Gambling for a living is impossible. In a long run you lose. So it is just gambling for fun, just like playing a game,
Gambling for a living is possible . And you got wrong , in the long run you win ( if you play by the odds and understand the theory and opponents ) . I am a semi-pro microstakes poker player ( hopefully this year i will turn to pro ) and i can assure you that it is possible to live ( at least ) by poker . My coach currently makes 2000+ euros per month and he grinds at microstakes ( up to NL 50 ) too . If you wanna start at online poker check my signatures , you're gonna find them interresting . But i have to warn you it ain't gonna be easy , it needs hard work and patience .
I have only one question for you. But first the situation which will give me the possibility to make the question to you.
Everyone who play poker win? For sure not. There must be someone who lose otherwise from where came the money that you and your coach earn. So in poker have winners and losers. The losers have ruined their life with the poker (the gambling) because they have lost their money. So in this moment everyone can doubt in your words. Will think: If I can be from the part of the losers? It is normal to think so. Only the stupids don't have such thoughts. They are convinced to be over every part. They are convinced that are invincible.
You told that with poker can be earned so much money that the player (gambler) can have a good life. Like your coach. But must be for sure only at the part of the winners. Otherwise the poker ruin the life. The losers, like you and your coach, had for sure your convictions. Otherwise would not play. Who play if believe that will lost its money? They, when played with you and your coach believed (before ruined their life) that even if could lose some hands for sure will win the other ones. In this way they has left in poker all their money. Maybe not in one night or two. But in several such. Because were sure that will win. Exactly like your thoughts and the thoughts of your coach. They ruined their life because were convinced that were the bests (like you think since tell that with poker you give warranties that can be lived) and this conviction made them to use all their money hoping that one hand (game, night, nights) will earn all the lost money.
Here my question: How do you know that one day cannot be someone or even more players who will be more capable than you and will make you to lose all the money? With my question I am not telling that all your money will be lost within a night or two (things this totally possible with a gambler with your convictions) but during a given time.
First of all , rule No 1 in gambling and investing is " don't invest more than you can afford to lose " . So by following that rule you can't ruin your life .
There are some "lines" you have to follow ( i'm gonna mention some of those that are related to poker ) .
One , bankroll management . You can't start playing by depositing 100 $ and sit at a table of NL100 . You have to split the money so that you won't lose it all if a "bad beat" happens . So with 100 $ you have to play at NL2 ( you can rebuy 50 times with that amount ) .
Two , you must have a rakeback deal . My current deal gives me 40 % rakeback , that means that i get back a percent of the rake i pay for every hand played by me after the first round . There are poker players that are losers before rakeback and winners after receiving their rakeback .
Three , stop loss . I have my current stop loss at 3 buy-ins . That means if i lose 3 times the money i buy in a table , i stop the session , check the hands i play if i did something wrong and continue after some hours .
Now to your question . That day is every day . There are better players than me and i can assure you they are too many . But the positive part is that i'm better than some others . It's all about knowledge and skills . The better players are those who have studied more , played more , or have a better understanding of the game by natural . As for the poor guys that lose their money , believe me they are there playing because they want to earn other people's money .
I know that you are talking about the moral aspect of gambling but that's not the case here , i replied to this post specifically "if you can make money by gambling" and still my answer is yes . Try hard and you will succeed .
After to much time I see you answer and I am sorry to not have seen it before. I see a lot of incomprehensible for me. Because I am not at all an expert in gambling. Even more. I am not even a newbie in gambling. I am nothing in gambling. I have gamble with penny more than 30 years ago with football matches for about 5-6 times and then about 10-11 years ago poker with my friend with pot near 1 dollar and overall money in the table by all four players never more than 100 us dollar. This period was a little more than the previous. Lasted for about 5-6 months. I haven't seen never a casino in my life. I have never played in one online gambling site. So i am less than nothing in gambling.
Then why speak about it and do moral to them who gamble - must ask someone. How can judge something that you don't know. This last sentence is not at all true. I know only one thing about gambling. But is the most important one regarding it. And is scientifically verified. Gambling, if played for a long time and continuously, create addiction. To be addicted to something (whatever it can be) is a disease. A very dangerous one. Especially when have to do with the money. That's the why of my post and my thoughts. You may think all the possible "strategies" and "models" in gamble. If you gamble continuously you are in constant danger to become addicted from gamble. And if this can be verified your problems and the problems of your family (or even more from your dears) will be extremely big. They all (and you first) will suffer in an enormous way and will curse yourself about that you have made.
The last think. Seeing the way you write and from what I read, I see and understand that your are not at all quiet and in yourself. The first signs of the above disease mentioned above by me.