up to the $.25 denomination. These machines also add 0.05% to 0.1% in cash back on the play when a rewards card is used.

It is possible to get mailers with more free play if you give a little action to other games on a visit. This is known as cover play and may help keep you from getting backed off. This type of play can generate offers that may otherwise be withheld.

The cash back is just a sliver of the overall return that can be added to video poker. Expert players know there are promotions that can return far more than a small fraction of a percent.

Many casinos offer point multiplier days. Players that pay attention to mailers or log into players club sites will see special days where more points are awarded. This can be anywhere from three times to 10 times the normal amount. The catch on point multiplier days is that they normally do not apply to the games that return more than 100%. Point multipliers do apply to games that return just under 100%. The goal for the video poker advantage player is to find a game like 9/6 Bonus Poker Deluxe at a Boyd Gaming property or Triple Bonus Plus and Not-So-Ugly-Deuces at a Station Casinos’ resort.

The points can be converted into comps at Boyd at full price or free play at two-thirds the value. Station Casinos points are redeemable for cash back. This requires a visit to the Boarding Pass players center. Free play may be claimed directly on the machine, except for the 100% games.

Some casinos hold drawings based on the level of play during the promotions period. This can be a few hours, a full day, or a week. Every so many points receive one ticket into a drawing with these promotions. Winners can receive free slot play, cash or big prizes like a car. Another form of promotion along these lines is hot seats. That is where an active player is declared a winner from the promotions system. These types of drawings are typically awarded every 15, 30 or 60 minutes.

These types of drawings and hot seat promotions are more common at smaller casinos. The problem is that sometimes there are few or no video poker games worth playing. Video table games are often a great alternative at casinos without quality video poker. Those devices often participate in promotions.

Progressive Video Poker Jackpots

Progressive jackpots are one of the better ways to advantage play video poker in markets where there are no full pay machines. Casinos in remote areas with little or no competition often offer progressive jackpots on a royal flush to entice players to give action to machines that are otherwise give poor returns. These do not always hit when they should and can run up well into positive expectation, especially when combined with other promotions. These can be few and far between.

A 7/5 Bonus Poker game with a progressive would require a royal flush progressive of just over $2,000 to return more than 100%. The same goes for 9/6/5 Double Bonus and 9/5 Double Double Bonus. These are the most common progressive jackpot games. Keep in mind that any jackpot of $1,200 or higher will generate a W2G tax form.

Video Poker Quality Not What It Used to Be

It was much easier for an advantage player to make a living during the 1990’s. That is because the pay tables nearly all returned more than 99% during that era. The reason for this is because sites like Wizard of Odds did not exist. Players had to learn video poker strategy on their own without the help of experts and computer programs.

Making A Living Playing Online Poker

Some casinos still offer these machines from decades ago. Many are found in Las Vegas. Downtown casinos like Plaza, Main Street Station, Fremont, California and El Cortez spread coins from nickels to dollars. Locals’ casinos like Jerry’s Nugget, Poker Palace, Sam’s Town and Railroad Pass also have coin games with great pay tables.