Adam Winter

For the past few weeks I have been talking to my girlfriend about quitting Gtech and playing poker full time. We have discussed the various pros and cons, health insurance, amount of money I would need to make, other income sources, poker legislation, risks, etc. We both agreed that starting next year, if I can get her health insurance, and the poker laws don’t kill online poker, that I should go for it.

I’m really excited about the idea since I’ve always loved playing poker. I have always been super disciplined, bankroll conservative, and savvy with my game selection. When I dedicate myself to the game, I know I can win. Being a tournament player moreso than a cash game player means that I might go one week without winning much, but the next have a huge week. Dana (my gf) and I decided that if I could not earn $18,000 over 6 months, or an average of $3,000 profit per month, I should quit. Honestly, I really think $18k will be incredibly easy.

Personally, I am fine with making less money in year than my fulltime job as long as I have the freedom to do what I want, when I want. I really can’t imagine only making $36,000 for the year as well. I think I would have to play very very badly, and very rarely to make so little. I have had 5k+ months playing in my spare time with a full time job! I just can’t see how playing full time and really dedicating myself to playing winning poker wouldn’t yield spectacular results.

If after a year I somehow hate playing full time, I can always find a new job or go back to school. My finances are very very sound right now. I have saved a ton since I started working at Gtech nearly 4 years ago. Thus, I have a healthy start on my retirement funds as well as a 24-month emergency fund. Additionally, I can always talk to my family if I ever need monetary support to get back on my feet if disaster struck.

Both Dana and I feel that starting in 2010 is a great time for me to try this out. She will be getting her graduate degree in the spring, and we plan to move out of the state during the summer. Most likely Phoenix.

Right now my online bankroll is $9350 and I plan to grind that up as high as possible by the end of the year. I have already withdrawn $5000 profit this year as well. Also, I did not play during January or February and played probably 10 hrs/wk March-June. So part time winnings of nearly $14k through 6 months in very encouraging. I feel like $50k/year is easily doable, and 100k from poker in 2010 is very achievable. My next post will analyze how I expect to make 100k in 2010 from online poker.