Many professional poker players are not as recognizable as they might appear. Many are also not as successful either. Playing poker as a career is not easy. A good professional poker player understands that poker is a business and treats it as such.
You may find that some successful professional poker players are actually part time players. It is much more difficult than it looks to continually play poker tournaments and win. There is so much volatility and new players that making a living by playing tournaments are few and far between. Most of the professional poker players make their living off the cash, or ring games. Tournaments are high profile and exciting but it is the cash games where the pros make their money.
There are a few downsides to being a poker professional that most
people don’t see. First off are the ups and downs of the game.
You had better be prepared with a good bankroll for the true roller
coaster ride a professional poker player has to experience. There
are going to be losing days, losing weeks, and even losing months.
That can be very discouraging if you are not a strong, well-prepared
player. The professional poker player that makes money is well aware
of the ups and downs of the game and he or she is prepared to handle
them.