How: “I’m a professional poker player”

Welcome to How I Did It, a weekly professional travel series.

This week we speak to Brighton-based professional poker player Josh Manley.

The 33-year-old has been playing since he was 17 and has now made a career for himself.

He mainly participates in online tournaments, but also plays live and recently went to Las Vegas three days in a row to play.

he says the following: “It was the best poker experience of my life.”

If Josh hadn’t been laid off due to the pandemic, he might not have made the jump to make the team a full-time career.

now he did.

Hi, how did you start playing Josh Poker?

When I was 17 years old, a friend introduced me to the “Money Poker Game”. The game essentially uses virtual currency and chips to play poker without any financial investment.

I quickly fell in love with this game because it was clear that you needed an element of skill to win.

How old were you when you played for money for the first time?

When I was 18, I made my first real money deposit online and played in very low buy-in tournaments (ie low entry fees but low prize pools).

We start playing around $0.10 per entry.

I also started playing games with my friends at the kitchen table for a small amount of money.

What made you want to pursue a career?

I have always loved games, and during the years that I played as a hobby, I put them to good use as a side income.

I always dreamed of becoming a professional, but I never thought it would come true.

I was scared to quit my full-time job in logistics to play poker, but I lost my job when the pandemic started.

At this point, poker is better than ever and I decided to go all-in (pardon the pun).

how did you do it?

If you choose to play poker as a career, you must know what you are doing and fully commit to it.

For me, I had just lost my job in logistics, so as a stopgap measure while looking for a new position, I decided to turn my hobby or “side job” of playing poker into a full-time job.

But I started running and won tournaments. In the first weeks, I always wanted to do it.

I also started a Twitch channel so I could stream myself for others to play, and from the beginning I really worked on my “brand”, online presence and community building on Twitch, Discord and social media.

Will all this branding allow others to get to know you in the poker space?

Less than a year after the broadcast, 888poker offered me a sponsorship deal and I joined their new broadcast team.

Since then I have been able to play in several big tournaments. Especially the main event of the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas.

How can you play poker without disturbing your head? For example, with gambling-related addictions, how can you maintain a healthy balance? Are you still playing after hours?

I usually play every day from 10 am to 5 pm, but sometimes I play at night if there is a tournament that I am particularly interested in.

Also, never play beyond your means. It’s important to separate your life money from poker money (poker money is called your “bank”).

To be successful at poker, you must strictly manage your bankroll. This means that you will not be risking a small part of your bankroll every time you play.

Poker can be quite a mental challenge as it requires concentration for long periods of time.

When I feel that my leadership has been affected and I am not giving my best, I usually play and study to regain my confidence. he is playing again

Learning often involves specialized software based on “GTO (Game Theory Optimal)”. You can play better.

I spend a lot of time and some money to get access to the best tools for learning. I also read books by poker players and professionals that I admire. For example, I really appreciate “The Mental Game of Poker” by Jared Tendler with Barry Carter.

What is the difference between being good at poker and being a pro? How did you know you were a strong enough player?

When I started playing full time, I didn’t feel good enough to play professionally, so I worked hard on my game.

I hired a great coach and discussed poker theory as much as I could with friends and like-minded people in the poker community.

You know you are good enough when you have been winning for a long time and winning for a long time. It’s important to track your results so you know when, where, and how you’re performing. gets better.

What do you like about your job

I love poker and streaming.

In poker, it is a very exciting game where the level of play is constantly increasing. To win, you have to be one step ahead of the competition.

I not only love the theory behind the game, but also the freedom to work when and where I want.

The streaming was also great. My girlfriend first approached me with the idea of ​​streaming games live on Twitch, and just two years later I went from having no audience to being a sponsor of 888poker.

I also have a great community and have made great friends through it.

Is there something you hate?

Poker can be tough when things don’t go your way. This is called depression.

Poker is a game of skill, but there are certain factors that you can’t always control.

The object of the game is to win money with the best hand, but even with the best hand, you can sometimes lose despite having a mathematical advantage.

There are times when this happens over and over again and it really tests your judgment.