When you first start playing online poker there’s not a whole lot to worry about other than trying to improve your game and move up to the next limit. But when you decide to start taking online poker more seriously and treat it like a job then a whole host of new challenges arise that have nothing to do with the actual game. And the better you are at handling these challenges, the more money you’ll make with poker. 

Here is a list of 10 ways to meet the challenges professional online players commonly encounter. 

1. Know how much money you expect to make.

As free as some online poker professionals may be with their money at the table, they need to be pretty tight with it away from the game and know how much they will be making per month. Obviously this won’t be an exact number because of the variance in profits, but you should still be able to know how much can be made by looking at profits made over a three month span. With this number you’ll have a good range and can know what’s coming in on average each month.

2. Understand what expenses you’ll have each month.

The misconception about many pro poker players is that they are free-wheeling, money-spending machines. However, the truth is that many online pros need to have a handle on their expenses and this is best done by knowing what they will be spending each month. To do this you need to add up what food, rent, taxes, retirement, car expenses, utilities, etc. will cost each month so you can set that aside.

3. Let loose with your money at the table.

As tight as you might be with your money away from the table, you need to be just as free with it on the cyber felt. That’s why you need to maintain the same aggressiveness which enabled you to become a professional player in the first place. Because if you let the fact that poker is now a job change the way you do things then you might not have a job for long.

4. Don’t become a gambling addict.

Anyone who plays poker online long enough is going to be exposed to all types of ads for Internet casinos and sportsbetting. And engaging in a little of this isn’t such a bad thing as long as you’ve got the bankroll and are responsible about gambling. Unfortunately, some poker players let gambling get the better of their bankroll and develop an unhealthy addiction. This is why it’s important to avoid the temptations that compulsive gambling can bring and know all of the pitfalls beforehand.

5. Make sure to exercise and stay physically fit.

Playing online poker burns very few calories and having the option to play wherever you want – including around food – doesn’t help matters much. In short, online poker does not promote good health for players. If you decide to play professionally then you need to keep a good exercise routine going at least three times a week. Beyond this, you also need to make sure to pay close attention to proper ergonomics as far as a chair and desk go so you don’t develop carpal tunnel and back problems.

6. Expect to have trouble getting credit.

When you’ve got a steady, predictable income then getting a car or house financed isn’t such a difficult process. Unfortunately, poker doesn’t provide a predictable income so you’re going to have a tough time convincing banks that you are good for the money. You need to know going in that banks will most likely expect a large down payment on purchases like a house and you’ll definitely need a cosigner too.

7. Keep up with social interactions outside of poker.

Playing online poker is no doubt an antisocial behavior since people usually spend long periods of time on the computer by themselves. When you’re a professional things only get magnified so you need to keep social interactions going outside of the online world. This is why it’s important to still hang out with friends and visit family as much as possible. Failure to do so can isolate you from society and this leads to a number of physical and emotional problems.   

8. Know that your nightlife will suffer.

It might seem counterproductive to keeping up with your friends, but you’ll definitely need to play online poker on some weekend nights. The reason for this is that you stand to make way more money on a Friday or Saturday night than at any other time since this is when the worst players log on to play. This doesn’t mean that you have to stay in every weekend to play online poker, but any time you need a bankroll boost playing on weekend nights is a great way to accomplish this.

9. Never stop improving your game.

Look at people who’ve experienced long-term success in any field and you’ll notice one commonality: they all keep up with the industry. The same must be true of those who want to experience long-term success in poker as it’s no different from anything else. You constantly need to be learning new tips and strategy to keep up with the evolving world of online poker. Those who fail to improve will fall by the wayside as more and more players enter the field. 

10. Have a backup plan in case poker doesn’t work out.

Just because a person makes the decision to play poker for a living doesn’t mean they’ll do it for the rest of their lives. After all, most people change careers several times over the course of their life so nothing is a given. This is why every professional online poker player needs to have a backup plan for what they’ll do if things don’t work out. Whether it is schooling or networking you should be keeping up with the regular workforce to give yourself options after poker.