Is online poker a hard way to make an easy living?

Igor Popadyk

Igor Popadyk

Legend
Platinum Level
Joined
May 7, 2015
Total posts
1,209
Awards
7
Chips
381
an easy life where there is money, competition, bots, dispersion, psychology? It may depend on your attitude, but there is no easy money in poker!
 
nitulbhatia

nitulbhatia

Legend
Bronze Level
Joined
Nov 7, 2010
Total posts
1,444
Awards
1
Chips
129
Making money in poker is not easy, its very difficult, some people hit big many dont.
 
Atararo14

Atararo14

Visionary
Platinum Level
Joined
May 28, 2020
Total posts
811
Awards
5
MA
Chips
342
I think it is possible to make a living at poker but it is not easy, it requires a lot of basics to master, as well as training on the thinking process in order to adapt these basics to each level of stack and against each player profile.
 
perrywh

perrywh

Legend
Loyaler
Joined
Feb 17, 2018
Total posts
2,721
Awards
9
US
Chips
365
98% of online players cannot make a living playing. A few are break even players. And the freeroll players make money as long as the cash out their winnings and don’t gamble with them!
 
ammje

ammje

Legend
Loyaler
Joined
Feb 25, 2018
Total posts
5,431
Awards
37
Chips
628
Hi, I think that it is profitable to play poker online, but if someone wants to make money overnight, I don't think it's a good idea to invest your money in poker.
Someone can make money playing poker, but it's in the long term, studying poker and putting in cash or mtt volume, sooner or later you will see the results.🦈🦈🦈
 
Sebbour

Sebbour

Legend
Loyaler
Joined
Mar 10, 2009
Total posts
1,052
Awards
8
HR
Chips
266
As a somewhat "older player" (I will not share my exact age, even if my gray hair does! ;)) I remember the golden age of enormous poker fish tanks online. It seemed that poker was so easy to beat online. Playing NLH almost felt like printing money. And online Omaha was perhaps even easier to win.

Now as we near the end of 2024, I find myself wondering if there is still a way to beat this game. What do you think? Can online poker still be beatable and profitable?
In my opinion online poker is beatable and profitable but will it be easy and that you can make an easy living of it, I'm not so sure. Like any other thing in life, if you want to be at the top level (practically anything - any sport, recognized in science, famous actor or pop star) you have to invest time to learn, sacrifice and lots of sweating and then maybe, just maybe you have a shot for it.
 
steve01991

steve01991

Legend
Platinum Level
Joined
Jan 17, 2015
Total posts
1,640
Awards
5
Chips
83
No such thing as easy money.... having said that, depends on your goals... making a living, probably not, having a decent bankroll, yes to that. Been playing for many years, no where near enough to make a living, but having fun and making a bit of money to keep me happy yes!
 
Rost

Rost

Legend
Platinum Level
Joined
Aug 26, 2021
Total posts
1,254
Awards
1
UA
Chips
308
In my opinion, online poker can be profitable as long as freerolls are held. After all, freerolls are an opportunity to win money without risk, and with this money you can then make a buy-in and have the opportunity to win money again, also virtually without risk. So, in general, yes, as long as there are freerolls, online poker can be profitable.
 
V

VictorOd

Legend
Loyaler
Joined
Aug 22, 2016
Total posts
2,964
Awards
69
UA
Chips
2,164
Yes, online poker can still be beatable and profitable, but it requires more skill, discipline, and game selection than in its golden age. Softer games exist in smaller sites, low-stakes games, or niche formats like mixed games, while high-stakes tables often demand sharper strategies and advanced tools. Staying profitable hinges on adaptability and consistently improving your edge.
 
Ketoupitou

Ketoupitou

Visionary
Platinum Level
Joined
May 19, 2023
Total posts
720
Awards
1
CA
Chips
531
It didn't even crossed my mind… I'm still a rookie so I guess it will be a hard way to make a living (easy or not) out of it. I don't know anyone who does (and probably never will)
 
gabryyyel31

gabryyyel31

Legend
Platinum Level
Joined
Jun 1, 2015
Total posts
1,767
Awards
9
RO
Chips
724
For the most talented and dedicated it seems very easy, but for the majority it is difficult and the main reasons in my opinion is indiscipline, lack of patience and perhaps most importantly a poor bankroll managment.
 
Roxidounne

Roxidounne

Rising Star
Bronze Level
Joined
Dec 12, 2024
Total posts
1
CA
Chips
43
For me it's a game. Of chance and not a job... for entertainment
 
zorro222_zorro222

zorro222_zorro222

Legend
Platinum Level
Joined
Dec 26, 2019
Total posts
3,873
Awards
11
CA
Chips
762
I 100% agree that poker was much easier back in the days, it was almost the case where you had to be really bad at the game to not be profitable but nowadays where there is sooooo much information available due to books, influencers, streamers, podcasts, etc.. it has made poker much harder because now the average player has a much better understanding of strategy. That being said, I do think you can make a living at poker if you are willing to put in the time to study and use all the tools available to you, I know many people that do but everyone of them takes it seriously and puts in the time and effort to be able to do so.
 
x patrice x

x patrice x

Visionary
Platinum Level
Joined
Aug 13, 2019
Total posts
763
Awards
3
DE
Chips
486
Nowadays, there are usually only players on the platforms who really master the game and/or also have programs/tools running that help you make the right moves (as far as I have noticed). At least it can be assumed that in a tournament at the table you can hardly meet absolute beginners, as was still the case a decade ago.

At the time after the so-called "MoneyMaker effect", there was a boom of new inexperienced players who all wanted to experience this game and just started investing their money to become the next World Series Champion.

A good comparison for me is the 9 players Sit & Go tournaments that I gained at the time (sometimes 5 games at the same time) and despite $ 1.50 buy-in, a 3-digit profit was able to earn at the end of the week.

The times are over and today it no longer works because the level is different!
 
luckyfish98

luckyfish98

Legend
Platinum Level
Joined
Jul 7, 2019
Total posts
2,057
Awards
2
Chips
422
As a somewhat "older player" (I will not share my exact age, even if my gray hair does! ;)) I remember the golden age of enormous poker fish tanks online. It seemed that poker was so easy to beat online. Playing NLH almost felt like printing money. And online Omaha was perhaps even easier to win.

Now as we near the end of 2024, I find myself wondering if there is still a way to beat this game. What do you think? Can online poker still be beatable and profitable?
I think that if I played against real people, I would have much more success

Back then, there wasn't as much leverage in online poker and there weren't as many cheating techniques compared to today's online poker.
 
19aleks57

19aleks57

Legend
Platinum Level
Joined
May 22, 2019
Total posts
1,737
Awards
5
BY
Chips
1,242
In my opinion, an online poker player can be profitable by combining games for money and free tournaments, having desire, experience, a good bankroll and playing on trusted sites. Making a living from online poker is definitely not possible, here skill and luck only sometimes work.
 
BillyR23

BillyR23

Legend
Loyaler
Joined
Sep 8, 2013
Total posts
2,714
Awards
5
RO
Chips
721
IMO the online poker can still be beatable and profitable- at least the games are still very soft on smaller sites like unibet at 25NL and lower stakes, same with the low stakes mtts/ sngs(I like sites that don't allow HUDs and other 3rd party software a lot more than the ones that do...); also, just my 2 cents but nothing is 'easy' in this World and most of us have to work hard to achieve something, so back to poker, another important thing is how much time you are willing to invest into study and play...
 
A

ancakeul

Enthusiast
Bronze Level
Joined
Mar 27, 2023
Total posts
96
AT
Chips
48
i think is imposible to make money from poker
 
Dimidrol2

Dimidrol2

Visionary
Platinum Level
Joined
Nov 22, 2022
Total posts
680
Awards
1
BY
Chips
377
Don't have any illusions about easy money in poker. Those who play plus or have not gone bankrupt understand this. In poker, you have to work very hard for a long time before and without a guaranteed result.
 
Ruslan L

Ruslan L

Visionary
Platinum Level
Joined
Aug 30, 2022
Total posts
924
Awards
1
UA
Chips
316
I think it all depends on your ‘appetite’. Most of us can make $100 a month. Only a few out of a thousand can make $1,000 a month. Poker brings me income, but for me, poker is more of a hobby than a tool for making money.
 
john_entony

john_entony

Legend
Platinum Level
Joined
Jun 3, 2023
Total posts
2,117
Awards
7
UA
Chips
196
Yes, of course, online poker can be profitable. But it's not enough to be a good player, as bankroll management also plays an important role in online poker. Tournament strategy is another very important aspect of success in poker, without which it is difficult to compete in multi-hour tournaments like the Sunday Million (on pokerstars). We should always focus on the prize zone according to our stack and the risks that come with making decisions in the late stages of tournaments. :unsure:
 
Mauricio Perrotta

Mauricio Perrotta

Legend
Loyaler
Joined
May 18, 2015
Total posts
2,977
Awards
2
AR
Chips
490
It all depends on what types of tournaments you play, if you play a 1-dollar tournament entry will be easy. If you play $500 tournaments, entry is something else.
 
dzsire

dzsire

Legend
Platinum Level
Joined
May 8, 2021
Total posts
1,376
Awards
2
HU
Chips
471
As in any field, you have to fight for the money in poker.
You have to invest serious energy and study in this too, only then can you make a living from it.
Of course, in order for this to happen, you have to give up a lot of things, but this is probably true for everything if you want to be outstanding in something.
 
B

besttest11

Enthusiast
Silver Level
Joined
Nov 24, 2024
Total posts
63
IN
Chips
82
Based on people who have been playing online poker for the past 10 years, it has proven to be a hard way to make an easy living due to evolving player skill levels, game dynamics, and the need to adapt to significant changes in strategies, platforms, and regulations over time.
 
Top