Hurdles
Life is neither easy nor fair. There are many obstacles you must overcome to be and stay a professional poker player but the the saying holds true; forewarned is forearmed. The first hurdle is developing the skill. The skill to play is perhaps the most intangible of all the hurdles you must overcome, and for this reason it can prove to be challenging indeed. It is tough to find objective measurements of your ability as a poker player. The game itself is very deceptive; you can win playing poorly and lose playing well, and so measuring your ’skill’ in money won can easily mislead you. You must not only learn to develop your skill as a poker player but also develop the tools to critically analyze how you are playing.
Another hurdle you must overcome are your emotions. Many high quality players will go on tilt and while they are in that state they will play much worse than they normally would. This can easily cost you a large % of your bankroll. If you are unable to bring your A game to the table, not sometimes but all the time, you will have difficulty in the poker world. Now it’s certainly true that everyone tilts, but strong players know to quit when they do so. Overcoming emotional weakness is one of the hardest hurdles to leap along the path to becoming a prosperous poker professional.
The last hurdle to overcome is self confidence. All the knowledge and technical ability in the world won’t help you if you are unable to believe in yourself and your ability as a poker player. This is something you must prove to yourself if you wish to succeed as a professional poker player.
Further Reading
