Tony,

There is some huge money to be made in online poker. I'd be willing to help you get on the right track, which could speed your learning curve tremendously. It will take some serious study on your part, but it is very fun and immensely profitable. Every hand is a little logical problem to solve. You need to have some aptitude for thinking mathematically, and some understanding of statistics is helpful.

When playing poker seriously, as an expert plays, you only play about 15-17% of your hands, maybe as many as 19-20% if you are against incredibly weak and predictable opponents and you play quite well. Most people don't have the discipline to play so few hands. Their lack of discipline and lack of self-honesty means money flows right into your bank account.

In a "live" or "B&M" (brick and mortar) card room, you just sit there while you fold hand after hand, observing your opponents. An expert can beat a live middle-limit game ($10-$20 up to $75-$150 is probably considered middle limit) for about 1 to 1.5 big bets per hour (BB/hr). That's great if you're playing higher than $30-$60 and expect to win over 60/hour, but not so good otherwise.

Online is a whole other deal. First, the games are much faster -- about twice the speed. I average 62 hands per hour, where a fast live game is only about 35 hands per hour. Second, and this is the best part, you can play multiple games in multiple windows.

I am currently playing the $3/$6, 6 tables simultaneously. I'm averaging about 2.25 BB/100 hands or about $13.50/100 hands. But at 62 hands/table/hour and 6 tables, that's just over $50/hour.

I've set a goal to reach a certain number of hands at this limit (30,000), then I'm moving up to the $5/$10 6-max game (maximum of 6 players at the table, which means faster games). The 6-max games are reportedly softer as well as faster. There are quite a few college kids playing the $5-$10 for a living and making around $100/hour. After 30,000 hands of $5/$10, I plan to move to $15/$30. My goal is to be beating $15/$30 for at least 1.5 BB/100 by June (you do the math). 30,000 hands doesn't take all that long online! That gets to be some interesting money for playing a game. Of course, I really enjoy the game and not everyone does. It requires concentration and constant thinking and decision making, which I love. Fundamentally, the game is about making decisions. If you make better decisions than your opponents, you win in the long run. These decisions can be extremely complex, which you may enjoy as I do, depending upon your personality.

At lower limits (below $15-$30), online win rates of 3-4 BB/100 are possible. Win rate diminishes somewhat as you move up because the game gets tougher, and as you increase the number of simultaneous games because you have less time to consider each decision. On the other hand, statistical software tools exist to help you profile your competitors and make better decisions in less time.

I seem to recall you asking about Holdem several months ago. Hold'em is considered the most complex form of poker because of the intricacies of the common cards. Post-flop play can really be a brain-teaser, and "any two can win." This creates the perfect balance of luck and skill. There must be a balance because if a game is too skillful, bad players stop playing. If a game is too easy, there is no edge available to the expert. The first reason is the reason why most no-limit games eventually dry up; the expert has a much larger edge because he can manipulate the odds his opponents are getting with much more precision, and eventually the fish won't play with him.

If you are reasonably bright and study hard, you ought to be able to pay the bills while you look for another job. In a few months, you could easily be out-earning your old colleagues. You may decide, as I did, that there is no way you could ever work another office job.

Working for yourself is a great experience. Your time is your own. Your income potential is up to you, especially in poker. It is an incredibly liberating experience! I've struggled to figure out "what I want to do when I grow up". I stumbled across this poker thing and it really seems to fit my personality and the lifestyle I desire (lots of free time for motorcycle trips).

PM me if you want to get into more detail.

Either way, good luck with your job search.

Jim