My Journey As A Professional Poker Player (23 Viewers)

Please don’t answer this if you think it’s too personal, but another random question popped into my head about bankroll management for a pro. How do you determine what’s added to the bankroll (so you can move up on stakes) versus what’s removed for retirement/investments? All after expenses/taxes/etc
 
khp said:
Please don’t answer this if you think it’s too personal, but another random question popped into my head about bankroll management for a pro. How do you determine what’s added to the bankroll (so you can move up on stakes) versus what’s removed for retirement/investments? All after expenses/taxes/etc
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I make sure my monthly expenses are paid, then whatever is left 25% goes into my roll, the remaining 75% goes towards savings/investments/retirement
 
Anthony Martino said:
I make sure my monthly expenses are paid, then whatever is left 25% goes into my roll, the remaining 75% goes towards savings/investments/retirement
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is there an itch to add it all the the roll to move up in stakes?
 
khp said:
is there an itch to add it all the the roll to move up in stakes?
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I already play 2/2/5 and 5/5/10

The only other options are 10/10/25 or 25/25 which only recently started being played more frequently

I'm checking with a few people who might be interested in staking me for the bigger games
 
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USA USA USA!

murica.jpg
 
MatB said:
Just thinking out loud here

Do you find you have a small edge over the other players at the table who have min stacks?
I know in tournament and cash play you can sort of predict a Players response / action to a bet based on what they have behind.
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From reading your analysis I think he has a HUGE edge over these other min stacks!
 
Finally returned to Luckys planning to put in up to three $200 bullets

Dealt :qc::jc::jd::td: and just call a $20 raise, LP raises to $115, bunch of callers, I rip it in

We're all-in like 6 ways with side pots up the wazoo

We run twice and both boards I flop the only club flush draw out, whiff first board as guy runner-runners spades

But I make my hand on turn og 2nd board to snag half the money from main plus two side pots

20210705_120440.jpg
 
Guy with :kd::qd::qh::9d: pots pre, I have :ad::ah::9c::7s: and repot

He cold-calls for half his chips OOP

Flop :ks::8d::6c:

He check-calls off his stack, we go twice

First board he rivers a third King, I hit an Ace on turn of 2nd board so we chop it up
 
Anthony Martino said:
Lol, guy on my right just potted pre on the button (over another raise) holding :qh::js::6s::3d:

Then got it in on the turn and won both boards #CubanConfirmed
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Wow that’s not so bad of a hand is it? He can make Broadway and a 6 high straight….

Anthony Martino said:
Back in December 2019 I let the cat out of the bag that I had quit my job at the end of September to play poker for a living, by creating an Ask Me Anything thread. Now that we're about 10 months in, I figured it was time to begin a thread to follow along on my journey.

View attachment 482252



To provide some background, I'm now 43 years old, having left my job at 42 to pursue this change.

My background is that I grew up poor, in a family that survived on Welfare and Veterans Assistance. Got my first job at the age of 12 (as a paperboy) and had a high school friend whose parents owned a local hotel, so got a job at the front desk at the tender age of 16! Went to community college in the town I grew up in, got my Associates in Business and went to work. Always been a jack-of-all-trades, some highlights from my time working for "the man" include:

On-Call Firefighter & CPR Instructor
Communications Manager for a Ski Area
Emergency Medical Dispatcher for a private ambulance company
IT Support for multiple companies
Dispatch for multiple companies

The job I left last year to pursue this dream was as manager of a trucking company. We were a local auto-hauler, moving cars to and from dealerships and auctions, doing home-deliveries and brokering anything out-of-state. We had (7) seven-car haulers plus (4) tow trucks, and then office staff I also managed. We averaged 650 cars moved each week, although we had weeks that hit over 800.

The problem was, we operated 9am-9pm, Monday - Friday, but because we were so busy and it was difficult to find truck drivers (especially reliable ones), we were often short-staffed with our fleet. This meant we also were generally running guys in rotation on Saturdays as well, plus occasionally a customer would have a tent-sale we'd service so we might work Sunday as well.

So the job essentially became my life. If I was home for supper, I wasn't "home", and I certainly wasn't "present". I would have drivers, customers and staff calling me at all hours, whether it was 6:30am or 11pm. I might not physically be in the office, but I was putting in 70+ hours per week and did it for three years, and it was taking its toll. I was coming home exhausted and angry, and it was affecting my marriage. Eventually Jenn said "you need to quit, go play poker".

One of my friends that I had met in a local tournament here had told me he thought I'd do well playing PLO cash games. What's funny is I had always viewed them as essentially coin-flipping and gambling, as I hadn't really studied it much. My background in poker was growing up Italian, so at family gatherings we'd play 7 card stud, 5 card draw, roll dice, etc.

When the Moneymaker boom hit I learned Hold Em, although I didn't become competent until I had read Harringtons books on them. Then I learned fixed-limit Omaha hi/lo and from there branched out, picking up 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball, Badugi and other mixed games. I actually preferred fixed-limit games, I didn't enjoy the pressure people could apply to me in No Limit or Pot Limit games.

But anyway, jumping ahead to September of 2019. I'm beat up, I've reached the point where if I don't make a change somethings gotta give, and I'll either wind up fired, divorced or both. So I gave my boss my two weeks notice. He wasn't happy to see me go, but I didn't want to burn any bridges and left the right way (the ass you kick today may be the ass you kiss tomorrow!)

Going into this change in life, I had saved up 6 months of living expenses plus a separate bankroll just for poker. But, I hadn't really played PLO, and I was making the jump! I got Hwangs and Slotbooms books on PLO, read up, and jumped in!

At the time the Tampa Hard Rock would get a 2/5 PLO game with a rock (a $10 forced straddle posted by the winner of the previous pot). Buyins were $200-$2,000 and suddenly I was playing for much larger sums of money than I was accustomed, and playing a game I had no track record in! But, I had confidence. I knew I was a capable player and could pickup new things, and felt I had a strong enough background in a variety of poker formats to make the switch. I wasn't out there looking for glory, to be the best and beat the best. I just wanted to find players that were weaker than me and would pay me off so I could feed my family (just the wife and three cats, but hey, they gotta eat too!)

View attachment 482284

This is my graph since I started, by session. I might play multiple sessions per visit to a poker room, as I might jump between different stakes of PLO, Big O or mixed games. I am not showing the part of the graph that reveals the total dollars won, as that's not something I'm comfortable sharing. However, I know folks like to have some inkling of what someone in my line of work is making, so I'll provide a range of between $60-120/hr overall across all game types. Some games my rate is above or below that, depending on stakes and location. But my combined hourly is somewhere within the 60-120/hr range.

It's more money than anyone is going to pay my Associates-Degree having ass in a 9-5 job, that's for sure. So now you'll ask what games and stakes I play, well, I'm glad you asked, here you go!

Primarily I focus on:

2/5 PLO with a $10 Rock (buyins 200-2K)
1/2 PLO with a $5 button straddle and unlimited restraddles (my most profitable game each week, buyins 200-1k)
1/2 PLO (buyins 100-500)

I also play a 40/80 fixed-limit 27-game mix, although the variance is higher with so many draw games and generally I prefer PLO overall, but it is a nice change if the lineup is right.

In March I got a gym membership for an entire year, plus a personal trainer for 8 sessions, and then a few weeks in I was going to the gym every day and Covid hit, shutting the gyms down. They've since re-opened and I'm back in there doing my thing, plus I try to rollerskate once every week or two as well, which I enjoy and I'm quite good at.

Switching to poker has really helped my relationship and me personally as far as my mental health. I focus on cash games and play very few tournaments, because those lock you in for 8, 10, 12 hour days. With a cash game, I can go and play for 2 hours, win $1300 and head home, see my wife, watch some shows and enjoy life outside of constantly grinding. Some weeks I'll only put in 25 hours, other weeks 30-40. But nowhere near the 70 hours I was putting in working for "the man".

Don't get me wrong, it's not all sunshine and roses. In February I suffered my first (and crossing my fingers, so far only) losing month. It started off great, I think for the first 11 days I had made more than my monthly goal and was on track to match or exceed what I did in December (my first five-figure month) and I was feeling great!

Well, PLO has variance, I was warned, it wasn't going to last forever. Suddenly I went on a horrible downswing. The donks were getting me! Guy raises 3456 preflop to $30, another guy repots all-in for $150, I spring my trap with AAxx and repot to $450 and the guy with 3456 just calls off half his fucking stack and spikes the 667 flop, which looks good when you have Aces, since this guys calling range shouldn't include a 6 in it for half his stack, lol.

Flop top set and nfd vs a weaker fd and an open-ender? He binks the river straight. Have a guy drawing to ONE out on the turn in a $1,400 pot when you hold top two and the nfd vs his K944 with 2nd nfd and only one four in the deck is good for him since the other gives us both the flush, and he binks it on the river as a 2.5% to 97.5% underdog.

Most of the other losses were standard fair, flop straight and flush draws vs top set and I miss my draws, or flop the nut flush vs top set and get it in and he pairs the river, etc. I will say about $800 of my losses were bad play/tilt induced. I'm certainly not immune to it.

When Covid hit I wasn't able to play live anymore, and I'm fairly nitty so I'm not getting invited to any juicy private games either. I found a site online where I was able to play multiple tables of PLO, Big O and 5-card PLO and would play up to 6 tables at a time, sometimes tossing in a NL Hold Em tourney or PLO tourney into the mix as well. Helped keep me sharp and was profitable, although not as much as live poker. But it helped me get used to making a lot more decisions, getting more hands and experience in and also dealing with the ups and downs of this life I've chosen.

Anyway, we're closing in on almost a year of doing this, and I'm still happy with my decision. I will say I don't get the joy out of poker that I once did, as it's more work and less entertainment, so I do miss some of that aspect of it. But being able to pay my bills without having to punch a clock, having the freedom to choose my hours, to adjust to things in life I need to take care of without having to worry about dealing with my bosses needs, has been really freeing.

So stay tuned and subscribe to this space to follow along, and I'll continue to keep ya posted!
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This is an impressive graph. Are you offering coaching yet maybe via zoom?? Just would be cool to get some pointers from some small stakes hands I played online.

Anthony Martino said:
Lol, first hand at 1/2/5 PLO we are 4 handed and get it all-in on flop for $600

Me: :ad::kd::9h::7s:
Villain: :js::tc::9d::6d:

FLOP: :kc::td::8d:

First board: :7c::6s:
Second board: :7d::3c:

I get scooped lol
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That’s so sick
 
plonewbie12345 said:
Wow that’s not so bad of a hand is it? He can make Broadway and a 6 high straight….


This is an impressive graph. Are you offering coaching yet maybe via zoom?? Just would be cool to get some pointers from some small stakes hands I played online.


That’s so sick
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QJ63 is garbage, you want 4 cards that coordinate all together generally

I don't do coaching. It would be hard to charge my hourly rate from playing to coach.
 
Anthony Martino said:
QJ63 is garbage, you want 4 cards that coordinate all together generally

I don't do coaching. It would be hard to charge my hourly rate from playing to coach.
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Plus, the one time he did try to coach, he just stood there for an hour watching his student play online and shouted, "PLAY BETTER! USA! USA! USA!"
 
Anthony Martino said:
Dodged a bullet. Had :ks::kc::js::8h: but was facing a pot and repot pre so let it go

Both guys get it in and go once

Flop JJ8 and I'm kicking myself, but A on turn and one of them had AAxx phew!

View attachment 500539
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Don’t you think you’re being results oriented because the A hit? Seems you have a good hand facing 2 diff players and their ranges. From your analysis the players are so bad I think this hand is good enough to GII

Anthony Martino said:
QJ63 is garbage, you want 4 cards that coordinate all together generally

I don't do coaching. It would be hard to charge my hourly rate from playing to coach.
Click to expand...
Interesting. I’d think we can have good equity against AA and KK and really tilt out opponents with such a hand. A flop like 245 or KT9 and we stack KK or AKT and we stack aa and kk. I remember reading the other good pro won a nice pot with 3568? So maybe these types of hands need some reconsideration. Maybe if opponent has AA and flop is like A25 and he checks and we see a free turn with 63 we make nuts and he has to pay two big bets and doesn’t see us having 3x or 6x in our range when we peel these bigger bets preflop. This thread is really making me realize I need to study more!!!
 
plonewbie12345 said:
Don’t you think you’re being results oriented because the A hit? Seems you have a good hand facing 2 diff players and their ranges. From your analysis the players are so bad I think this hand is good enough to GII
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:kc::ks::js::8h: is an ok hand, but it's not an amazing hand. Facing a pot and a repot, someone was saying they had Aces and my decision was preflop for stacks, so I made the correct decision based on the situation. Yes, there ARE many bad players out there, but they aren't ALL droolers (don't I wish!). There are still plenty of solid or very competent players in the pool that I swim in.

I am nowhere near the best player in the pond, and that's fine, I'm not trying to "beat the best", I just want to pay my bills. And that's done by making good decisions, regardless of the outcome.




Interesting. I’d think we can have good equity against AA and KK and really tilt out opponents with such a hand. A flop like 245 or KT9 and we stack KK or AKT and we stack aa and kk. I remember reading the other good pro won a nice pot with 3568? So maybe these types of hands need some reconsideration. Maybe if opponent has AA and flop is like A25 and he checks and we see a free turn with 63 we make nuts and he has to pay two big bets and doesn’t see us having 3x or 6x in our range when we peel these bigger bets preflop. This thread is really making me realize I need to study more!!!
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I'm feeling like you may be the TAG pro who played the 8753 against me and you're just trolling me, lol. But let's assume you are legit.

In the long-run you'll make money by playing hands that flop well. 8753, QJ63, etc. are going to be hard-pressed to flop strong enough that you can be comfortable with them. They will tend to miss making anything of note most of the time, and make 2nd best hands that cost you money if you stick around. They have too many gaps and make too many non-nutted hands post-flop that you'll lose more money trying to play these long-term than the few times you happen to luck out, because if your opponents are continuing against you post-flop, you may be getting freerolled (i.e. they have the same hand as you plus redraws to scoop)

Don't forget the times you do luck you, you still need the following to occur:

1. You need an opponent who is able to pay you off
2. You need your hand to hold against any of their outs

Also, it's generally not advisable to try and specifically target the stronger players in the game. While ALL of the strong players have their own threshold for tilt, they are generally going to avoid it better than weaker players or at least recognize it and take a break from the table. I'm not immune to it, but I don't believe the other pros are either, including the best player in the room.

Long-term your money is going to come from the weakest players who overvalue and overplay marginal hands, rather than trying to see whose dick is bigger in a contest against stronger opponents.
 
Anthony Martino said:
Some short stacked guy got up from the table in the middle of a hand, dealer mucked him and he threw a stink

Floor ruled his hand dead, guy started getting verbally abusive towards dealer after this, myself and a couple of other guys shut that down real quick

He wound up taking his remaining $115 and left lol
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Wanting to understand this, since I don't have much casino poker experience. So if I stand up to stretch my back for a few seconds during a hand, I get mucked? How is this different from the guys on TV that stand up, and even run around the room when they are all-in? What is the exact rule that I need to look for if I'm playing at a poker room or casino?
 
TX_Golf_N_Poker said:
Wanting to understand this, since I don't have much casino poker experience. So if I stand up to stretch my back for a few seconds during a hand, I get mucked? How is this different from the guys on TV that stand up, and even run around the room when they are all-in? What is the exact rule that I need to look for if I'm playing at a poker room or casino?
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There was a hand in-progress. This guy got up from the table, stepped away from the table AND had his back to the table. It looks like a fold to pretty much anyone (player or dealer alike), not sure how else it could be interpreted.

It could be used as an angle-shoot (you flop huge, you make it look like you intend to fold by standing up and looking away from the table, appearing disinterested so you can get a player acting before you to try and bet into you figuring they don't have to worry about you playing)

Being all-in already and standing up from the table is vastly different, you have already committed your chips and there are no further actions that you can take. In this hand there was action pending, and players were still acting before him when this dingleberry got up and turned away from the table.

On top of that, as a player, it is YOUR responsibility to protect your hand at all times. You could be sitting in your seat, shuffling chips, and the dealer could grab your cards that you have in front of you but aren't touching, and muck them, and you'd generally be shit outta luck in the majority of rooms unless the floor was feeling generous and was able to identify your hand from the muck easily.
 
Anthony Martino said:
There was a hand in-progress. This guy got up from the table, stepped away from the table AND had his back to the table. It looks like a fold to pretty much anyone (player or dealer alike), not sure how else it could be interpreted.

It could be used as an angle-shoot (you flop huge, you make it look like you intend to fold by standing up and looking away from the table, appearing disinterested so you can get a player acting before you to try and bet into you figuring they don't have to worry about you playing)

Being all-in already and standing up from the table is vastly different, you have already committed your chips and there are no further actions that you can take. In this hand there was action pending, and players were still acting before him when this dingleberry got up and turned away from the table.

On top of that, as a player, it is YOUR responsibility to protect your hand at all times. You could be sitting in your seat, shuffling chips, and the dealer could grab your cards that you have in front of you but aren't touching, and muck them, and you'd generally be shit outta luck in the majority of rooms unless the floor was feeling generous and was able to identify your hand from the muck easily.
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Thanks Anthony. So just to be clear, it wasn't merely the act of standing up, but more the act of disinterest towards the game that got him mucked? So in my example, if I state "damn, my back is killing me," stand up to stretch, but continue to watch my hand and the play at the table, I'm good?
 
TX_Golf_N_Poker said:
Thanks Anthony. So just to be clear, it wasn't merely the act of standing up, but more the act of disinterest towards the game that got him mucked? So in my example, if I state "damn, my back is killing me," stand up to stretch, but continue to watch my hand and the play at the table, I'm good?
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ALWAYS protect your hand, dealers get distracted, make mistakes and could easily grab your cards and muck them even in the scenario you described. That being said, generally you "should" be ok doing what you mentioned.

This guy gave every indication he had zero interest in the hand (which is actually acting out of turn, as it could influence action still pending before it's his turn to act). You should always muck your hand in turn so as to not influence action.
 
Anthony Martino said:
:kc::ks::js::8h: is an ok hand, but it's not an amazing hand. Facing a pot and a repot, someone was saying they had Aces and my decision was preflop for stacks, so I made the correct decision based on the situation. Yes, there ARE many bad players out there, but they aren't ALL droolers (don't I wish!). There are still plenty of solid or very competent players in the pool that I swim in.

I am nowhere near the best player in the pond, and that's fine, I'm not trying to "beat the best", I just want to pay my bills. And that's done by making good decisions, regardless of the outcome.






I'm feeling like you may be the TAG pro who played the 8753 against me and you're just trolling me, lol. But let's assume you are legit.

In the long-run you'll make money by playing hands that flop well. 8753, QJ63, etc. are going to be hard-pressed to flop strong enough that you can be comfortable with them. They will tend to miss making anything of note most of the time, and make 2nd best hands that cost you money if you stick around. They have too many gaps and make too many non-nutted hands post-flop that you'll lose more money trying to play these long-term than the few times you happen to luck out, because if your opponents are continuing against you post-flop, you may be getting freerolled (i.e. they have the same hand as you plus redraws to scoop)

Don't forget the times you do luck you, you still need the following to occur:

1. You need an opponent who is able to pay you off
2. You need your hand to hold against any of their outs

Also, it's generally not advisable to try and specifically target the stronger players in the game. While ALL of the strong players have their own threshold for tilt, they are generally going to avoid it better than weaker players or at least recognize it and take a break from the table. I'm not immune to it, but I don't believe the other pros are either, including the best player in the room.

Long-term your money is going to come from the weakest players who overvalue and overplay marginal hands, rather than trying to see whose dick is bigger in a contest against stronger opponents.
Click to expand...
Im 100% not TaG and 100% not a pro. I played very small stakes on some online sites and found this thread interesting
 

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