Luxurious homes, the most expensive cars, rare watches and lavish cocktail parties are what come immediately to mind when you think of celebrities, members of the billionaire club, and professional athletes. Poker players are up there with the best of them and undoubtedly deserve a spot on the list of luxury lifestyles of the wealthiest people in the world. Shows like Poker After Dark, or High Stakes Poker, along with the serialization of the World Poker Series each year, have helped the most popular and best poker players to attain even higher levels of fame and financial success. The best poker players often rub shoulders with celebrities and other professional athletes. They use their work flexibility to travel while playing poker online from any country in the world by using the Internet, and they follow live poker tournaments from around the globe. Professional poker players can travel and take holidays whenever they want. As independents, they can shape their schedule and make enough time for friends, family and entertainment.

Work Ethic

Firstly, everything starts with a strong work ethic. If you cannot get yourself to sit still and play every day, or at the least most days, then you are never going to make it in this game. Playing professional poker or even semi-professionally will require your complete dedication and the ability to play when you ate tired or don’t feel like it. There will undoubtedly be days when you won’t be in the mood to play poker for various reasons. You will have to cut through that and get yourself started. You are your boss; however, you need to force yourself to show up on those days. Just because you have the freedom to decide your work hours doesn’t mean you have a license to abuse it. You would never do that with a regular job, and it’s the same with playing professional poker.

Poker Pros Take Care of Themselves

Poker isn’t like any regular job. You can’t show up and run through mundane tasks while checking your Facebook account. Playing poker requires focus and attention to detail. It requires a sharp mind and being prepared at all times. To be consistently in that state of mind, poker players need to work hard on taking care of their minds and body. A fair number of elite players are starting to realize that, but many others are woefully inadequate. Being prepared physically and mentally requires a healthy diet, regular physical exercise and a decent night’s sleep. Professor poker players are often at the gym in the mornings before playing poker later on. That helps to prepare mentally and physically to dominate the opposition.

Phil Ivey

Phil Ivey needs no introduction and is one the best All-Round Poker Players globally, with a net worth estimated at over $100 Million! His beachfront Cabo San Lucas home stands next to the Pacific Ocean, where a hot jacuzzi tub and an infinity pool lead directly out onto the Sandy beach. Ivey has praised his private chef as the best in the world on a recent Instagram post. He has appeared in nine World Poker Tour finals so far and won once. He is hailed as the Tiger Woods of Poker, and in 2010, the Aria Casino opened a high-limit poker room to honour him, named The Ivy room. When he isn’t playing poker, Ivey loves to play a round of golf or two, playing regularly at the most exclusive golf clubs such as the Capital Golf Club, Heatherton, Australia and The Shadow Creek Golf Course, Las Vegas.

Phil Ivey

Dan Bilzerian

Dan Bilzerian is undoubtedly one of the most famous poker players. His cat, ‘Smushball,’ has 756,000 followers on Instagram. His net worth is around $150 Million, and he owns private jets, yachts, a helicopter, and four or more homes throughout the United States. He holds more than a dozen of the most prized classic automobiles globally, and he also has a passion for guns.

Dan Bilzerian

Although it’s easy to imagine poker players living the high-life and partying all night at the most exclusive clubs, in reality, the most successful poker players look after themselves physically and mentally. They have to if they want to remain at the peak of their game. Poker takes skill, patience, and concentration. Anything that interrupts that or affects the ability to do all three and poker players avoid them. The successful and wise players invest money in luxury pads, fast sports cards, expensive jewelry and works of art like any other millionaire would. However, their livelihoods depend on keeping a clear mind during poker tournaments and high-profile games. Their lifestyle reflects the need for clarity of mind.