How to Make $20 a Day Playing Poker (Simple Strategy!)

How to Make $20 a Day Playing Poker

People ask me all the time how they can make $20 a day playing poker or some other amount like $50 or $100 a day. Now, unfortunately poker doesn't really work this way.

Poker is not like a regular job where you can expect to make a certain amount each day because there is variance built into the game which means constant ups and downs no matter how good you are.

So if we move the discussion instead to making "$20 a day from poker on average" then ok, now there is something to talk about.

If you want to make $20 a day playing poker on average, then there are some surefire ways to go about that. Such as, playing a tight and aggressive style in low stakes cash games like NL2 or NL5 while playing multiple tables at a time. You could also play low stakes tournaments and average $20 a day from poker.

Don't worry though because I am going to break it all down for you in this article step by step. Here is how to make $20 a day from poker.


Why Would You Want to Make $20 a Day Playing Poker?


First off though, what's there actually to gain from making $20 a day from poker? This is a trivial amount of money after all for many people reading this article from rich Western countries.

However, you need to remember that $20 a day from poker (which equates to $600 per month) is actually a middle class to upper class income in most countries in this world.

For example, in Thailand where I live the minimum wage is about $10 a day. So this means that if you were able to make $20 a day from poker, you would be living a middle class lifestyle in this country.


And this is actually the case for most countries in this world. It is really only a handful of countries in North America and Western Europe where you need thousands and thousands of dollars per month just to live.

This is why you see tons of "professionals" playing online poker even at very, very low stakes who come from countries in Eastern Europe or South America for example.

Also the other thing is that we all have to start somewhere in poker. A lot of people make the mistake of playing at stakes that are too high for their current skill level.

But the methods that I am going to teach you to make $20 a day playing poker in this article only require that you learn how to beat very weak and unskilled competition in low stakes games.

Once you learn to beat these games you can use this solid foundation of knowledge to move on to the higher stakes games where you can make considerably more than $20 a day from poker.


Make $20 a Day From Poker Playing Low Stakes Cash Games


For many years I made $20 or more a day from poker (on average) by simply grinding the lowest stakes cash games online. 

I am talking about stakes like NL2 and NL5 in particular where the blinds are 1c/2c and 2c/5c respectively.

I actually talk about it specifically in a new video where I show you how I make $20 a day in those small stakes poker games.


Now it might seem a bit odd to you how I can make this amount in such low stakes games where the maximum buyin is only $2 and $5.

The secret though is multi-tabling. When you learn how to play 4 tables at once, 10, 20 or even more, very small earnings on each table can add up in a big, big way over time.

For example, say you are playing a 2c/5c game online and you are able to earn 40 big blinds per table on average at the end of a 2 or 3 hour session. Also, let's assume that you were playing 10 tables.

Therefore, you made $2 per table (5c x 40 = $2). And since you were playing 10 tables your total earnings would be $20.

These numbers are not difficult for someone who is a decent to good player in these games and table selects as well.

Furthermore, even if your poker winrate is lower than this you could either play more tables or simply play a longer session in order to hit your target of making $20 a day from poker.

Now you might be asking yourself how on earth are you going to be able to play this many poker tables at the same time though especially if you are currently used to only playing one or two.

Well, I don't have time to discuss all the ins and outs of how to play more poker tables in this article. But believe me, it is much easier that it sounds.

Also, I have already written a huge step by step guide for how to play more poker tables anyways which will show you exactly how to do it.

Bottom line, multi-tabling online poker is a skill that most people can learn how to do, no matter how daunting it might seem at first.

And this is how you multiply your earnings considerably with online poker and make significant amounts even from very low stakes.

Lastly, in order to get high quality reads on all your opponents while you are multi-tabling, I highly recommend using a good free poker HUD.


Learn a Poker System to Make $20 a Day


And one of the main reasons why is because you will be using a poker "system" when you play. This means that most of your actions are completely automatic.

In other words, the poker system that I personally built and have used over the years ensures that I already know what to do in 99% of poker situations at the micros.

So therefore, all I am really doing is just clicking buttons. I can play 20+ tables at the lower limits while watching a movie.

My poker system involves using a very simple TAG (tight and aggressive) style of play which is heavily based around using position to your advantage, exploiting the weaker players, and constantly isolating and value betting against the recreational poker players.

So I am not playing "bad hands." I am not bluffing very often. I am always aware of my position at the table and where the fish is. If there is no fish at the table, then I leave. No ifs, ands or buts.

These are a few of the basics. But once again, I don't have the time to thoroughly explain the entire system in a short little blog post like this.

This is why I actually wrote an entire short little free book explaining my entire poker system in detail. It is only about 50 pages which means you can easily read it in an afternoon.

Blackrain79 free book

You can download it for free right here.

If you truly study and follow the strategies laid out in this free step by step guide (and give it some time, remember poker is a long term game), then you will without question be crushing the lower limits.


Make $20 a Day From Poker Playing Low Stakes Tournaments


Now you might be asking yourself what about poker tournaments? What if you prefer tournies instead of cash games?

Well yes, you definitely can make $20 a day (on average) from playing poker tournaments as well. The only difference is that the path to get there won't be anywhere near as direct as with cash games.

What I mean by this is that most poker tournament players actually end up losing small amounts on most days. It doesn't matter how good you are. This is just how poker tournaments work.

The variance is absolutely enormous in these things.

And this is because you have to beat enormous fields in order to make any kind of significant money and this means that you need to get lucky or "run good" for extended periods of time in the short term.

The payoff with poker tournaments though is when you finally hit that big score, a top 3 finish. This is when it all comes back to you and more. This is what good tournament poker players live for, the final table.

So if you want to make $20 a day from poker tournaments I would suggest playing at as many low stakes buyins as possible. The 50c, $1 and $2 buyin games are the best.

Low stakes rebuy tournaments can also be highly profitable because maniacs will artificially jam up the prize pool for you. You can also try your luck in a few low stakes satellites to much bigger tournaments where you can have a shot at some truly significant money.

I have personally won several low stakes tournaments before where the buyin was only $2 or $3 and I won over $1000 for first place.

In fact even though I am a cash game player I often just sit outside and play low stakes tournaments on the weekends to relax.



The best online poker tournies are almost always on the weekends, Sunday in particular.

So if you were to win just one of these tournaments per month you would already be well above your target of making $20 a day playing poker.

You can also play a few poker tournaments with a $5-$10 buyin if you want where the payouts are even higher. However, be aware that the players will be better and therefore your variance will be even higher.

What poker strategy should you use you might be asking?

Well, you can largely just use the same poker system by the way outlined in my free guide above. I should mention that I also use a lot of different poker tools and software to help me in both cash games and tournaments.

For the complete list of all the poker software and tools I use, click here.

Now, the only real difference with tournaments though is you will need to learn some push/fold strategy when you get short stacked in the later stages of tournaments.

But this is pretty easy though.

If your stack falls below 10 big blinds in a poker tournament you should almost always be shoving or folding preflop. Even with 20bb or 30bb you should be very picky about what hands you play and try to steal the blinds as much as possible.

By the way, if you want a complete guide on micro stakes poker tournament strategy you don't need to worry because I have already written that as well!

You can find it right here.


Final Thoughts


So can you make $20 a day playing poker on average? Yes, with a high volume approach in low stakes cash games or tournaments you can certainly do this.

You will want to utilize a solid tight and aggressive strategy in either format to make sure you are exploiting the weaker regulars and maximizing your value versus the recreational players.

By the way, I discuss this in much more detail in my new Elite Poker University training. 

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You can of course just play higher stakes games and make $20 a day from poker much more easily. However, you need to know that these games often have considerably better players in them that might be ahead of your current skill level.

This is why I always suggest starting at the lower limits no matter what in poker. If you quickly steamroll the lower stakes, awesome, then go ahead and move on up.

But always prove this to yourself first. Many, many people have made the mistake of letting their ego get in the way of their poker success.

Once again, if you want to know my basic poker system and how I created some of the highest winnings in online poker history at the micros, make sure you grab a copy of my free poker guide.

And if you want to know about my day to day life as a poker pro traveling the world, make sure to follow me on Instagram.


Let me know in the comments below if you make $20 a day playing poker. Do you think it is easy or hard?

How to Make $20 a Day Playing Poker

20 comments:

  1. Another great article. Thanks, Nathan

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  2. thats super realistic thank you

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  3. MicroCrusher here! Thank You Nathan! Been waiting to see you come up with a micro stakes tourney strategy! was playing too loose this morning...lol. Btw, thanks for the follow on twitter. Talk later, time to go study your tourney guide. You Rock!!

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  4. Thanks for another great article.
    It s not easy to do,but it worth the effort.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for reading and yup I agree.

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  5. Hi Nathan, what size bankroll do you recommend for playing 4 tables of 2c/5c? cents? Thanks😀

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    1. Hey Jane,

      I recommend 30+ buyins for whatever level you play. So at 2c/5c that would be $150 minimum.

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  6. Is only luck nothing else

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  7. Nice Nathan. Do you mainly play regular cash or zoom?

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  8. Nice Read Nathan, I didn't realize typical income level in Thailand was that low, I make a couple hundred a day online working 4 Myself threw various platforms and still may move one day to Thailand

    Thanks Man and I hope You have a Great Day Peace . . .

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Dfox. There is a lot of money in Bangkok but overall Thailand is still a pretty average country in terms of it's economy. However, it is on the rise like most other Asian countries. Congrats on your biz, let me know if you ever make it out here!

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  9. Hey Pokerfriends,

    Weich Poker Pool ist atm good dir microstacks?

    Regards Roman

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  10. Hello again,

    i hate my autocomplete function of my phone *~*

    So to my question once more, which pokersites can u recommend for low stake player? atm i'm on pokerstars, but it feels like there are only professionals that plays..


    Best Regards from Germany

    Roman

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    Replies
    1. Hey Roman,

      I have a page with all my top recommended poker sites. You can find that right here:

      https://www.blackrain79.com/p/poker-sites.html

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    2. Hey Blackrain79,

      thank you so much for the link, i think i just was not really able to use a search function!
      Thank you for the answer and for the great blog! Chapeau!


      Regards Roman

      Delete