A long time ago, when I was still in college, I heard an emeritus professor speak at a seminar. The professor was offering up guidelines about how to manage a career.
I can't remember much of what he said that day, but one thing always stuck with me.
"Choose hobbies that will make you money," the professor said.
After years of entertaining myself with World of Warcraft, golf, and home theater equipment, I got turned on to playing poker for fun. At first, it was just a diversion, and I figured even if it cost me $50 or $100 a week, it was on par with playing a round of golf.
I don't like to play things I am not good at, so I read everything I could to improve my game. Eventually, I got good enough to post decent wins at low level stakes.
Then I discovered ways to supplement my poker winnings with bonuses and, even better, rakeback.
Soon I was making hundreds of dollars a month playing poker part-time. And it was remarkably fun! I stopped wasting time watching TV and wasting money on golf, and I started making money playing poker. The extra money enabled me to eliminate all debt but my mortgage. Now I use the extra dollars to build my bankroll and I save a little as well.
There are tons of blogs out there about people playing professionally. I don't. I have a good job that I like, a family that depends on a steady income, and the games aren't great during my working hours. Poker makes a great and fun side job.
I'm also not a great player. I have won more than I have lost, but I stick to small stakes these days, where the waters are not so dangerous and the swings not so detrimental to my psyche.
If you are a casual player like me, this is good news. You don't have quit your job. You don't have to move up to the nosebleed stakes. Just quit wasting time on television, play an hour or two a night working toward bonuses and rakeback, and grind your way out of debt.
In future posts, I'll talk about strategies you can use to maximize your newfound income. Stick around, and you'll find out why I say that "Poker is freedom."
