The thought of how to become a pro Poker player flashes through the minds of many Poker players from time to time. It may come after having had a memorable week at the grind, when it seemed no matter how one played their cards, Lady Luck was with them the whole way, but what if it wasn't luck at all, what if it was really down to their skill?

If a player truly wants to learn how to become a pro Poker player, it will mean having to make lots of sacrifices. Like any chosen profession of note it will take extreme dedication, and there are also many things that the player will have to master. Just like the successful Wall Street trader they will need to have nerves of steel and be able to make lots of decisions based on probability versus possibility and be able to completely remove the emotion from their decision making. This is a game for the men.

There is a non-Poker book by author Malcolm Gladwell and he poses a theory that he calls the 10,000 hour rule. The theory goes along the lines of if someone keeps doing a particular thing consistently day in and day out over and over again and accrues over 10,000 hours at that chosen activity, then the likelihood of them being very good at it, is virtually guaranteed.

If one is talking in Poker terms and wants to learn how to become a pro Poker player, 10,000 hours equates to around 3 years of playing the game eight hours a day, so one has to be honest with them self and ask are they really prepared to do what it takes, and join the school of hard knocks as such an inevitable roller coaster ride will throw up. Rome wasn't built in a day, nor is becoming a Pro Poker champion, one can bet their bottom dollar on it!