Poker is one of the most talked about words in the world, especially when it comes to making money fast and easy. Sure, we can hear the stories of the hard-working, almost risk-free Chris Moneymaker and how he conquered the world of poker, but there are also stories of people who started with small amounts and worked their way up to the very top of the heap, then quit to become full-time poker players. These stories can show you that, contrary to popular belief, poker is definitely not a game of luck. In fact, if you think about it, poker is pure luck programmed by a winning player over an extended period of time.

There are, of course, other stories of people who have made a good, solid income playing poker, but the bulk of these stories are about the Randy Orton and Phil Ivey Bentley moments. I made a nice amount of money on the “no limit tour” with Team PokerStars, but it definitely wasn’t overnight. These stories, while benefiting quantity for the brand, didn’t really help poker as a whole. In fact, no one really seems to care about the winners the past couple of years, which makes sense, because the winners usually end up getting a ton of press while the losers quietly go about their business.

Making money with poker starts with making a good play every time, and depending on your bankroll and the players at your table, you may be able to do this fairly easily. However, if you sit at a table with players who are Treating Poker As A Business For a Living, You’re Probably Going To Lose.

Now, this doesn’t just apply to online poker. I’ve watched players win big money at live games in Vegas and made thousands of dollars with sites like Caribbean Poker. In fact, I’ve often thought about the media surrounding certain poker players the past couple of years. A prevalent theme seems to be that they’re all “Vodka138 players”, despite the fact that many of them are very talented and actually make their living from Poker.

I’ve often said that if you look at some of the most successful pro athletes, like Mike Vick, they don’t look, sound or act like they play pro football. They WIN events with their skill, not by luck or chance. The pro athletes I look up to are definitely the ones who earn their living with their skill, not by luck or chance.

Playing poker to make a living can be very difficult, but it can also be really lucrative. It might not sound like a sure thing, but if you’re willing to make the necessary steps, you can definitely earn a very good living from playing poker.

If you’re not willing to change the way you view poker, and if you think that you’re better than all the players in the world, you can get beat up very easily. The return of investment from playing poker is considerably lower than from a regular job, but that doesn’t mean you should inherently make stupid plays if you don’t have to.

Unlike most jobs in the world, poker isn’t a dead end job. If you make the right decisions with the right plan, you can become a poker dealer, a poker coach, and even a poker pro.