Maybe you clicked on this story because you are trying to make up your mind on whether or not you want to become an online poker pro.  Perhaps you already have enough funding, but you are just deciding if playing strictly online as a job will benefit you.  Below are a few examples of the positive things that you will find if you do decide to turn pro.  Much like anything else, there are pros and cons for everything, but for this story we will be focusing on the good stuff.

Set your own hours

There will be no punching a time clock here.  If you feel you play your best poker at 3am, then by all means, play at 3am.  Of course, if you’ve decided to play professionally then you will probably play just about as long as you would spend at a normal job, but playing online is so much better.  If you decide you want to take a break, then you just take a break.  You can also choose to take your lunch and dinner breaks whenever you want.  One of the best things about online poker and choosing your own hours is that if something unexpected comes up you can simply stop playing poker and go take care of whatever it is.

Pay yourself whenever you want

At a normal job you usually have to wait every two weeks to get paid.  In online poker you can elect to pay yourself whenever you choose.  Sure, sometimes the money will take a day or two to get into your account, but that is still a lot shorter than two weeks.  Another great thing about this is if an unexpected emergency comes up you can get your money a lot quicker this way, rather than having to wait. 

If you are a professional online player then the websites you play with will probably notice that.  That means that they will usually process your withdraw requests faster than they would a mini stakes player.  This allows you to potentially have this money for your spending the same day you ask for it.  If you are an online poker player you probably do not have health insurance, so being able to access your money at a moments notice is clearly a benefit of playing online.

No added expenses

Even if you are a social gambler and you only travel to Vegas once a year, you know the hassle of having to tip anyone who does anything for you.  If you win a big pot in Vegas you usually feel obligated to tip the dealer.  In online poker there is no need for that.  If you are a professional poker player in “real” casinos then you also know how much it costs just to travel.  The only place you have to travel to as an online professional is to your computer. 

Be yourself

If you want to play poker in the nude at a real life casino, chances are you are probably going to get kicked out and asked to not return.  At your home, if you choose to do such things, that is not a problem.  Also, if you are a cigarette smoker you can feel free to smoke without hesitation.  If you don’t like smoking, then you don’t have to worry about other patrons in the casino smoking.  This pro of being an online pro is often the most overlooked, but to me it is the most important.  So, if you are deciding to go pro, maybe this has helped your decision, and if you choose to play in the nude, please, keep that to yourself!

Summary

1. Live games require that you drive to a casino. You can play online from home.

2. You won’t give away any physical tells to your opponents online.

3. You earn VIP points that can be traded for tournament buy-ins and free stuff.

4. There’s always a cash game open for your bankroll size and preference.

5. If you bust out of one tournament there’s another one ready for you to buy-in to.

6. There’s tons of satellite action that will get you into big live and online events.

7. You can win hundreds of thousands of dollars every week in online tournaments.

8. You will chat with interesting players from all over the world.

9. You can lie to opponents with ease and they won’t be able to tell you’re misleading them.

10. Online play is faster; you can make more money during a session.