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How Badly Do You Want It?

I see all the time, in all aspects of life people saying they want this, or would like that. Some things can be completely mundane like fancying a coffee while out in town. Others can be life changing like moving house or getting a new job.


Often the difference between getting what you want or not is focus. I'm not talking about grabbing a latte, where, on a whim you can walk into a coffee shop, tap your card and walk out with little thought. I'm talking about the big stuff.


If you have ever frequented an online poker forum, you don't need to look very far before you see a "I'm going pro!" post, or a "Freeroller to millionaire" blog. You will also know that after a few early eager posts, the thread goes quiet. Some particularly keen individuals will post daily updates for a couple of months. In the end they all wind up the same way. The original poster goes AWOL and maybe the odd encouraging (or antagonist) forum member will prod for an update. They almost never succeed.


So why do all these people fail? Focus. The guys that are posting all these threads and updates are distracting themselves from their goal. The ones that are achieving their goals aren't telling everyone else about it. Their doing it. They're focused. They want to achieve and they are prepared to work harder than the other 99% of people and put everything else to one side to reach their aspirations.


The trouble is that many people just don't want it enough. They say they do. They even believe they do. But if they really wanted it, they would make it. It comes down to one single thing; how bad to you really want it?

A lot of people view poker as a get rich quick scheme. They've heard of Chris Moneymaker, or have watched Rounders and think they should have a piece of the pie and then spend the rest of their lives lying on a beach sipping Pina Coladas. What many of them fail to realise is the hard work, dedication and sacrifice required to achieve their ambition. It takes most people hours and hours of play and study to become even remotely decent at No Limit Hold'em and years to get to a point where they can consider going pro. So many want to play one or two tournaments a week, with little to no study and expect to be able to give up their day job. They're not prepared to put in what it takes to make it in the poker world. They want to go pro with their $50 starting bankroll and blame it on bad luck, variance or rigged poker sites when they're not raking in $2,000 a week.


Like most normal people, I have a job. I work Monday to Friday, 9 to 5. I have a girlfriend and a daughter who doesn't live with me, but comes to mine every other weekend. I have a mortgage and all the other bills that come with running a house. Would I like to become a poker pro? Sure. Work from home, set my own schedule, be my own boss, travel around the world to various exotic places and play in the world's best casino's. But at what cost? To achieve that I would essentially have to give up everything else in my life. I can't afford to give up my job, so I'd have to play and study in the evenings and to stand a chance, I'd have to treat it like a 2nd job. Get home from my day job, fire up the computer and play or study for 4-6 hours a night. Then at the weekends, I can't do anything with my girlfriend or daughter on a Friday or Saturday night, because that's when the tournaments are at their most profitable with all the recreational players logging on. No, for me, going pro is a dream, but not an ambition. I'd much rather play once or twice a week and study a couple of hours here and there, than sacrifice the life that I am very happy with. I think this is why the majority of professional poker players become pro at a young age. They're still at home or in college with little to no expenses and no dependents relying on the monthly paychecks. They have the freedom to play and study a lot with almost no collateral impact on any other aspects of their lives.


Studying is often an overlooked aspect of being a professional poker player. A lot of amateurs see online streamers log on a fire up the poker client and start registering for seemingly every tournament available to them. What they don't see is the hours of studying behind the scenes. Reviewing previous tournaments. Spots where they found themselves in tough decisions. Interesting hands they saw another player make. Missing the opportunity to check-raise the turn. Discussing with friends. Study is not about watching Dolk Polk reviewing a hand from a super-high roller on your phone, while watching the football game on TV.


In most professions, you go to college or university for three to five years and you come out with a degree or some other form of qualification and you are then able to practice law or medicine, or whatever profession you chose to go into and studied hard for. You should be studying poker as if you had an exam at the end of it. Except this exam happens every time you register for a tournament or buy-in for a cash game. There isn't a three year course and then one final exam with a pass or fail grade at the end. The exams keep coming and therefore the study must continue. Even the best players in the world are studying the game because they know if they don't, they won't be the best for very long.


In conclusion, I applaud anyone wanting to better their lives, be that becoming a professional poker player, moving house or just grabbing that coffee and I wish them all the best. Just recognise that some things take more planning, hard work and sacrifice than others. If you really want it. Focus. Make it happen.


Thank you for taking the time to read this week's blog, let me know what you think by leaving a comment or a like.


Tonight is the my first league game of the winter season for my new team, Wizardz of Oddz. My team mates have made a solid start and I hope to continue their good work. Wish me luck!


Thanks,

Matt


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