Is Earning ¥1,000,000 a Month from Poker Possible? Tips and Cautions Explained in Detail!

In recent years, poker has been gaining popularity all around the world.

In Japan too, as online poker has become more widespread, more and more people are enjoying poker on a daily basis.

Among poker players, some of you may be wondering: ‘Is it really possible to earn ¥1,000,000 from poker?‘

Here we introduce the key points and cautions for earning ¥1,000,000 from poker.

Is It Possible to Earn ¥1,000,000 from Poker?

To answer directly: earning ¥1,000,000 from poker is entirely achievable.

Poker is not simply a game of luck.

Poker is not a game where players fight against a dealer (operator), but a game where players compete against each other.

Therefore, if you are relatively more skilled than the other players, your win rate naturally increases.

In other words, while luck certainly plays a role, by mastering solid skills, knowledge, and theory and accumulating experience, it is possible to raise your win rate.

When it comes to earning from poker, online poker where you can play anytime and anywhere is the best!

Among them, ‘KKPoker’ — which has seen a rapid increase in players in recent years — has many beginners, making it easier to win (= easier to earn), which is why we recommend it!

If you’re thinking of earning ¥1,000,000 from poker, we recommend registering below first and checking the details.

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People Who Are Actually Earning ¥1,000,000 from Poker

Even if you’re told ‘you can earn ¥1,000,000 from poker,’ it’s hard to believe without concrete examples.

Therefore, here we introduce people who are actually earning ¥1,000,000 from poker.

We also have an article summarizing professional poker player introductions and annual earnings, so please be sure to check it out.

Bryn Kenney

Bryn Kenney is a top poker player known as the prize money king, with total prize winnings exceeding an incredible ¥6 billion.

He has won prizes exceeding ¥100 million on multiple occasions, and at ‘Triton Million’ he won an astonishing ¥2.5 billion in prize money.

Daniel Negreanu

Daniel Negreanu is an extremely popular top professional player even among poker players.

He has a very bright and talkative character, which is very different from the conventional image of poker.

However, behind that approachable exterior his play is extremely cool, and he is undoubtedly one of the top players.

Tsuguru Toma

Of course, there are top poker players in Japan too.

One of them is Tsuguru Toma.

Known by his nickname ‘Tsugunii,’ Toma was named ‘Japan Player of the Year’ in 2019.

Winning twice in one week at PokerStars EPT Prague, becoming the first in Japan to sign an official professional contract with a Japanese company — it’s no exaggeration to say he is a player who has blazed the trail for Japanese poker players.

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How to Calculate the Hourly Rate Needed to Earn ¥1,000,000 from Poker

In this section we explain how much you need to earn per hour to make ¥1,000,000 a month from poker.

As introduced in the previous section, there are people actually earning ¥1,000,000 or more per month from poker, so earning ¥1,000,000 from poker alone is not impossible.

Converting to an hourly rate and bringing it to a familiar number makes it easy to see how big the gap is with your own situation, and it also becomes a clear target when you actually aim for it.

Let’s explain how much you actually need to earn per hour to reach ¥1,000,000.

Hourly Rate to Earn ¥1,000,000 Monthly

Let’s assume you work 10 hours every day for a month to earn ¥1,000,000 per month from poker.

Among those aiming to become poker pros, many work 400+ hours per month, so 300 hours a month is not an unreasonable amount.

With that, if you can consistently earn ¥3,300 per hour you will reach ¥1,000,000 per month.

In poker, hourly rate is generally viewed in BB, so generating 5BB to 10BB at a $2/$5 table gives an hourly rate of $25 to $50.

Entering tournaments where the hourly rate seems achievable and accounting for variance, this is well within reach.

If you have the skill to consistently win at higher-rate tables like $5/$10, you can reach ¥1,000,000 per month with fewer hours.

Factor in the Expense Rate

It makes no sense to spend ¥1,000,000 a month in order to earn ¥1,000,000 a month, so factor in the expense rate too.

Even if a tournament player has total prize money of ¥1,000,000, if they paid over ¥1,000,000 in entries, that’s not a monthly income of ¥1,000,000.

Even without such an extreme example, rake comes with poker.

Rake is collected automatically in most online poker so it’s easy to overlook, but the more you play, the more rake you pay.

Keeping expenses down by using rakeback and similar options is also an important factor in raising your monthly income.

Need to Earn at Least Around ¥1,300,000 to Keep ¥1,000,000 Profit from Poker

If you want to keep ¥1,000,000 or more in profit from poker, you probably need to earn at least around ¥1,300,000.

This is because poker income counts as miscellaneous income, so you must file a tax return and pay taxes.

There is a deduction of up to ¥500,000 per year, but if you’re earning over ¥1,000,000 a month, you’ll exceed the deduction amount in half a month even accounting for expenses.

Miscellaneous income is subject to progressive taxation, and the tax rate for annual income between ¥9,000,000 and ¥17,990,000 is 33%.

Hiding this level of income and evading taxes risks not only additional tax penalties but also criminal punishment.

To use poker as an analogy, tax evasion is a foolish act that yields no value — pay your taxes properly.

Therefore, accounting for the amount paid in taxes, you won’t have ¥1,000,000 left in hand unless you earn at least around ¥1,300,000.

Points for Earning ¥1,000,000 from Poker

Earning ¥1,000,000 from poker is actually possible, but of course you won’t achieve it by just playing aimlessly.

To keep earning from poker, it’s important to understand the key points and keep playing.

The key points for earning ¥1,000,000 from poker include the following:

Let’s explain each one below.

For tips on earning from online poker, please refer to this article on tips for earning from online poker which explains in detail.

Have a Reason Behind Every Action

Have a Reason Behind Every Action

The first important thing for earning ¥1,000,000 from poker is to play with a reason behind every single action.

‘Why are you raising?’ ‘Why are you folding?’ — make sure you can answer with a reason for everything you do.

The more difficult a decision, the more important it is to think logically, always asking ‘what is the best action?’ alongside your reasoning.It may feel difficult at first, but by staying conscious and continuing to play, you’ll gradually be able to play with solid reasoning.

Always Review Your Play

Don’t just play and move on — reviewing your play afterward is also important.

Of course when you lose, make it a habit to ask yourself ‘why did I lose?’, ‘what was the cause?’, ‘what should I have done instead?’.

And even when you win, reviewing is essential.

Questions like ‘where was the winning factor?’, ‘why couldn’t my opponent win?’, ‘is there a way I can apply to next time?’ — there are countless useful reviews you can think of.

If you just want to enjoy poker you may not need to go that far, but if you’re trying to earn money, that’s a different story.

To get one step ahead of your rivals, recognize that reviewing is extremely important.

Develop the Habit of Thinking in Numbers (Values and Probabilities)

When playing poker, always thinking in numbers (values and probabilities) is very important.

This ties in to the ‘play with reasoning’ point just introduced, and understanding numbers is indispensable for acting with reasoning.

For example, since there are a fixed number of cards in a deck, there are specific probabilities for each starting hand (the hand dealt at the start).

‘The probability of getting at least one Ace is about 15%’, ‘the probability of a suited hand is about 24%’ — you can know these basic values in advance.

Also, you can know in advance the probability of completing each hand like one pair, two pair, or straight.

By becoming strong with these numbers, use them to aid decision-making such as judging hand ranges.

We’ve also summarized various probabilities in poker in the following article, so please use it as a reference:

It will be hard to take everything in and play right away, but gradually deepening your understanding will steadily raise your skill level!

Simply Put in the Volume

The last point we want to share is simply putting in the volume.

No matter how thoughtfully you play, you should expect that you won’t be able to earn from just a few sessions.

To build up your experience, online poker ‘KKPoker’ where you can play anytime and anywhere is the best choice.

Since registration is free, check the overview below and try registering first.

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Cautions When Earning ¥1,000,000 from Poker

To earn ¥1,000,000 from poker, there are not only tips but also important points to keep in mind.

The cautions when earning ¥1,000,000 from poker are as follows:

Let’s explain each one below.

Bankroll Management Is Extremely Important

If you’re thinking about earning from poker, bankroll management is extremely important.

Simply put, the key is not to put money you can’t afford to lose into poker.

Playing for amounts like ‘if I lose this it will affect my daily life’ should be avoided.

Putting up a large amount creates that much more mental pressure of ‘I absolutely have to win,’ making you unable to think of things you normally would, or notice things you normally would.

The best approach is to first secure the money needed for your monthly living expenses and an emergency reserve, then play with any surplus funds beyond that.

Start at Low Stakes Without Overreaching at First

Connecting to bankroll management, playing at low stakes when you’re a beginner is also important.

Beginners inevitably have an unstable win rate and often go through losing streaks.

High-stake games may be attractive for the bigger returns, but if your funds run out that’s counterproductive — avoid them.

The best stance is to gain experience at low-stakes games and gradually raise the stakes as your skill improves.

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Be Mindful of Managing Your Mental State

To earn consistently from poker, controlling your mental state is also extremely important.

In poker, staying calm and playing based on numbers is the key to winning consistently.

However, if you get flustered or mentally down, it can negatively affect your play.

If you’re trying to earn ¥1,000,000 a month, amounts of tens of thousands of yen can increase or decrease in an instant.

Even so, whether you can maintain a consistently stable mental state is in a sense a factor that determines wins and losses.

For those who want to learn about the mindset for poker, please check out the recommended books in the following article:

[Summary] Is It Possible to Earn ¥1,000,000 from Poker?

So far, we’ve introduced the key points and cautions for earning ¥1,000,000 from poker.

I hope ‘earning from poker’ has become more realistic for you than before.

If you properly research information in advance and put in the hours using the right approach, it is entirely possible to develop the skill to earn ¥1,000,000 from poker.

If you want to earn ¥1,000,000 from poker, using online poker ‘KKPoker’ is by far the best option.

It is introduced as #1 in our site’s ‘Recommended Online Poker Ranking’ article as well.

With its easy-to-use interface and many beginners, I think even those playing poker for the first time can tackle it properly!

Since registration is free, check the details below!

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