What ends up happening is they end up play poker tournaments, travel the circuit, or they quit their job. They automatically think they are way better than they are. A perfect example is when someone who's not very good wins a tournament. It's kind of funny because it fools you, short-term wise. Poker, like any occupation, is something that you have to work hard at. That's something that I've never really had. You know, nowadays, and I'm not going to name any names, but there are a lot of poker players that have ego. That includes not tilting and not having an ego. I've always stressed that your mindset, how you approach it, and attitude determines how well you do in the long run. People have come up to me, and maybe I've made it look easy in their eyes, but I tell them, 'Don't quit your day job.' If you really want to get into it, consider playing part time. A lot of people fool themselves into thinking they can do it successfully. The unfortunate reality of being a professional poker player is that not everyone is cut out for it.
For this edition of the Strategy with Kristy podcast, brought to you by South Point, Kim talks about what it takes to be a professional poker player. He's supported his wife and daughter through live and online cash-game winnings and has also accumulated more than $300,000 in tournament cashes. John Kim has played poker for a living for 14 years.
