This is not the era of conventions. Like every field, the professional field is also extending its branches into varied aspects of becoming successful. Gone are the days when the most successful career options were engineering and medical studies. This generation has learned to take chances, follow their own call and reach the pedestal of success.
Poker has also become such a career option which can earn you both money and fame. The biggest perk is, you don’t need any specific degree or educational qualification to become a successful poker player; all you need is to be of age (playing poker below the age of 21 is illegal) and skills, of course (which can be developed). Going by the words of the experienced, “perseverance is the key to success”.
Being naturally good at something is a boon but practice and the will to polish your skills is the main factor. Poker requires just that- your patience to brush up your skills and your belief in yourself. This game of skill and strategy has given a platform to many celebrities who were nobody once upon a time.
Most of the celebrated poker professionals of today have built themselves up from scratch and now have secured a respectable and financially secure position in the society. Here are a few poker professionals from the poker landscape who have outright proved to the world that to become successful, all you need is the courage to follow your calling.
Daniel Negreanu
This Canadian chap was not an extraordinary name in the poker world when he first started playing poker. His inclination towards poker started when he used to visit pool halls, betting rooms etc. in his teenage years. Very soon, he could understand that poker was his call and with his parent’s support, he took up poker as his profession. It wasn’t easy to find a platform in the poker industry at such a tender age.
The biggest obstacle was maintaining bankroll. After his first plunge into the poker world, he got himself trained a bit and visited Las Vegas to turn the tables of his life. He couldn’t survive there much. After a few months, he had to return to Toronto due to his inability to sustain his poker bankroll. However, at the age of 23, he became the youngest poker player at that time, to win a WSOP bracelet.
Phil Ivey
Who doesn’t know this name in the poker landscape? Where there is poker, Ivy’s there. His introduction to poker happened in the back-room games at the New Jersey Telemarketing Firm, his workplace in the 90s. His passion for poker made him forge an ID to gain an access to Atlantic City’s casinos. Now, Ivy’s net worth is $100 million.
Johnny Chan
This China-born poker star had an all-set career option in Texas. However, ironically, he chose Texas Hold’em instead of his family business of restaurant. He pursued his calling and in 1987, he won two WSOP bracelets back to back. After that, there was no looking back and now he owns 10 more such prestigious bracelets to his name.
Chris Moneymaker
His life was quite set and stable when he took his calling. He wasn’t a very skilled player when he decided to switch his career but he knew his goals well. Chris Moneymaker spent $40 to enter an online poker qualifier for the 2003 WSOP seat as a novice.
He polished his skills swiftly and efficiently and within a couple of months, bagged the 839-strong Main Event. It’s been more than a decade now that he is a professional poker player in the poker landscape.
Vanessa Selbst
This lady is really the superhero among poker players. She is one of the most celebrated female poker professionals and has reputed poker titles to her honour. When she got inclined towards poker, she had a well-defined academic path for herself. However, after knowing poker, she didn’t take much time to realize what would give her professional satisfaction.
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It was 2006 when Selbst took up her first WSOP tournament and in her first time, made her way to the final table and also the top 7. Since then, she went on climbing the success ladder of poker. She is also the only female poker player to have secured the first position on the player of the year list by the Global Poker Index. Recently, she retired from being a professional poker player.
The Poker world can boast of numerous such players whose success stories are endearing and inspirational . Poker is an unbiased field where only your poker skills and strategies are responsible for your success or deterioration. It’s a field where you don’t find cheap diplomacy and nepotism. You are responsible for what happens to you.
So, go out there and make things happen, because here in poker, we rely on our capabilities of playing our cards and not on the quality of cards dealt with us.
