Andrew Neeme is the mastermind behind a successful Poker Vlog on YouTube that already has more than one million unique views on just 40 videos. He was kind enough to accept this interview request.
What Convinced You To Take a Massive Leap of Faith?
Andrew: Honestly I was a little unprepared to fully leap into poker as a profession. I was ready to work for myself and create my own schedule, but I wasn't prepared for how much work would be required to really thrive. As a result I spun my wheels for a while, breaking each rule in the professional player's book: didn't play enough, didn't study enough, gambled, didn't build a network of players to discuss hands with.
I had results from online poker being so soft in the previous decade that it gave me a false sense of success. The upside is that I took a big risk in going out on my own, and learned a lot about myself. It took a few years to learn, but it was a sort of trial by fire and I definitely burned myself along the way a few times. Eventually you get sick of waiting and start making progress as you get serious.
Can You Tell Us About Your Fiance
Andrew: My fiance is the best thing to ever happen to me and helped me get my life together. She works harder than anyone I've known and always remains empathetic. People always call and text her for advice about work, friends, relationships... literally anything.
She's always found trading and the markets interesting so she got the concept of professional poker from day 1, since there are so many parallels. She might be a little happier if I could stick to a normal sleep schedule, but she knows it's not easy due to game quality always changing. Besides, she doesn't mind having some personal space.
It's a little tough never knowing exactly what our income will be, but the positive is that we don't have to worry about getting time off to do what we want to do.
Do You See the Vlog as Financially Beneficial?
Andrew: It's tough to say at this point whether the vlog will be financially beneficial. At the moment, it doesn't bring in as much money as anything else I could be doing for the same amount of hours it requires.
But I've only started doing it in October, so it's still very early. It would be great to find one or two major sponsors--gaming companies or casinos that want to promote poker--and that would help out. For now, it's been fun doing something creative, which is a quality that is non-existent in professional poker, and something that was lacking in my day-to-day grind. There isn't an end goal at the moment and I'm just working on continuing to build an audience with fun videos people interact with.
How Much Work Do You Typically Put into the Making of Each Video?
Andrew: Each of my vlogs takes about 8 hours of editing. The filming of each video takes the better part of a day, since I'm playing a full session, and then capturing some additional lifestyle aspects, such as exercising or exploring.
Then it takes me another full day to edit. I'm not a professional editor so it takes a long time. I'm using footage from multiple cameras: the point and shoot, GoPro, drone, and my iPhone. I also do side-by-side video when doing the hand analysis segments, so it's like editing two videos into one. Then I add graphics, find music that fits the mood, and sync that up. Finally I upload it after finding an appropriate thumbnail, maybe editing that in a photo app, and writing out a blurb for the description box.
What Advice Would You Give to a Player Looking to play Professionally?
Andrew: It's the same advice as any young professional getting their start: Work very hard. That includes grinding at the tables, studying, talking hands with friends, and networking.
Keep your expenses as low as possible while you're building a bankroll. Do nothing other than grind and study. Forget about work/life balance, except for a bit of exercise. That doesn't sound very glamorous but that's the point. You can't control variance but you can control your work ethic.
