Have you ever wondered what it would take for you to quit your job and play poker for a living instead? Of course you have – we all have. But the reality of going pro might be very different to how you imagine. We decided to investigate this by speaking to a player who has done exactly that very recently.

Andy Wool is a British poker professional and goes by the online moniker of ‘dawhiteninja’. A year ago, he was approached by Patrick Leonard, who saw Wool playing $20 MTTS (multi-table tournaments) and saw his potential. Convincing him to quit his job and go pro, Wool was then thrust into the world of playing online poker not for a money-making hobby on the side but his living. With two young boys and a devoted wife relying on his income, how did Wool get on?

This week, he came 6th in a $530-entry PokerStars Blowout Series for $150,000 in what was a life-changing moment in his poker career. We started our chat with Andy asking what it felt like and turn such a moderate buy-in into a six-figure result of that magnitude.

“It was literally a dream run, which sounds a bit weird considering I finished in 6th place!” Wool says. “What might come as a bit of a surprise is yes, it was a hugely exciting run and one that I’ll never forget – including some incredibly fortunate river cards – but it also came with a lot of other emotions that I was trying my best to handle. I was trying not to get too far in front of myself or too dependent on a “This is it” moment or any kind of ‘it’s now or never’ mentality.”