No alarm clock. No boss. No traffic.

Sound fun? Well, playing poker for a living definitely has its perks. I can barely remember what it's like to warm the car up on a cold winter morning or to put on a dress shirt for work. I haven't set my alarm clock in over a year.

People often respond that playing poker must be the best job in the world, and certainly because I choose to do this I agree, but before getting into it, be sure to look at all the factors of playing poker for a living.

Sleep schedule If you are a true online poker grinder, you know that you basically have a night time job. This is can be very difficult if you are married (like me) or are involved in a relationship. My wife tells me that “you can play poker anytime….hang out with me tonight”. What people that don’t play poker for a living don’t understand is that the tables are 10 times better during night time hours. Thus, it becomes irrelevant to play poker during the day. A typical day is waking up at 2 pm and going to bed at 5 am. Better get used to it, or find another profession.

Get physical Playing online poker all night can be exhausting. Devoting the full attention that successful poker requires for hours on end is extremely tiresome. Getting some kind of daily exercise is essential to solid poker playing. It’s a fact that your brain works better with exercise. Get out of the house and go for a walk to cure those bad beats.

Ups and downs Every poker pro will tell you they win money. Some truly are, some just have a bankroll and will become a pro fast food worker when their Pacific account runs dry again. But even the real winners don't win every day. That might be discouraging to hear, but it's a fact you must recognize. It can be frustrating to work for 8 hours and actually come out with less money in your pocket than when you started. That doesn't happen at your typical 9-5 job. If you can't handle losing money every once in a while, don't even think about playing online poker for a living.

Rich Spaulding is a professional online poker player. He currently teaches players on how to play poker for a living at http://www.pokernoise.com

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