Even if you have done all of the above, you should at least give it a try before declaring yourself to be a pro online poker player.

Take a week’s vacation from your job and spend the next five working days playing poker (at least you’ll get paid even if you have a bad week!). You might surprise yourself how hard it is to motivate yourself to play poker nonstop for a week. Or how after four hours of grinding (grinder = playing cash games for hours as a regular player) you suddenly lose focus. Or how after losing 15 cellars in the first three days, you don’t want to get out of bed at 7am anymore.

It’s best to find out that you’re not cut out for the life of a poker pro before taking the plunge into professional life.

Also, another factor that I have encountered in the past, the hours you work out are not necessarily when poker pays off. In cash games, the tables turn mostly at the end of the day and in the evening. Now, if you wanted to get pro playing in the morning and enjoy your family in the evening, that may not be possible.

Build a real bankroll

You haven’t taken all of the previous steps yet, but you still think you know how to become an online poker pro. That’s great, but do you have a bank account and your other finances in order?

Most poker pros like to have at least six months of living expenses in a separate bank account in case things go wrong. Digging into your bankroll to cover your bills is a big no-no-no.

Your bankroll should be bigger than that of a recreational player would have because you don’t want and can’t go down limits (that would totally change your hourly earnings).

It is better to be too conservative with your bankroll than to go penniless!

Act professionally

Professional poker players often cite the freedom to gamble for a living, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have a professional attitude towards work. Some of the best poker players in the world are extremely disciplined and in their approach every day.

You won’t be working drunk, tired, with your feet on the desk, a netflix movie on the other screen… So don’t do it as a pro poker player. How to become a professional poker player? Begin to act as such, a professional who is.