I know this is an old thread but I find it interesting. I have played for a living and I don't think new players are aware as to how much luck is involved with playing. Mostly you have around a 10% or so advantage, which is not big enough to guarantee that you will win more than you lose when you are "bad beaten". You have to hit the right hands at the right time, and this is not going to happen to most people. Hence good players can bobble along making a small sum, but never hitting the upper echelons of some of the luckier players. My advice is to treat it as a gamble and never play with more than you can afford to lose.